How to Leap a Great Wall in China
The China Adventures of a Cross-Cultural Trouble-Shooter
Dan Leventhal
Foreword by Carolyn L. Bream, Proctor and Gamble
2009, 198 pages
ISBN 978-1-937385-58-3 Paper $32.00
ISBN 978-1-937385-59-0 Cloth $75.00
“A seasoned, savvy China expert with a keen sense of what works in actual business encounters, Leventhal has crafted a unique book. It weaves together well-told tales chuck full of tiny details that make up genuine intercultural competence. “OMG a la chinoise” and “subcutaneous xenophobia” are just some of the unusual morsels awaiting the reader along with vivid lessons from Chinese history and philosophy. It is rare indeed to find so many important themes in US-China relations addressed with both humor and analytical verve. No American businessman can afford to sit down at the negotiating table without having perused this book! It will delight professionals and general readers alike.”
Prof. Vera Schwarcz, Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University
“Den Leventhal hits the mark with his personable memoir that presents B-School quality case studies for market entry development in the international arena. His easy-going, and often times humorous, narrative belies the hard-hitting realities of opening new business markets in a culture foreign to our own. I feel certain that any businessman seeking to act on an international business opportunity will find golden nuggets in this engaging read about 30 adventurous years of opening business in China.”
Chip Brittingham, CFP President Bayview Investment Counsel, Inc.
During a 30-year career as a China business development specialist, Den Leventhal climbed a steep learning curve from cross-cultural engagement to intercultural understanding and significant commercial achievement. His stories are presented with a levity that will engage neophytes and seasoned professionals alike. The highlight of this business memoir is the breaking of a Chinese government monopoly—a virtual Great Wall—and a ferocious political and commercial war to defend a pioneering joint venture against a powerful, and angry, PRC government agency.
