Patek Philippe...(28/8)

Visiting the museum has been one of my plans when I first arrived at Geneva this summer, but it was until the last weekend before my departure that I had a chance to visit the museum. Out of my expectation, the collection house showed off its abundant reserves of gorgeous ancient watches and clocks. It was a great pleasure for me to look at the stylish classic watches during the art nouveau and art deco era. From the glance of the collection, the skillful use painting technique has featured one of the successful reasons to explain the brand's best of its class during its centuries of history. A watch in the museum is like a historical approach to the modern development of watches and clocks. One of the most attractive vitrines is definitely its display of different pocket watches the brand manufactured for royal families and rich people in the 19th century. See how the company could commercialise its production with the different taste of kingdoms and clientele. The aesthetic focus of the exhibition unexpectedly under-weighs the technical side of its fine artisan mechanics applied to their products. Just to learn about the Czech heritage of the brand and to me, the product itself is a classy demonstration of art and technology overtime. See how waterproof was made a century ago, the evolution of multi-timing design, the retro-style of pilot watches in the 30's...imagination has never been compromised over time.

Measuring with tenses...(18/8)

Today is Wednesday, and it reminds me of a friend who joins me for wine tasting from time to time. As a practice to appreciate different wines, we rate each wine tasted according to our own preferences – aroma, fruitiness, tannin, complexity, readiness to drink, after taste, vintage etc. Instead of the conventional rating in numbers, he likes assessing the quality of wine in terms of the day of the week. So he would say, ‘this is a Wednesday early afternoon!’. I always wonder how Wednesday tastes like…
Borrowing his sense of measurement, I try to ‘make use of’ the day and time to evaluate daily life. Shared with many of you, I spend part of my working life concentrating my mind in an office, and after a while, I get used to the regular rhythm of the weekday-working module. I apply the ‘day-and-time’ ruler to measure my indoor working mode, and then I come up with a general phenomenon that Wednesday is often the most productive day, at least it cohesively balances the flow of work tasks and planning of the week. After some warm up on Monday and Tuesday and the ‘due diligence’ to properly handle the follow up work carried forward from the previous week, Wednesday is a good moment for effective processing and new planning for project tasks. Then, the work process cycle repeats…
Of course, there are deadlines to meet for different tasks and the generalised approach is subject to applicability. Yet, the sentiment is always there.
Following the logic, I choose to take advantage of Wednesday and take a layman approach to wildly consider how developing economies can attract FDIs for growth. My assumption bases on the idea that such developing economies need to foster their export-led development as a motor to growth, and they would have to strengthen their readiness, capacity and competitiveness to engage in export business. In an ideal scenario, the economies advocate the export trade initiative, and all the people act in favour of the goal to increase the volume and the efficiency of trade as long as the marginal benefit to the economy retains. One of the concerns for the developing economies is their unfavourable infrastructure capacity to ‘fairly’ trade with other countries as well as the sustainability to maintain the momentum to trade. Some say attracting FDIs is one way to boost their supply-side capacity to trade. So how the economies can attract FDIs become strategic, and sometimes more like ‘an art’ to stand out from other capital-seeking competitors.
Globalisation symptomises intensified competition to attract FDIs, and it perhaps leads to a higher tendency to more volatile FDI flow. In order to look ‘attractive’ to investors and donors, the developing economies have to find a way to nicely present a favourable atmosphere and timing for FDIs, and they have to showcase their niche and potential to development and growth. A prescription of improving governance (if not good enough), stable political scene, anti-corruption move, more liberalised economic development, favourable rules and regulations to FDIs etc. calls for a good moment for FDIs to come. Next, the economies may have to spend some effort in promoting themselves, or in other cases, the international organisations and other investment stakeholders have to aid the economies to derive and implement promotion strategy to attract capital to invest and facilitate sustainable trade development.
When I wonder if there is a best practice to promote developing economies as a prosperous investment spot and a good trade partner, I list some implementation dimensions below for brainstorming purpose.

- So as to look prosperous, how about organise a big event? World Cup in South Africa? World Expo in Shanghai? APEC Meeting in Vladivostok?
- Or it would be more pragmatic and match-making to conduct investment and development roadshows? Do investors listen? Are they convinced?
- To deal with the fundamental trade capacity, is it always good to launch JV Infrastructure Development with favourable terms offering to FDIs? Construction of road, bridge, dam, port, electricity grid or power network? Set up Free Trade Zone, Science Park, manufacturing cluster?
- Natural resource may not only be a curse…is it viable to promote FDI-driven local tourism? Sustainable tourism? World heritage sites? Patented Rainforest or Safari tour? Boat cruise and duty free zone? Processing hub for gemstones?
- Explore developing export business sectors related to cultural and ritual activities? Music carnival and musical instruments? Film festival? Food exhibition? Pilgrimage together with ritual products and services?
- Highlight Social Responsibility? Ethical textile and handcraft? Organic agriculture? Job-creating ethical industries in local communities?

