On 10 February evening, 50 people gathered for an event titled “Singapore Trailblazers Abroad: China edition” hosted by Mothership in partnership with Business China. Mr Francis Low, Founder of Beijing Wei Zhi Wei Group, Mr Jackson Kwa, Co-Founder of TechSociety Group and a member of the Business China Youth Chapter (BCYC), Ms Pang Ying, Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group and Ms Cecilia Chen, Co-founder of WonderSeven Production were invited to speak on how they have uprooted themselves and experience living life abroad in Singapore and China.
Entrepreneurship and internship journey in China
Mr Francis Low summed up his entrepreneurial experience and shed light on China’s business culture and practices. He recounted how he and his wife started their business venture in Beijing in the early 2000s and how he was initially not used to Chinese etiquette and norms but later learned to appreciate them. As an F & B business owner in China, Mr Low emphasised that, besides taste, the visual aesthetic of restaurant interior design is also an essential component for businesses to remain competitive.
Mr Jackson Kwa spoke about interesting marketing strategies used in China to gamify consumers’ shopping experiences, encourage spending and raise brand awareness. Mr Kwa then attributed the rapid proliferation of applications in China to efficiency and convenience, and supported his claim with many personal observations he made whilst on a fully sponsored internship in China as part of the Singapore Valley Award—an award given to students with the most compelling business idea to learn about the Chinese market and entrepreneurship.
A journey of self-discovery in Singapore
Ms Pang Ying shared that coming to Singapore to study in her teenage years was the most significant life-changing turning point in her life, as Singapore opened many doors for her both locally and abroad, and enriched her professional and personal development. She encouraged youth to leverage Singapore’s platform and seize any opportunity to travel or go for overseas exchange in a bid to broaden their horizons and possibilities.
For Ms Cecilia Chen, things have not always been rosy, as she illustrated how she was pushed into many tricky crossroads during her time studying and working in Singapore. Nonetheless, she stood firm in her choice, and now, as a YouTuber behind the local channel “Chengdu Family”, Ms Chen and her husband hope to contribute to the building of a cultural bridge between Singapore and their hometown, Chengdu, China, by capturing fresh and sincere takes on Singapore through their camera.
Panel Discussion 1: Advice and misperceptions
Following the speakers’ presentations, Mr Low and Mr Kwa were invited to a panel discussion with the moderator, Mr Martino Tan, Managing Editor at Mothership.sg. Questions posed to the speakers include what words of advice they would give to their younger selves if they were to go back in time to when they first decided to venture into China and also, the misconceptions about China that they would like to dispel.
Mr Low reflected upon his journey as one filled with missteps and positive learning. He believes that having a clear objective and goal before one embarks on this journey is crucial because once you start on it, turning back comes at a higher cost compared to if you had started in Singapore from the very beginning. Nonetheless, he also added that China offers many more opportunities that Singapore may not have due to its small geographical and population size. Hence, he thinks it is still worthwhile to give it a go when one is young.
Mr Kwa told the audience to take advantage of any opportunity they have, whether it is an internship, exchange, or job, to remain overseas for an extended period and immerse themselves in the local culture, asking questions whenever they notice things done differently overseas. In answering the question on the misconception about China, Mr Kwa raised the importance of speed in China, citing the “996” work culture and explaining that many Chinese are motivated to push themselves to quicken their learning process in pursuit of success. According to him, speed is a competitive advantage for individuals and organisations who want to triumph over their competitors in China.
Panel Discussion 2: Impression and global citizenship
In the second panel discussion with Ms Pang and Ms Chen, Ms Lauren, a sociology student at the National University of Singapore, asked both speakers how their impression of Singapore had changed over the years and what had motivated them to choose to stay in Singapore out of all the countries they had visited.
Ms Pang believes that as more Singaporeans travel, work, and study overseas, their understanding of the outside world is growing, and they can now better relate to what it is like to live away from home. On why she has chosen Singapore, she ascribed it to the sense of belonging that she has cultivated over the years. In addition, she noted that Singapore’s inclusiveness has allowed her to be exposed to many countries, cultures and industries, thereby fulfilling her aspiration to stand and excel on a global stage.
Ms Chen went on to say that Singapore is becoming more welcoming to various cultures and that Singaporeans are always quick to try out new things, such as food from other countries. This creates a bridge for mutual understanding beyond one’s identity.
Recordings of this event are available on the Mothership Facebook page here and here.