Dragons Quarterly No. 2016-3
No. 2016-3
Dragons Quarterly keeps you updated about our latest events, activities, members
and other developments of Dragons Businessclub.
Editorial
The summer holiday is at quite a while behind us and we gratefully
reminisce a 'splendid' theatrical spectacle in the summer, but also a noble
charity of last winter. Our charity host last year, Care4Tina wanted to give
their thanks to our members due to a successful medical mission earlier
this year spring. Let us gratefully rejoice these events and look forward to
some more. In September we have celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival
and continuing this autumn we would like to taste some nice beers with
you at the Jopen Brewery. We strengthen our capacity to organise our
annual Christmas Charity event as we are then also celebrating our
th
10 Anniversary. Happy reading and rejoicing!
Best regards,
Cy Cheung
Editor
[email protected]
Event Report: The Dragons Businessclub and SPLENDID
By: Cy Cheung
Dragons Businessclub began the summer with a theatrical event. The club
and its members went to the Zuiderstrand Theater in The Hague. We
were welcomed by Mr. Yang Xiaolong, director of the Cultural Section of
the Chinese Embassy, and Mr. Ronald Koster, representative of the
municipality of The Hague. We were pleasantly amused by some
business-related anecdotes of both gentlemen. Then we have learnt that a
business in the cultural industry is not always lucrative, but that most
lucrative companies have some degree of business related to culture.
Following these interesting speeches we were drawn in a vivid
conversation between Henk Scholten, director of Zuiderstrand Theater,
and Alex Kan, director of a logistics company, which was moderated by
Marleen Spijkman. They told the story of how SPLENDID made premiere
in the Netherlands. Henk Scholten confirmed that a lucrative cultural
industry is not easy and in order to invite great shows to the your theater it
is necessary to collaborate with a partner who is willing to share the risks.
He met his partner Alex Kan not unsurprisingly at Dragons Businessclub.
The international interim agency of Felicitas Speth von Schülzburg
(International Performing Arts) played an indispensable role in bringing the
two men together in their business. The mixture of an excellent network
and good networking skills and a splash of business serendipity was
enough to seal the cooperation.
The programme ended with a walking dinner organised by Umami by Han.
Several culinary dishes with a hint of Chinese tongue were served in a
Michelin star-like way designed by Mr. Han, a chef awarded with a actual
Michelin star. The walking dinner felt a bit unusual, but also felt fit at the
same time for an evening with theatre, culture and open bar. Last but not
least, we also got a preview from one of members of the acrobatic troupe,
showing us a glimpse of what we could expect during the show.
Then at 20:00 the SPLENDID show started and the audience could
witness the agility, strength and courage of tens of acrobats, that took
form in spectacular and award-wining acts. A show that wasn’t worth
missing.
Holidays far away from home
By: Richard Spaans
For most Dutch people summer vacation has come to an end. For natives,
it is a matter of course, but how do Chinese expats working and living in
the Netherlands experience this period? For this, I have interviewed
several expats.
“I sometimes ask for annual leave in July or August”, says Yuanyuan
Zhou, Marketing Communications Manager at HIKVISION Europe.
"Europeans are used to have vacation during those months. It is a local
cultural thing. Asking for a holiday in summer time sounds more
reasonable." Li Huan, Marketing Manager at Huawei Enterprise, adds: “I
may take off a couple of days during summer vacation for a short trip to
some European cities.”
However, vacation and traditional celebrations could also be a perfect way
to integrate into the "foreign" Dutch society. Experiences can result in
lifetime memories. Zhou: “A few years ago when I just arrived in the
Netherlands I went to some local events and festivals with newly made
local friends. It helped me integrate into the local culture which was very
important to me.”
Taking part in Dutch festivities and vacations is one thing. Keeping alive
own cultural traditions can be equally important. Li: “Since I usually spent
my annual leave during Christmas holiday, I rarely go home for Chinese
New Year which is about two months after Christmas. Instead I usually
dine and hang out with Chinese friends here to celebrate which makes me
miss my family less.”
The bottom line is that experiencing holidays and vacations in another
country as an expat can be very interesting and create new memories,
while at the same time it is just as important to remain own cultural
traditions. So celebrating King's Day as a Chinese expat can be a great
event, but do not forget about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Event Report: Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration
By: Wenqing Liao
The Mid-Autumn day is a traditional Chinese festival held on the fifteenth
day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar Calendar. It is the day when
the moon turns into its fullest and completest status, representing reunions
of family members and old friends. In The Hague, Dragons businessclub
hosted its Mid-Autumn celebration in De Bijenkorf, located at the heart of
the city, around the neighbourhoods of The Hague China Town.
Decorated with the fragrance of flowers and bright red lanterns, the newly
opened De Bijenkorf restaurant welcomed around one hundred people,
enjoying the moment of being connected at this special evening.
The celebration was opened by welcome speeches of Mr. Atom Zhou, the
Chairman of Dragons Businessclub and Mr. Ronald Luyben, the store
manager of De Bijenkorf The Hague. Special thanks were granted to Mr.