Are they effective? How much would they contribute to national economy? Are they sustainable in view of the volatility of FDI flow in times of financial turmoil? I guess there is no best scenario, and depending on the niche of each economy, there is a need for more customised approach. While we consider how to attract more FDIs to boost development, we should also consider how much benefit FDIs can bring to the economies.
Going back to the current scenario, how can the least developed economies move forward to get through basic challenges like malnutrition, sanitation, vulnerability to natural disaster, education, corruption, governance and so on? We may still only be in a Monday misty morning…

Algerian motor sales need support...(28/7 reprised)

hktdc.com - Algerian motor sales need support

Algeria is a country which needs cars, and China-produced vehicles provided under brands like FAW, JAC, Harbin Motors and Chery Automobiles are meeting the requirement for modestly-priced, reasonably efficient and modest petrol-using autos that can beat the gas-guzzling, aging vehicles currently offered through local dealers.

Indian vehicles are the nearest competitors to Chinese mainland-made cars, with Malaysian-, Thai- and Taiwan-assembled autos also in the market.

Networks created by Ultipa (for JAC and Harbin Motors vehicles), Elsecom (for FAW, AL Autos and Chery's) and SARL Algerie Motorcycle (for Qingqi cycles) are busy developing sales opportunities throughout Algeria for China-made autos and bikes.

It begs the question as to whether Hong Kong auto parts suppliers can provide the support required in the aftermarket, accessories and parts areas.

If not specifically in the trans-migratory offering through factories on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong expertise can be applied in financing, re-financing, logistics and marketing...

French turn up the volume for TVs and hi-fi sets...(27/7 reprised)

hktdc.com - Electronics and Electricals

French turn up the volume for TVs and hi-fi sets

Electronics sales satisfaction With 2004 a passable year for French retailers of top end consumer electronics - TVs and hi-fi systems sales hit Euros 6.4 billion - it would be tempting to think that the market would lag in 2005, given the insipid economy. Nothing could be further from the expectations of retailers, with studies indicating that nearly one fifth of all families are considering a new TV or hi-fi device. Additionally, 36.3% of households prefer to make their purchases at large chain stores, such as DARTY, Boulanger or FNAC along with speciality shops such as Expert or Gitem, according to a survey from research house Observer Cetelem 2005.

Varsovie...(20/5)

Warsaw is like a small vacuum space of emptiness in my memory. My debut trip to the city should have been taken place 12 years ago. Becoming a turning point in pursuit of my meaning of life, the city awaited my strolling around until present that embraces me into its evolving city form of architecture and its micro-development in between the modernisation of Europeanisation (read more)...the bearing of the massive destruction in the WWII and the heritage of communist sense of city development. My impression to the city was a mixture of classical conservation and functional presentation of its short-span intensive historic experience. Pending my plan to start the journey to the Eastern Europe at a youth stage, I have role-played a diverging possibility in life, which awoke my sense of consciousness about my world of uniqueness and abandonment. As a gateway city to connect to my past and present, Warsaw has been stably developing right next to my awareness of well being for the decade. This day, I finally landed in the city during another transitional stage of life. Presented itself in its best panoramic mode of pride and unity, the city turned itself into a memory of the past as well. I was next to the ‘déjà-vu’ Stalinist model of the Warsaw Centre of Culture and Science – a pop-up reminder of my wandering in Moscow. Flights were flying over and over Warsaw, and I behaved in a group of collective memory, and everyone stood up when the sourness sank. Being the most robust economy in the region during the crisis, Warsaw has proved from its urban form and business stability with its energetic life. Zloty is a symbol of their partial insulation to globalised collective fluctuation. It retains people’s purchasing power and domestic demand. At least this has been my perception in the commercial centre that transactions have demonstrated. Like Berlin, Warsaw revived its appearance after the Second World War. The present moment was a replicate colourful Rococo façade of the old town. The East defined by defending the West, and now the West encircles and enriches the community again. A stunning presence of the remaining of the communist planning to me is the cold-façade of public housing in town. The public green between the residential buildings figure out a communistic belief of commonwealth. In this springtime of calling for another cycle of growth, the green vividly diversifies its form of life, and it landmarked its freestyle way of existence in contrary to the Anglo-Saxon gardening art form. Aged people tend to come up on stage in the area and along the industrial ulica to showcase their pride and glory about their city in front of my eyes. It is a call for the blossoming, or an actualisation of Joy Division’s mind in the name of ‘Warsaw’ to count down its ‘3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5 go’…
‘…I was there in the back stage, when the first light came around, I grew up like a changeling, to win the first time around, I can see all the weakness, I pick all the faults well, I concede all the faith tests, just to stick in your throats...’ (Warsaw by Joy Division, as Warsaw)

Istanbul Express...(22/4)

