Shaolin kungfu disciples from the U.S.

I came across these photos when I was researching for one of my Ph.D. classes. It's great to see that the shaolin kungfu is being spread across the world and it can be shared and learned by anyone who is interested. It is hard work, but is extremely rewarding for those who persevere.

According to People's Daily Online, more than 500 Shaolin disciples from the United States went on a pilgrimage to Dengfeng City in Henan Province, China on 5 July 2006. They visited the home of kungfu and some of them performed kungfu with the Chinese monks.

Guide to doing business in China

China has been and will be a preferred place for investment. Since its Open Door Policy in the 1970s, foreign direct investment has been increasing and most major international brand names are already in China. However, many investors or foreign managers are still looking for ways to do business with or in China successfully.

I recommend this one-stop-shop website that contains news and analysis, province business guide, comprehensive surveys of major industries and various laws. If you have no clue where to look, this will be a very good start.

10 richest countries in the world

According to http://www.xinhuanet.com/, 4 out of the 10 richest countries in the world in 2006 are from Asia:

1. Tokyo, Japan (GDP: US$784.8 billion)



2. New York, United States (GDP: US$407 billion)



3. London, United Kingdom (GDP: US$284.7 billion)



4. Seoul, Korea (GDP: US$198 billion)



5. Los Angeles, United States, (GDP: US$196 billion)



6. Osaka, Japan (GDP: US$191 billion)



7. Hong Kong, China (GDP: US$164 billion)



8. Chicago, United States (GDP: US$146 billion)



9. Toronto, Canada (GDP: US$141.9 billion)



10. Mexico City, Mexico (GDP: US$125 billion)

Note: The GDP figures are in 2004.

Social / cultural profile of some Asian countries

I talked about the economic profile of China, Macau and Singapore on November 4. Here, I'm going to provide the social-cultural conditions of these countries.

Chinese is the major ethnic group in all these three countries. Most of them speak Mandarin and a number of Chinese dialects. Christianity is not a popular religion comparing to most Western countries, and there are various religious beliefs in each of these countries. According to the Hofstede research and his scores for different countries (2003), Hong Kong and China are more similar in terms of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation, but Singapore is quite different from Hong Kong or China. The scores for Macao are not available. The following are some cultural/social indicators of the three countries:

China
§ Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 92% (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2006)
§ Languages: Mandarin and many other dialects (CIA, 2006)
§ Religion: Taoist, Buddhist, Christian 3-4%, and Muslim 1-2% (CIA, 2006)
§ Educational level: 34.8 million received secondary education and 2.4 million received higher education in 2004 (National Bureau of Statistics of China [NBS], 2005)
§ Education index: 0.755 in 2003, an increase of 10.5% from 1995 (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2005)
§ Literacy: Male 95% and female 87% (CIA, 2006)

Macao
§ Ethnic groups: Chinese 96% (CIA, 2006)
§ Languages: Cantonese and other dialects (CIA, 2006)
§ Religion: Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15% and other religions (CIA, 2006)
§ Educational level: 43,851 received secondary education and 11,995 received higher education in 2005 (DSEC, 2006)
§ Education index: Not available from UNDP
§ Literacy: Male 97% and female 92% (CIA, 2006)

Singapore
§ Ethnic groups: Chinese 77%, Malay 14%, Indian 8%, other 1% (CIA, 2006)
§ Languages: Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14%, Hokkien 11%, Cantonese 6%, and other Chinese dialects (CIA, 2006)
§ Religion: Buddhist 43%, Muslim 15%, Christian 10%, Taoist 9%, Catholic 5%, and other religions (CIA, 2006)
§ Educational level: 213,534 received secondary education and 143,846 received higher education (Ministry of Education Singapore, 2005)
§ Education index: 0.907 in 2003, an increase of 5.3% from 1995 (UNDP, 2005)
§ Literacy: Male 97% and female 89% (CIA, 2006)

For those who want to find the source of my information, please leave me a comment. I'll be more than happy to share it with you.

Economic profile of some major Asian countries

As an international management student during my graduate study, I have done some research on some major Asian countries. I would like to share my research with those who are interested in knowing more about Asia.

Asian countries have been experiencing strong economic growth in the past few years. Recent events such as SARS and avian flu had negatively affected the tourism and hotel industry in the region, but China, Macau, and Singapore were quick in responding to the threat and restoring visitors' confidence successfully. The following are some economic indicators of the three countries:

China
§ Population: 1.3 billion (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2006)
§ GDP growth rate: 9.3% (CIA, 2006)
§ Unemployment rate: 4.2% (National Bureau of Statistics of China [NBS], 2005)
§ Average monthly wage in hotel industry: 1,089 Yuan (NBS, 2005)
§ Visitor arrival: 120 million, a 10% increase from 2004, with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan as the top markets (China National Tourist Office [CNTO], 2006)
§ Tourism receipts: RMB$769 billion, a 12% increase from 2004 (CNTO, 2006)

Macau
§ Population: 488,100 (DSEC, 2006)
§ GDP growth rate: 8.9% (DSEC, 2006)
§ Unemployment rate: 4.2% (Government Information Bureau of the MSAR [MSAR], 2006)
§ Average monthly wage in hotel industry: MPO$4,781 (MSAR, 2006)
§ Visitor arrival: 13.8 million, a 13% increase from 2004, with China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as the top markets (MSAR, 2006)
§ Tourism receipts: Gross gaming revenue was at MOP$45.8 billion, a 8% increase from 2004 (DSEC, 2006)

Singapore
§ Population: 4.5 million (CIA, 2006)
§ GDP growth rate: 5.7% (CIA, 2006)
§ Unemployment rate: 2.6% (Singapore Department of Statistics [SDS], 2006)
§ Average monthly wage in hotel industry: S$1,406 (SDS, 2006)
§ Visitor arrival: 8.94 million, a 7% increase from 2004, with Indonesia, China, and Japan as the top markets (Koumelis, 2006)
§ Tourism receipts: S$10.8 billion, a 10% increase from 2004 (Koumelis, 2006)

For those who want to find the source of my information, please leave me a comment. I'll be more than happy to share it with you.