Boudewijn Revis, the Alderman of Municipality of The Hague, who
provided the audience with updates over the cooperation between China
and The city of Hague in the last decade. Apart from delicious food and
tasty wine, interesting programs were scheduled in order to bring unique
and pleasant memories to all the participants.
Signing Ceremony of MOU between Dragons Businessclub and
China Network Guanxi
Dragons Businessclub and China Network Guanxi, another active
business platform connecting Chinese and Dutch enterprises, have
entered into a collaboration to organize events together and have agreed
that the members of both organisations can participate each other’s
events with a discount. Ms. Joke Bruynzeel, the secretary of China
Network Guanxi, was invited to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on
behalf Guanxi with Dragons Businessclub.
Traditions about Chinese Mid-Autumn culture
Making Mooncake
A special workshop was organized, where attendees could learn how to
make mooncakes using different cake molds under the guidance of Ms.
Shasha Liu, the founder of Chinese Kookworkshop. Mooncakes are
traditional Chinese pastries, symbolizing a round moon and a unified
family. As mentioned by Shasha, there are hundreds of different types of
mooncakes with the combination of various ingredients, modes and
baking processes. In addition to making mooncakes themselves attendees
also had the chance to taste the mooncakes, all prepared by Shasha and
her family before the Mid-Autumn Day.
Chinese traditional calligraphy
China has a long tradition of calligraphy, which has been considered not
only as a means of self-expression, but also as a form of visual art created
by ink, brush, bamboo paper and dance of hands. Calligraphy is used in
all kinds of Chinese festivals and big ceremonies, where the best wishes
of people can be depicted by written scripts. Ms. Julie O’Yang, a novelist
and visual artist living in Copenhagen, was invited to present this
traditional art to the audience by referring to old Chinese poems
appraising the Moon. This is also an interesting tutorial, following which
invitees were able to learn to write their names in Chinese characters.
Legend of Autumn Festival and the traditions in Xiamen
Dragons Businessclub was delighted to invite Ms. Yue Yin, the General
Manager of Xiamen Airline to give the audience some background of the
Autumn Festival, which has been inspired by a Chinese folklore tale in
connection with the story of the moon goddess Chang’e. Originating from
Fujian, Ms. Yin further gave the audience more information about the
traditions and culture among Fujian residents for the celebration of
Autumn festival, such as lighting lanterns and playing with lucky dices.
Lucky Draw and closing of the Event
As the sky turned darker, the celebration reached the end with a lucky
draw. Warm applauses were given to the winners and sincere wishes
were shared when everyone went home.
You can view the photos here made by Yixiao Shi.
Editor’s Column: Asian Tiger Taiwan moves forward
Wanny shares her experiences of living and working in Taiwan. This is
her fourth column.
By: Wanny Chan
Taiwan, as a newcomer on the “InterNations 2016” list, is perceived as
this year’s no. 1 country for expats to live in. As a biased party myself, I
agree with the good quality of life and personal finance for this Asian tiger
to earn this position. More specifically, I would nominate friendliness,
safety and vibrant convenience as convincing factors to start an expat
journey in Taiwan.
Besides moving forward on the InterNations list, Taiwan aspires to move
forward by anticipating to the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well.
According to the World Economic Forum this global technological
revolution will bring along fundamental business and societal changes. I
am curious of how recent trends and developments will transform
Taiwan's traditional labour intensive manufacturing industry to technology
and capital intensive information, telecommunications, and other high
technology industries. One of Taiwan's trends is that the historically large
workforce (aged 15-64), comprising of already 13.8 million people, is
expected to increase until 2030. Another development involves the
Ministry of Labour, which will soon sent a proposal for Cabinet approval to
increase the monthly minimum wage to €563 (+5%). Can Taiwan create
competitive employment opportunities and employ it's labour force, while
turning the odds against the potential trend of disappearing jobs of the
upcoming revolution?
We can't foresee what the landscape of the future will bring Taiwan and
vice versa. But, 'life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you
must keep moving.’ Albert Einstein.
Thank you from Care4Tina
In April 2016 our Christmas Charity in 2015 Care4Tina went on a medical
mission to perform several successful operations. At our Christmas
Charity Event 2015 we had collected over € 6,000 for treatments and
operations on children with cleft lips. If you would like to read more about
the mission follow this link.
Next event at Jopen Beer Brewery 2 November
Our next event is in the Jopen Beer Brewery in Haarlem on 2 November
2016. Jopen Beer is a local beer brewery and has started exporting its
beer to China. We will have a guided tour in the brewery. Mr. Erwin Klijn,
the export manager of Jopen Beer, will give a presentation about Jopen
Beer and its activities. Mrs. Lu Chen will give her insights on branding to
China. Please check our website for more information and detailed
programme or register here to attend the event.
Save the date: This year Dragons Businessclub celebrates its 10th
anniversary at our Christmas Charity Event on Friday 16 December at
the well-known Hotel Breukelen. It will be a spectacular event and we
hope to welcoming you all. As usual we will offer different sponsorship
packages and you can already book tables for the Christmas dinner. For
more information please contact us at [email protected].
Colophon and disclaimer.