Constantinople, a capital where I would not forget from my very elementary history class in high school, turns into a sophisticated capital waiting for its government call towards the West, or the East. The strategic location since the past has guarded the flow between the East and the West. It is unique in terms of culture, urban development (redevelopment), social integration and commercial development. I could tell how the European would perceive Turkey’s request for accession to the EU family, but a visit could affirm an understanding of the importance of Istanbul, as the capital of this bridge linking Europe and Central Asia (Russia and China), to balance the power between both direction, be it defense, commerce and trade, energy, environmental sustainability, cultural integration and disintegration. I came to know from the Conference about the involvement of Turkey in NATO, and its concerns about EU accession...(read more)
Geopolitics is a tricky part for the region, and then religious belief states another part of the story. My commitment did not allow me to stay longer in Istanbul, and as an express tour to the city amid the backdrop of volcanic ashes, I guess this journey should still be an enjoyable one. Meeting an amateur photographer at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport was yet another interesting story. Men-captured images should definitely be graffiti of human development and social activities in the post-modern world. Koc University was a resourceful and prestigious institution. Pegasus is an innovative budget airline, not only because of their courage to take off from the ashes and debris, but I like its idea to dramatise its safety trailers. How the airline world could figure out a way to attract passengers to watch their formality safety announcement? The airline has a clue to pleasantly tell.

Working away from home...(4/2)

Invited by HKU, I was in the sharing session of the workshop about Working Away from Home. Stepping on the familiar path to the academic complex, it was a revolving of the spiral origin of knowledge and career...
The to-be-graduates were powerful from the encountering atmosphere I got. They were green and naive, and the curious nature of thought and aspiration generated a potentially enormous power of vivid and mobility. I was disappointed by the superficial questions and answers, but at the same time, I was smiling at the disoriented adventure of unknown future of possibilities. In the theatre room, it was the current of turbulence that swing and navigate people’s drive to move. As I believe, locating your home would be something you can manage after drifting along the waves of eternity.

Pont-à-Mousson...(7/1)

Here I was, this time by chance, on the road of regression, and I located the bridge. It used to be conventional, and cars just passed through... There was no noise, while the town was so calm. Calm as it was the river, the Moselle enjoyed its belief of quietism, at least at the moment. People were only creatures of scattered pastel on this oil on canvas. The image looked silky, while beauty diluted into a multi-focused distance of glittering beams. It was there, as of it were. Fascinated by its existence along my arbitrary direction of way and ways, it has been a destination where I would like to visit and understand. Since the 19th century, the town has taken advantage of its origin as a cast iron and steel supplying base and accommodated the PAM s.a. being a major supplier of the manhole cover in France apart from its other drainage and construction businesses. The manhole cover design is nice in France and other countries in Europe. I collect the design and some of them are kept at http://zirhc.blogspot.com/2005/08/did-you-bid-lid-id58.html. Apart from the regional design with specific design, emblem, slogan or abbreviation on the manhole cover, those of PAM simply mark with the name of the town – Pont-à-Mousson (or better say the name of the company), but it is this little bridge across the Moselle that links up the many missing puzzles on the roads in France. Before further determining what is below the cover, the cast iron logo gives you already a source of inspiration...monsoon? deconstruction? doxa or para-doxa?

THE sourcing catalogue...(28/12)

This is a catalogue of the sourcing information for the rich...at that time, it was the religion that gathered most of the treasure and wealth in the society. As a propaganda as well as a worship to the belief of the people, the resource serves as a very in-time contribution to the decoration and finishing inside the church, the centre of the community and lieu. A simplier and more practical way to maintain a goldening background is to source perhaps. Goldsmiths and buyers may be a core member of the church community. All the act is a touch to beautify the meeting between human and god. Unlike the works of Michelangelo at Saint Peter's Basilica was this another means to primitively practise the capitalistic exchange of power and aesthetics. Human history repeats.

Bits'n'pieces: trade promotion...(30/11)

