Another Step Further into Chinese Culture!

A few weeks ago I was informed by a Supervisor on my team, who is a local national, that I require a Chinese name.  Xuan He (English name; Selina) has become a good friend of mine as I ask her frequently questions on the culture, language, living, and a host of other topics.  Currently our new building is due for completion in three weeks and I will relocate to my new office, for now I am a "cubemate" with Selina and I have enjoyed the time we have been able to get to know one another.  As we relocate all employees have nameplates displayed in English first and then Chinese written below.  So it seemed fitting that the time was now for my Chinese name.  Following tradition Selina requested that I allow her to provide me with my Chinese name, of course I was honored.  The goal of the name is to have it sound similar to my English name but have a relevant meaning based on the Chinese characters used.  So it is with great pleasure I share my Chinese name; 邦杰明.

In Chinese Pinyin, a system which uses Roman characters to transcribe Mandarin Chinese, it is written "Bang Jie Ming".  So let me break down the name by the meaning of each symbol;

邦 (Bang): This name is not common in Chinese culture and not used widely as it has significant historical meaning in China.  In 202 BC Liu Bang became Emperor of China and he named his Dynasty "Han".  He was the first Emperor of the Han Dynasty who practiced Confucianism, stressing the benefits of governing the nation by moral virtue rather than coercive laws.  He became the first to worship Confucius among all later Emperors.  So it is with honor that I have been given the same name as this historical leader of China.

杰 (Jie): The adjectives that describes this name are "bright" and "clear-sighted".


明 (Ming): The adjectives that describes this name are "outstanding", "prominent", and "heroic".

Although it may just be that Selina has not been able to know me very well thus far, in reflection I think she has done a tremendous job ;) 


We are looking forward to our first trip out of the country next weekend as we visit Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand.  We all need a little rest and relaxation, planning to enjoy all that this beach resort will provide.  Thanks for reading, hope to see all our family and friends back in North America real soon!  Until then we are really enjoying the new friendships here in China with people originating from all over the world.  Despite the many challenges that living abroad entails, we are still blessed to have this adventure both professionally and personally.

Shanghai, China 上海

Friday morning we boarded the Bullet Train from Nanjing to Shanghai, China.  The train offers a quick, inexpensive and easy route to Shanghai at 268 MPH.  What would take approximately a four hour car ride is an hour and ten minute train ride.  A Google search will provide you with all the details you need to know about Shanghai so I will just provide a few pieces of information as we explored the city.  Shanghai has a population of just over 20 million people in the City, for comparison Nanjing (our home city) and New York City has approximately 7 million.  The architecture is amazing, a blend of new distinctive construction and also the historical aspect of 20th century surrounding The Bund district.  At night the city becomes a show of bright colors as the buildings, roadways, signs and so much more come to life. 

Friday afternoon we visited the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium proving to be a good way to complete the afternoon of our arrival into the City.  Saturday we visited the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and this was the highlight of the trip for the children.   The facility was amazing!  The building was a reflection of modern architecture with large windows, towering ceilings and unconventional structures seamlessly flowing from one exhibit to the next.  Inside we did so much exploring.  Moving from information technology, touring through a rain forest, wandering through animals of the world and even space exploration was so much fun.  Natalie even went on the zero gravity space chair not aware that it spun upside down around 10 times (I honestly did not know how to say “stop” in Chinese!  She did gather a crowd!).  In the evening we went up to the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower to have dinner in the revolving restaurant at 267 meters in the sky.  The views of the city at night were amazing and we are looking forward to returning during the day and standing on the glass floor with the city below your feet.  On Sunday we went to the Shanghai Children’s museum and then to a “shopping center” which is popular for imitation purses, watches and so many other things.  The experience is an adventure!  As you walk through the market you are bombarded with calls to enter shops, “you want nice purse or watch sir, come high quality, good price”.  One can only laugh.  Once you find the shop you are interested in (usually from references of friends) you enter the underworld of China shopping ;)  Opening a secret door they walk you through a maze of narrow passages not to be detected by police.  The more you bargain and show reluctance you are guided further into secret passages to ultimately arrive at the higher quality merchandise.  Bargaining starts high but with skill you are able to negotiate at minimum of 80% less than asking with persistence.  It is entertaining to experience!  In the evening we visited our new friends, the Bogle Family.  We were treated to a fantastic home cooked meal!  What an awesome family and we look forward to seeing them more often (even in Thailand in the weeks to come).  On Monday we just went out to lunch where we then preceded to miss our train due to our drivers confusion of what I meant when I said “Downtown Station” while ending up at the “Airport Station”, just another experience of living in another culture! We had a great short vacation and I have attached a few photos below.  We are excited to go next to Phuket Thailand at the end of March and relax on the beach!

I did want to mention the perseverance of the Chinese on a daily basis.  For those that cannot afford a car, which is an overwhelming majority of the population, each day they seek alternate forms of transportation.  Whether a bus, a bike, or moped they battle the elements.  On days of rain, I am amazed by the number of people braving the conditions just like any other day.  Lastly this week I discovered at work that I should have a "Chinese Name" in addition to my given American name.  This came up as they are preparing the nameplates for offices in the our new building.  Here in China I have discovered that many of my Chinese co-workers received their "western" name while taking English courses at their University.  Often selecting the name from a defined list with the meaning/interpretation included.  Others such as service workers are given the available name tags for their uniforms to select from.  So as a result of all this my co-workers are going to provide me with a "Chinese" name.  It will sound similar to the pronunciation of my current name and have a meaning that they feel suits my personality.  So stay tuned!  Oh one last thing, while in China I cannot tell you how many times we were asked to be in photos and the constant attention (almost celebrity like...).  I do want to mention that the Chinese are such warm people however, often smiling at the kids and speaking wither Chinese or English to them. 

Lastly just a few comments about work.  It is a very exciting time for Ford here in Asia Pacific & Africa Region.  It is a time that that many will never experience in their careers and I feel fortunate to be given this opporttunity.  In the next five years we will be launching nine plants in the region to support our growth (70% of Ford growth will be in this region).  With this comes many challenges.  There is challenges in dealing with Joint ventures, a developing supply base, and young team (senior local nationals having 5 to 8 years experience).  We have our team of International Service Employees who are in a unique leadership role not experienced before.  I was reminded this week from our VP that the most important thing as leaders in this region is to be mindful of the shadow we cast, many are looking to us to train the future leaders in the region and replace us in our positions in the years to come as we head home.  The challenges are emmense, however it is also a great time for my company and I am fortunate to be part of this unique opportunity I have been given!