Author Archives: Claire Boisseau

Asia is becoming a “Far East” for French entrepreneurs. Investigation and success stories in eight countries included in the ranking of doing Business 2013-May 30, 2013 Challenges

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Asia is a land of friendly welcome for French entrepreneurs. (c) sipa

They fantasized and landed in New York . Shanghai! Less than 24, Benjamin, Thomas and Max, the founders of the legendary Café trainees already have earned their stripes of entrepreneurs. From their first year of operation, they won the Best Bar Shanghai Prize, awarded by the English magazine Time Out, and plan to open in Hong Kong this fall: “we wouldn’t have been able to make it to paris or new york Too expensive and not allowed to make mistakes. And then, just as twenty years ago you had to be in New York, today, you have to be in Shanghai. “

The Asian dream has captured the French entrepreneurs. Megacities where to converge new consumers to industrial zones where emerge every day news factories of the world, agricultural frontiers to explore new technologies to operate, the “Far East” exerts a growing fascination for those who want to cut the umbilical cord and pass what remains an adventure out of their comfort zone.The big battalions are  young entrepreneurs aged between 20 and 45 years. Ten years ago, and particularly the last few years, business creations by the French in Asia have increased, along with rapid strengthening of French business communities: + 11% last year, with officially 110,000 French living in Asia-Oceania – actually much more, because not all of them are registered with consulates.

Individual adventure

Impossible to make a sketch of these pioneers, as entrepreneurship, especially as far from home, is an individual adventure. In Hong Kong, Mathias Helleu thrives by selling US and Chinese stocks and bonds to Asian customers. Bruno Hasson made a fortune in Indonesia: Thanks to his netword of relay clients, he is the leading distributor of handbags, made locally but designed by a multicultural team. Pierre jean malgouyres, architect in vietnam was in a few years of the first 100 global firms with a position midway between the major international names fees and accommodation are too cheap.

Vaissié Arnaud, one of the most striking pioneers of this success, who co-founded International SOS in 1985 in Singapore, becoming world number one in the health sector and international security, yet emphasizes that the choice of Asia is not obvious:Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to create his own company in Asia. The growth environment and fiscal conditions are favorable, but mounting a business without support is complicated. “So why Asia? It is the adventure that attracts, and those who leave are not necessarily the wealthiest. But for an entrepreneur, pessimism in France is difficult to live with. “

Just as there was the appeal of the “sea”, thus there is the appeal of the Asian market, the energy given off the area, the responsiveness of the inhabitants, the certainty that tomorrow will be better than yesterday … “It is an opportunity to relearn capitalism, summarizes Doan Viet Dai Tu, who has been developing a trading company since 1993 in the Viet Nam , OpenAsia, which today employs 1,400 people.” Our pride in OpenAsia, not only due to the numerical results, but the satisfaction of having created a company culture. Freedom is our luxury. Despite the stress of and a mad work “Despite the pitfalls too.: corruption, counterfeiting … In Vietnam, compared with France,finally, there are more opportunities, more trading margins and less dangers of failure. And no matter whether the AIDS shirk or bank loans are retoqués.

Global Success

As Doan Viet Dai Tu, the French business community has its pioneers. Those who have embarked in the 1980s and 1990s are experiencing great successes, sometimes worldwide: Poylo Joachim, patron founder of the group Aden Services, now with 15,000 employees, a multinational integrated services for companies that compete now with Sodexo, its former employer. Others played rather local or regional card. They are rooted, becoming the pillars of French solidarity diaspora.

In Hong Kong as in Beijing, countless young entrepreneurs have been helped by Patrick Marie Herbet, who arrived in China in 1982, and is head of Abacare, an insurance brokerage company, creator of Rotary Wanchai Hong kong and China Tastevin Knights.

This is its local network which helped partially fund the Year of France in China.

Bicultural Links

This investment – beyond their business – in the cultural and social life is precious to the French presence in these countries. They know the elites, markets, inputs, habits … Often, their spouses were born in their adopted country, their children are bicultural. And history repeats itself, as Alexandre Chieng, 34, co-founder of Schobrunn, number three haircare in China. Son of André Chieng, one of the most renowned French consultants in China and toddler son’s private secretary of one of the founders of the Kuomintang, he was born in Beijing. After studying in France, he returned for an MBA at the University of Beijing. He became a Volunteer in a Corporate (VIE) then worked with BNP Paribas and a financial controller for LVMH. I had a great future, but I was missing something, he says. I thought that my life mission is to create a brand that will inspire the Chinese. Thus was born Schobrunn, with a Chinese partner, a chemist I knew in poker. ‘

This accelerated departure of aspiring entrepreneurs abroad is it bleeding for France? Arnaud Vaissié which is supporting French start-up in the city and invested in the launch of the ESSEC Singapore, the answer is mixed: The great advantage of the French who go abroad is that they can communicate with the rest of the world. Today, they are denounced as people fleeing. But you have to think about it as a circle: provide the conditions for return, valuing their contribution. Those who set up their business in Asia have a fantastic experience. It is up to us to integrate them abroad, and then eventually in France.