Hong Kong is celebrating its 40th anniversary of legislative trade promotion activities. So what actually does trade promotion means? Is it a selfish activity or would it be something inducing mutual gain and win-win between the national trading parties?
- Trade promotion does not equal to trade. Trade is the core exchange activities taking place between the human-defined boundaries. Economists talk about barter, competitive advantage, core competency, custom barrier, quota, externalism etc., and these are all basic elements in modern trade.
- Trade promotion, on the other hand, is the marketing effort to attract trading partners to do business. It is normally proactive, specialised but often defined in a generic manner.
- Trade promotion is a product of planned economy, or I should say targeted trade promotion is most probably the derived result of planned economy. It is a question of chicken and egg. I always doubt how it goes the trade business without planned trade promotion. It may be that the presentation of trade and business of a territory and the recognition of such presentation to outside parties evolve, and voilà, we get a reason for trade promotion.
- Is trade promotion an enemy of laissez-faire economy? Should we ask again Milton Friedman?
- Trade promotion is creating the marketplace for traders. A marketplace is a matching occasion for the parties to gather, to negotiate and to exchange before they proceed to business. Apparently trade promotion provides the platform for trade, but then a platform may exist even when there is no trade promotion. Interestingly trade promotion should be a part of the integrated work of an independent business who seeks for orders all the time. Think about an ancient horse seller. They would lead their breeds to the central market, the place where one would meet at most ease one’s potential clients, for sale. A bazaar at town centre was always the marketplace, be there a dealer who arranged the event and regarded themselves as a trade promoter or not, but simply it could be another business model to gather people and wealth.
- Partially, trade promotion bodies are event management entities, or nowadays an e-marketer, a B2B2C site administrator, a business agent, a trade fair organiser, an institution, an asset management consultant, a nationalist, a diplomat…
- Existing trade promotion bodies, due to social and institutional constraints, are mostly public, regional, industrial and governmental. The special status of these marketing groups attributes to their implementation of unique accountability system and KPI definition.
- However, with the abovementioned assumptions being applicable to trade promotion bodies, there exists actually a possibility of privatised trade promotion bodies.
- How to deal with competition? When a trade promotion body competes with another trade promotion body, what would they do? …the theory of core competency and specialisation, an economically anticipated human behaviour. Consciously rational, and of course a social system is required.
- In this case, trade promotion activity plays within the boundary of laissez-faire economy, apparently. One step further, if trade promotion activities occur, and due to competition among the nations, promoters act quick and that can be a catalyst to the development of specialties for each nation, thus reaching equilibrium in due course. Trade promotion should be important.
- Oops, something has been ignored…institutional control? Governmental policy, politics, any trade embargo or privilege treatment? Partnering? Are we always rational? Can we always make the right decision? The classic social cost issue plus the art of execution.
- We talk about expectation. Trade promotion manages expectation too, and after all, I think this is something very crucial.
- What about branding? Another tool of marketing and promotion. Think about branding but think wisely please. Everybody knows that marketing is cost-sensitive.
- Trade promotion is a concept and a PR tool for community sharing a common interest, such as an identity of nation or a belonging to any instituted body, industry or group.
- So some questions: Is there a need for trade promotion? Who pay? How to execute effective trade promotion? How far should trade promotion go?

Le front de Seine...(24/11)

(sources: huit mois d'enquête pour venir à bout du Paris futur, Paris Match, 1967 )
Finally this was the first lecture I attended in Paris. I was thinking of taking some classes when I first arrived in Paris, but because of the schedule of work and the nature & opening of courses, there has never been a chance for me...not until this evening.I feel like going back to my University life again.
This is 'le cours de la Ville de Paris', an overview with topical interest about the architecture of the urban Paris. Some flashback of the vision of architecture at my adolescence. I was thinking of being an architect, a designer to the habitat we live in, and this was as normal as a wonderful dream a young man should have had. The course discusses whether Paris is a 'capital of architecture', and while it is contentious to come up with a conclusion, each session of the course looks into a project or a development of the capital in the last century. Tonight it was about 'le front de Seine'. The project was quite a star in the late 50's in Paris. At the beginning, it was the idea of Raymond Lopez and Michel Holley that lined out a sketch of how the new bank of Paris would become. Lopez was actually the chief for 'pavillon de l'architecture de l'exposition universelle' in 1937. The complex of the 'high-rise' structure on the 'plaine de Grenelles' would offer a fresh skyline of the city centre and provide additional space to handle the changing social condition in the post-war era in the city. Indeed, the piece of land was never the heart of the city centre in the early 19th century. Since the late 19th century, the urban agglomeration provided a convenient landscape within the city for substantial industrial development.

The concept of the complex would be a tri-level spatial distribution ('la grande dalle', 'le parvis' et 'le belvédère') for the habitants with respect of the activity of circulation, working space as well as living area. The French government used to be a preservative body and the history and the culture of Parisian remain as always a high priority of respect in decisions of urban renewal and city preservation. However, the intensive development of the city centre called for an exemption of IGH regulation ('la réglementation des immeubles de grande hauteur'). A set of high towers was believed to be erected along the Seine.
The very interesting thing for the project was the management of transition. It took quite some time to get rid of the existing establishment of factories including the industrial set up of Citroën at the site. With a very short and tight development period for the new project, the initial work was carried out at the same time of the demolition work within the site. Old photos taken during the development and the development sketch plan are both sources of information for the development of the new concept in town. The same applied to other tower structure in Paris such as the Tours Montparnasse and La Défense. Greening exercise is a concern within the space of the project and this is an approach to vegetation and urban planning during the era. The project was modified under various stage of development and the latest residential tower was constructed in the 90's. Being a project which lasted for a decades, there is some insight of how urban renewal is functioned in Paris.
Some other examples of its kind would be Les Halles and La Villette in Paris centre, or some rehabilitation work I encountered recently like Les Abattoirs in Toulouse and La Vallee de Durolle at Thiers.

