Day 2 From Beijing
We convened again in the Beijing Grand hotel and launched into the creative industries portion of the week's events with a panel chaired by Hal Josephson, President of MediaSense, Inc. We were joined by Susan Ho, Head of Creative Industries, Standard Chartered Bank; Lifeng Wang, Founder & President at Eastar (Xing Xing) Digital Corporation; Frank Yu, Program Manager with the Advanced Technology Center, Asia Center for Interaction Design; and Becky Sundling, User Experience Design Lead for Advanced Technology Center, Asia Center for Interaction Design.
Topics ranged from the emerging game and animation industries in China to the unique challenges faced by creative companies operating in China or outsourcing here. Perhaps the largest issue raised in this discussion was combating the effects of the cultural bias against asking questions or challenging authority, which can be crucial for innovation and problem-solving in creative industries. Our panel of experts discussed strategies for dealing with this issue and others and was very positive overall about the depth of potential talent in China's creative and new media sector.
We adjourned the meeting at the Beijing Grand Hotel to travel to the next leg of the trip in Shanghai, with a stop at Xing-Xing Digital Animation Studios along the way. With founder Lifeng Wang and EVP Creative Becky Bristow, we toured their ultra hip production facility in the ZhaoWei Industrial Park. Afterwards, we had the treat of visiting Beijing's nearby trendy Dashanzi Arts District, where former East-German designed munitions factories now house some of Beijing's premier art galleries and gourmet restaurants.
The day concluded with dinner along the famous Shanghai Bund, under the neon of Pudong New Area.
Tomorrow: Meeting with a variety of New Media companies at Shanghai's Digital Entertainment Center.