 

Anne Garrigue, writer of the News Asian borders

Interview About the Restaurant “Source” of Li Xue Bing

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Interviews are masters of Miss Li Xuebing outline Jiang Yuan First, the opening brief (mash Art) Highlights:

Part of the palace of the Qing monk.

Masters: studied in Europe, went to the scene, filmed the movie, written novels, opened a bar, operates “benevolence” gallery and “all Jiangyuan.” There are many elements who seemingly conflicting but peaceful integration, and describe their own style. A wide cultural perspective, let her have both tolerant attitude.

In the traditional environment, form all copy, from the current context, there is a sense of alienation. But mix and match elements not naturally blend, will appear nondescript. Mix of traditional and contemporary, East and West mix, how to grasp the degree is particularly important. Especially profound environment more difficult to achieve.

In your small courtyard, both retained and restored some of the original: for example, facing the South, South room beams, floor tiles sixties. But their own design built a two-story building. Your old and new buildings in this dialogue, it is how to find a balance?

Very ashamed to speak truthfully, because this small hospital is rented, and bought their own yard is not the same concept. So when did the decoration, the first thought is not a problem balancing old and new buildings, and more thought is how to use existing funds and conditions to complete a more practical and elegant building. And I always thought, for the building, it is always easy in the first place. For me, those who put aside the pursuit of practical Xuanliang away and majestic building some flashy is not always walk into my heart. Of course, not very practical means rough, single or even ugly. Complete an architectural beauty, depending on the owner or designer in their own life experiences and the intentions of their attitude towards life requirements and adhere to. Intentions, and pure soul, and everything is balanced. Architecture is no exception, either the East or the West, or a combination of things.

Your learning, life experience is very rich, and living abroad for many years, Western culture has a more profound understanding. From this small courtyard decoration design point of view, including the opera as a meal sometimes background music, you actually have to use a mix and match elements of East and West. When you are doing this expression, is how to choose the elements of East and West ?

Jiang Yuan are all matching, including music background, I have not had a conscious deliberate arrangement, there is no emphasis on the so-called Eastern and Western elements match. Just think if we want to be made whole yard oriental elements, but also its own pure oriental extravagance construction conditions can not be achieved when the bones from the soul, not as random nature in which the arrangement of these elements of modern life. Whether it is from a building renovation hardware, software or background music, the most important thing is to be hard. In Beijing, the majority of Chinese architecture is filled with both interior and exterior residential or Chinese teahouse, and is a good example. No soul, no heart, even if the so-called oriental decorative elements used in all stacked together, the room stood the ancient opera, you can not have the people, specious, what is the point?

To a lot of people are on the tree in your yard centuries jujube impressive, it makes life more vivid precipitation years. Which of your favorite corner of the yard? In the design of the decoration there any regrets?

Like the second floor. Looking past upstairs and saw the surrounding layers of roof tiles pieces when some refreshing. Watts is kind of beauty, and even can be called a kind of culture, which is difficult in other places a chance to experience mood. But the four weeks the neighbors roof tiles are more and more plastic sheet linoleum cement platform or simple glass tile replaced, was very tangled sad. Unfortunately, because the yard decoration or is rented, there is an obstacle to speak from the heart, because when you consider the cost of investment in reconstruction and did not go more complete details. For example, the choice of wood.

Many private kitchens pursue cordial, positioned in people “taste memory”, and some stores are not changed even decades. Your private kitchens to Sichuan for the tone, but whether it is food or cooking methods have to select a combination of Chinese and Western specialties. And the menu is not fixed, updated frequently bring guests surprise. This implementation is not an easy thing, you like to try this, what is the impetus for innovation?

Realistically speaking, I am very envious of those of a shop or even decades can do the dishes, single-mindedness, which means that the need for a very strong and stable rear kitchen team. And my experience is that at present we do for small private homes, the kitchen team, if you’re lucky, it will generally replaced every two to three years. If so, it might as constantly changing dishes, has become the most appropriate thing we have. For WM, perhaps this experience and my personal life and family environment. It is its natural, I do, because my daily family life is a combination of Chinese and Western cultures a huge family.

Chinese people “eat” culture enjoyed dinner. Ancient “scholarly gathering,” This is from your restaurant wall decoration “Han Banquet map” can be reflected. In modern society, the Beijing dialect had a very vivid word called “Group Board.” You are born to learn the art, and they have a gallery, you will regularly organize their own small courtyard where some very unique cultural gatherings?

Yes, if necessary, I will regularly in their own little yard organize some distinctive cultural gatherings, such as some art exhibition opening or closing reception dinners and so on. But the next few years, probably because some of my own fate and Buddhism, and I intend to have jiangyuan slowly build into a collection destined persons vegetarian, tea, incense Road, ikebana and Buddhist and related cultural gathering place. I respectfully blessing to complete this wish. Thank you again for the source of love, You are welcome to come again.

Thanks!