Slot machine...(1/11)

According to my memory, I have entered into only two casinos in France. I went to the casino in Monte Carlo when I was having my summer course in France, and tonight I went for the second time to the casino at the seaside of Biarritz...lucky me, I came out winning some luck and tokens for nice food in both occasions. When it goes into theory, it became mathematical and contrary to its objective, sometimes non-calculative and unrealistic. It is unrealistic because those who play in the game would often lose the mathematical objectiveness but in one's emotional drive. We have the probability theory and the game theory, and I think a basic understanding about the theory would already provide an optimal strategy in a casino. I only went into the casino this evening to kill time. I was waiting for my train in late evening, and after promenading in the decent city of Biarritz, I thought it would be interesting to go inside the casino and watch the human images in an enclosed playground with hopes and timeless present. There were rows of slot machines installing in the casino occupied by the aged couples who spent their early evening in joy and luck. I walked around and felt a bit dissociated. This was the moment when people go into their individual world of fantasy and imagination. This is perhaps the magic of possibility. I exchanged some token and sat down in front of one slot machine. It allowed the lowest entry fare...it was 10 cents that I could begin a game with some credits. Randomly choosing any combination, the icons on the screen turned like the colour spectrum in a carnival. It was a good machine in killing time, and in the first few minutes, I was simply observing the pattern of the rolling icons and trying to understand how it worked in winning additional credits - somewhat like a journey of gaining and losing luck. Gradually I learnt how to react with increasing or decreasing credit sum. A bingo appeared for the first time and I was asked to choose from the numerous bags for bonus credit. I got some more, and then I spent them again in the following rolls. The credit appeared to be run out, but then there was a bingo again, and out of the luck that I consciously felt, I was good enough to choose the largest bonus amount. Then that was the moment. I quitted the game and retained all the credits in the form of tokens again. It took nearly one minute to have all the tokens falling out from the machine to the zinc receiver at the bottom of the slot machine. People behind me praised a lot, and then I went to the cashier to win back the 42 euros. I went out the casino and starred at my watch. It was only a 25-minute session with a 10-cent coin, but I came out with satisfaction and promising return of investment. Life is sometimes easy-going. I went look for a restaurant then.

Bilbao...(29/10)

This is a city of angel and devil. It is dualism. It is a city of revival - at least, this is what I feel...located at the northern part of Spain, the city is the sixth largest city in Spain, and since the debut 14th century, the city developed itself into a flagship of industrial centre in Spain. In addition to its advantageous iron mining and shipbuilding industry during the industrial revolution, the prime location of the city at the estuary of the Nervion river enabled its outcast activities in logistic management, trading and trade business. The city was the wealthiest city in Spain in early 20th century going hand in hand with Barcelona and Madrid, and it was the centre of exchange with other European countries, notably UK. However, the city lost its shining magic in the post-war decades as industries were delocalised and its logistic hub influence was shared with other sea port and regions in Spain. Major factories and industrial set-ups were closed down in the 70's and 80's and the city was facing a problem of decrease of population. The city wisely commenced its urban renewal programme and revived the city into a modern centre of culture and tourism.

The Bilbao Ria 2000 ('BR2K') was established in the late 1980's. As a unique public body formed by various public companies and governmental divisions, the organisation coordinates the urban development projects as a centralised management base. I did not know exactly how this could work, but apparently it functions powerfully in aiding the regeneration projects. Perhaps a more influential participation of public bodies would offer a collective and more efficient output for construction works. Comparatively the Urban Renewal Authority (or ex-Land Development Corporation) in Hong Kong is less capable in terms of the 'collective' development. But then the nature and the mission of the two organisations are basically varied. BR2K, being a non-profit making organisation, is composed of public shareholders including the public land management corporation named SEPES, the Bilbao Port Authority, ADIF and FEVE (railway companies) together with the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Bilbao and the Barakaldo Town Halls etc. It acquires the land in old districts from its shareholders for planned upgrade and enhancement. It bears the resources and the risk of development while it resells the plots after development to finance its work. It receives around 9% of its development funds from EU as well.

The visit to Bilbao was an interesting one. To me, Bilbao is well-known because of Athletic Bilbao, the soccer team having its long history since 1928. Indeed the team is one of the three teams (together with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona) which plays always in the first division without ever been delegated. The evidence of influences and exchanges with the British in Bilbao can be seen on the design and colour of the jersey of Athletic Club. The red and white stripes are believed to be influenced by the two south England soccer teams - Southampton and Sunderland.
The old town in Bilbao was actually renewed, but the spiralling nature of the small streets is kept in good shape. Like San Sebastian, quite some nice old style restaurants and cafe shops can be found along the streets including Somera, Artekale, Tendería and Plaza Nueva.

