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Due to techinical difficulties beyond my control I can't post on the initial page.  Therefore we just create a second page to serve the same purpose.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Today's lesson boys and girls is about trusting your gut and being flexible to change plans on the fly when necessary.  Just like we teach that the defense is always WRONG, the meaning of course is when you read the defense and see what they are doing just simply do the opposite. 

Well the plan was to go on a tour of the Great Wall all day.  Leave at 8:00am visit The Ming Tomb and then the most popular portion of the Wall, have lunch included and be back to the hotel by 5:30pm all for only $30 U.S.  However, I was up early again by 5:00am and the clouds were coming in quickly.  This isn't easy to recognize as there is a constant haze from the pollution and yes it gives a slight headache/lightheaded buzz.  At 7:55am I negotiated a change of date on my ticket which is unheard of China as there are very rarely refunds or exchanges...all sales are final.  Well by 8:10am it was raining, it cleared and stopped for several hours and then we got the edge of Typhoon Marakot  until about 7:00pm.

This actually worked out very well as I was able to tweak my materials for the big meeting tomorrow. After my contact Pride did some more calling around we learned more about the motivations of the man we are meeting with tomorrow.  I spent a good part of the day on the computer adjusting the presentation while he went and set the table at another facility in the very northern part of the city.  The gentleman we are meeting with tomorrow has been involved with the National Chinese Sports programs for 40 years.  He oversees the training of select kids from very young ages in all sports.  He was a  big part of getting the Olympic Games to China in 2008 and running them.  As I have been told he has the power of the government behind him and is opening a private facility to train in multiple sports now.

I went for a walk which turned out to be a 4 hour tour.  I first went back to Tian'anmen Square and inside The Forbidden City.  You cross over what is essentially a moat by the use of a small concrete bridge.  As you walk under the huge (I am guessing 70 feet high by 40 wide) portrait of Mao Tse Tung, the leader of communist China since it's inception in 1949, you then enter a tunnel. As I walked through the dimly lit tunnel I could only see a small ray of light at the other end.  The first thing I could make out as I got closer and things came into focus was what I thought was a backboard and rim.

Now this is supposed to be a sacred place where the leaders of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived.  It is an enormous multi acre complex guarded by a 15 foot stone wall around the entire perimeter.  It is one of the most heavily visited tourist attractions in China.  Well the first thing you see when you walk in the joint is a make-shift basketball court for the police to use for recreation.  The closest thing I could compare it to is like playing hoops in the driveway of the White House.

After taking a few pictures and having a good laugh I went to a market and looked for some souvenirs.  I followed my doctor's orders and had my stocking on for the blood clots.  Well the orange CPBA t-shirt caught people's attention, being western captured their interest and then the stocking made them stare.  I actually got stopped a few times and asked if they could touch.  I think they thought I had a prosthetic leg from the knee down.  When I lowered the stocking you heard a bunch of ahh's and they wanted to touch my leg and make sure it was real just like the other.  Friday I was like a rock star just for being western, today I felt like a circus side show or a leper...just like anywhere in the world you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse very quickly.  

 

Monday, August 10, 2009

The day began with a meeting with my contact Pride about our strategy for negotiating.  We had a critical decision to make with regard to a cultural more'.  We also had to decide to start off small and build it or do you come right out and wow them with the whole enchalada. 

Well our first meeting today, was with a young guy named Loiue who oversees the operation of a private tennis center in  northeast Beijing.  He had a material engineering degree and was in the steel building industry.  He was basically appointed this position and works closely with the Sports Bureau.  Basically it is in the shadow of a rather large public tennis stadium with several public outdoor courts on the property.  His company was basically given a 99 year lease at no charge courtesy of the government to operate an upscale private venture.  Loiue's facility is a 4 court bubble which is very nice.  He has an operator, Steven and an administrator, Isabella who direct a staff of about 25.  This is a revolutionary arrangement in China and has worked very well thus far to enhace players and grow the sport of tennis.

Th four of us then travelled to Mr. Fan's office which is about 9 floors up and overlooking a large construction site of a gym, outdoor basketball courts and soccer fields.  Again this has never been done before in China where there are privately owned and operated training/participatory facilities.  Mr. Fan is a very influential man, with worldwide contacts and the ability to make virtually anything happen in China involving sports.

All I can say at this point is that the meeting went very well and I have a detailed proposal and business plan to address.

 

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