The major purpose of the trip to Bilbao is to visit the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. Completed in 1997 by Frank Gehry, the building is another live demonstration of the contemporary architecture. Using titanium for the facade of the structure, the work injects a vivid nature to the waterfront in Bilbao. The exhibitions inside Guggenheim at the moment were not extremely inspiring but it was still a pleasant experience to walk around inside. The works of Frank Gehry have a denoted character of his playtime with space and cyber-touch. His Gehry Tower at Hanover and the Dancing House in Prague are both his twisted lego for space and light with the influence of Le Corbusier and Gaudi. In Paris, he has two major works namely the Cinémathèque Française and the Disneyland Resort.
Other impressive architectural works in Bilbao I came across include Joaquin Rucoba's elegant Teatro Arriaga, Severino Achucarro & Valentin Gorbena's Estacion de Santander, the Zubizuri Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava (by the way, the official website of Calatrava is very nice, go check out on http://www.calatrava.com) and the metro station exits done by Sir Norman Foster.
Though Bilbao is regarded as the capital of Basque, I see that the city is more intergrated to the Spanish economy and development. The Basque sign with a flowery shape of five circles can be found easily in Bilbao but the basque culture and elements appear to be less significant as that in San Sebastian or in Biarritz. Hotel Artetxe is a two star hotel on the hill slope in Bilbao and it serves good dining dishes. It was memorable watching the Champions League of FC Barca vs Chelsea there.

Working life...(25/10)

Is my work interesting? It is something imaginative, promotional, always positive, always about people, place, meeting place, a confluence of information and dissemination, an art about understanding and imagination again. This should be the nature of the work, but execution is always something very fatigue and varied...I am working at an enormous alimentation trade fair this week, and in a day, I met people of different kinds...the manager of the top farmhouse of live poultry in France who looks for export in Asia, a wholesaler from Oslo searching sources of fresh vegetable from China and Hong Kong, a German specialising in sterilisation of food processing. Some traders from Chile look for information of Hong Kong in Paris...the specialist of mushroom examines the blossoming of mushrooms, another one work on peanuts. I learn about the origin of the Chinese chestnut from Zhenghua, which poses a different life form of the chataignier on Champs Elysees. Farming industry, a collage of alimentation and science - human innocence - it is a reflective recognition of mankind and culture. The trains were jammed with visitors and businessmen, a cozy environment to practise intimacy. Adaptation, exchange - it was the intangible mobile network of networking. Met an Italian from Naples, we talked about Pompeii. There was a strolling flash back of time and age. Life is to gather people into the showcase for their own show. A beloved one composes of pieces, before the scattered edges fade and decompose. Light a magnifying glass with lilac flame, we see the inside of the whole.

I went to Rungis early in the morning. It is another world that co-exists with dreams and midnight tales. This world inverts the handles on the clock in time, a midnight business, and simply framed with its scale, it exists and it subsists with its unlimited boundary. It forms a 12,000-employed micro-economy. All related, and all interacted, simply like a hair salon that serves the owl population. The food Rungis handled composes of 70% of total products in France, a feeding for 80 millions people. Divided into numerous pavilions, the fresh market demonstrates a modern logistic system in orders and procedures. Sometimes, we live somewhere too far away from the reality. That is the reason why we can still sense the distance, hopefully. I like a lot the greenhouse cafe located at the centre of the poultry pavilion. It is the grand place of the workers, and it is a live showroom of happy hours. Six is not only late but too late, and a day could only commence by this collective combination of resonance in the dawn prelude. Workers wear in white, and this is just an identity of being into it. This is a circle of a self-centred geometric scope. Love it or not.

I have my day and my weeks in examining.

Vallee de Durolle...(5/10)

It was like a polarised roller-coaster ride, a downward spiral to the deep end of a land of mystery. Never had I any anticipation that an exit of a medieval town could end up discovering a peaceful heritage within the gorges of the valley of Durolle river at Thiers...six hundred years ago, it was the industrial centre of paper production. Consider the natural features at the area with fast-running water of Durolle serving as motion generation for energy and transportation needs, together with rich calcium of the water source fostering paper production, it was logical that intensive industrial development took place in the past. The area evolved with the prosperous development of cutlery production in Thiers to become a fortress with substantial cutlery production in the following centuries. There were knives, scissors and razors exporting from the valley everyday during its era. Human activities keep on generating, and with other establishment of production areas in the country, the valley lost its colour in the revolution. The physical being does maintain its character, and so there are blocks of obsolete industrial sites remaining along the river where I was able to pass by. The names of the factory labelling on the brick facade fade, but the dignity of the building leaves behind. Similar to many urban renewal projects in the world, one of the cutlery factories, Creux de l'enfer, was occupied and adapted to become a contemporary art centre.

The city of knife...(2/10)

I have visited a knife centre in France as planned recently, and it was the production base in Thiers...situated in the Massif Central area, the town possesses actually lovely remaining of the Middle Age glorious heritage. The city consists of dominating buildings of traditional old-time architecture, notably the classic facades with timber wood supporting elements and patterns. Walking inside the spiraling narrow streets along the hill slope is a pleasant adventure to discover the missing past moments.

The town is a very important manufacturing base of cutlery in France, and developed since the 15th century, it was the centre of cutlery production site in France centuries before. During the golden era, around 70% of the population worked in the industry and its reputable products were exported to other countries including the Netherlands, Italy and Spain apart from national consumption. The production remains nowadays an important activity in the town and cutlery collections can be easily found in shops and boutiques along the streets. Thiers accounts for over two-third of French fabrication of Laguiole knife (pocket knife with a bee-shaped catch) at present. A considerable quantity of Nontron knife (boxwood handle and pyrograved decoration originated actually from Dordogne) is produced at this place as well.
It's a pity that I missed the visit to the musee de la coutellerie, but visiting the boutiques and showcases of diversified cutlery products was already an eye-opening experience. Well, it is still a checklist of visit for other cutlery centres in France including the source of Laguiole knife at the south, the Savoie region for Opinel knife, Toulouse, Périgueux, Nontron, Langres, Nogent, Châtellerault, Moulins, Cosne, Nevers, St Etienne as well as La Rochelle (nautical knives like Farol knife).
Useful reference sources:
http://www.coutellerie-thiers.com/annuaire/index.php (list of cutlery manufacturers in Thiers)
http://www.worldknives.com

Rolling the Dragon...(29/8)

Met the buyer of a retailer chain today at work. As a brand of my preference for bicycle, I am interested in the sourcing operation of the retailer. I read an article some time ago about a decomposition of bicycle...indeed a bicycle is composed of some 50 components and parts, and for the chain, these parts are manufactured in numerous countries and assembled at last. A simple example of competitive advantages, and of course, this is a normal way of sourcing and division of labour. Today, the buyer explained in some more details about the way they source for products. There is no surprise that the group has quite a huge percentage of sourcing taking place in China, and for electronic products, particularly in the Guangdong area. The issue at these days is not where to source but how to source. It is understandable that the group is actually a first-mover to source from our World Factory since the late 1980's, but the difficulty the group faces is indeed how to locate a good partner and the tedious need to work on quality control and standard verification for the operation of the factories and production. This is the same scenario for many big buyers and brands I encountered here - too many suppliers and too little information. This retail chain indeed has its in-house sourcing team in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and there is a mobilised team who does regular site visit and factory inspection to ensure guaranteed production work. A luxury set-up in fact, but perhaps this is also the magic to do it well. The chain diversifies its sourcing pattern and requests geographically with different suppliers. It adopts, for me, an intelligent model of business as more than half of the products produced in China are sold in their stores in China. Production and retail at one go in developing market. Price can be controlled and logistic can be simplified. It is also an appropriate approach to get ease of institutional restriction and regulations. The search of factory location for the group usually correlates with the proximity of their outlets too, and apparently the concept works well. Hong Kong, to these chains and retailers, is a stepping stone for their sourcing needs in China and a port with easier communication channel as the Hong Kong people are in general more experienced in handling overseas buyers' requests and orders. This is the situation at the moment, but to me, Hong Kong is losing gradually its beauty and attractiveness to foreign buyers with keen development of other Chinese cities. The dragon of the East is always a dreamland for French companies, and if they were to choose an installation base, it would more often be Shanghai and Beijing due to their historical background and their long-time-projected-image of 'red lantern' in China. Hong Kong is not classic enough to be a part of China perhaps. But then business is in principle free-flowing and profit-oriented. There is definitely a strong need for Hong Kong companies to comprehend the needs of European buyers and retain the clientele. Obviously a cut-throat battle is not the way for Hong Kong to deal with the trend.

Rungis, le Marché...(3/8)

This is another belated piece which I intended to record since last May. I had an occasion to attend a function near Malakoff and it was then I came across the place named Rungis...it did not bring me to special attention until I realised that the place actually plays an important role to Paris and Europe. Let's begin with some basic figures: a market with an area of 232 hectares and serving 18 millions consumers in Europe, out of which two-third is originated within a diameter of 120km from Paris; an annual sales of 7.1 billion euros in 2004; over 1.5 million tones of food products and 36.8 millions flower pots arrived in 2004...one starts to understand the significance of this world second biggest food and beverage wholesale market after the one in Chicago.

Serving the daily basic need of the citizens in a metropolitan, Paris had its scaleable food market since the early Middle Age, and with no surprise, the market was located at the Ile de la Cité, and then relocation of the market took place in response to the continual city development and the enlargement of a food market to cope with the increasing demand of food and beverage in town. It was therefore moved and planted at the site of the existing Hotel de Ville, and then the area near Rue des Petits Champs. After that, the Marché de Champeaux was set up in debut 13th century. The Marché de Champeaux, located at the present Saint Lazare area, was originally an outdoors wheat market. In 1181, the area was used to hold a ‘Saint Lazare Fair’ which gave way to its development as a central gathering area for food and beverage products. Some other consumer items were sold at the area too. The place became an old address of Les Halles after centuries.


The more Paris had been developed, the more complex and sizable the food market was developed and equipped, and the food market at the current Les Halles area gained its fame in the 19th century. The first ‘Pavillon des Halles’ of Les Halles was created under the order of Louis Napoleon in 1853 to develop giant marketplace for the Parisian. Because of the nature of construction where the building structure was made by stones, it was named ‘Fort des Halles’. This version was constructed by the architect named Victor Baltard, and a total of eight Pavilions were erected (in fact, Victor Baltard took part in numerous restoration projects in Paris at that moment including the restoration of Eglise de Saint Germain des-Pres).

A century later, Les Halles, the once-upon-a-time central food market in Paris, lost its attractiveness to consumers after the continual development of metro system and the decentralisation of the city. After all the mode of consumption altered and households could have their shopping in other decentralized small shops and bazaars which located closer to their home. The fresh meat market was detached from Les Halles and established at the area of La Villette. The French government began as well the construction project of 'marché d’intérêt national' in 1964 to delocate food market from centre Paris, and Rungis was chosen to be the new land of taste. It operates as a distribution hub for most of the alimentation products now. Unfortunately, a pass is required to enter the wholesale market and I still lack a chance to go inside the food carnival...people say that there are some good seafood restaurants in the area, and no doubt, I do not query on this.

A detailed history of the development of Rungis market can be found on http://www.rungisinternational.com/pages/fr/presentation/mar_hist.asp.

Mileage Business...(20/7)

The change of ownership was done, and now Europcar becomes a French company...previously belonged to the Volkswagen group, the car rental company was successfully transferred to Eurazeo, an independent French investment group. So, perhaps we may see more Peugeot or Renault than Volkswagen at the carparks of Europcar in future ;p
Apparently, the car rental business in France is dominated by a few car groups namely Avis (General Motors), Hertz (Ford), National Citer (Citroën), Renault Rent (obviously the subsidiary of Renault), Sixt (the German rep of rental business), Alamo (US company who shares a pie of the French rental business) and Ada (a local rental company) in addition to Europcar etc. Per my experience, Hertz offers quite favourable rental rate for cars departing from Paris, particularly for long distance drive, though the package often excludes insurance charge etc. Indeed, as the centre of the transportation system in France (and perhaps an intersection of the western part of Europe), car rental is quite a profitable business, and varying from the accessibility and the demand of rental cars and vehicles, the charge is quite different from cities to cities. Europcar, though converted itself from a German to a French, needs not offer the cheapest package for the French users. But as an international company, its presence in 145 countries has offered its capacity as a very competitive supplier for French users outside the hexagon. Its rental package, for example, is more attractive for the French to pick up the vehicles in countries like Slovakia. Of course it is always less expensive if you opt for a local car rental company, but then it becomes a game of cost and risk.
Unlike the service network in Europe, car rental business is less systematic in China and Hong Kong. And when I try to recall a car rental company in Hong Kong, I fail. Yes, it is just too convenient for transportation in Hong Kong, but with an eye pointing to China and the fact of an increasing traffic flow between cities in China, it could be a huge potential to be developed soon.

Czech Budweiser...(25/5)

Apart from the controversial dispute with the US Budweiser on the use of its brand name, Budweiser Budvar from Cesky Budejovice is a beer producer who has been working hard its widening its business scope in the world market...The visit to the museum of the beer house was interesting as it provides a means to explore not only the history about the beer but also the economy of the region (formerly the 'Czechoslovakia' or CSR) in the early 20th century. The exhibition at the museum has a brief introduction about the local production of beer in CSR as well as the export strategy and development of Budweiser Budvar to other countries and regions.


The findings from the visit supplements the tour I did at Pilsner's museum at Plzen. Both beer companies had a renowned history during the era of CSR. In fact, CSR during the 1920's was one of the top 15 economies in the world, and beer business was one illustration about its economy and its influence to the consumer market in the world, or more significantly in Europe. Resembling the development of media and marketing in US, advertising and publicity of the two beers revealed from the posters and ads shown in both museums demonstrate how the two corporations actually perceived advertising and imaging as an important tool to promote their products 'worldwide'.


Femininism, logos and trademarks, localised languages and soft selling, partnership with associated restaurants, caligraphy, lifestyle, exoticism etc...these were all the approaches Budweiser Budvar used in its advertisement, and obviously these are all the good materials for a reserach on the social development in the CSR as well as beer as a consumer products in the last century.

By the way, when you look at their ad poster they developed for the Asian market with the Chinese slogan posted at the top of the page, you could simply smell how good the promoter was in their good old days.