NorCap is excited to announce the addition of four new Advisory Board Members in 2013! We feel very fortunate to welcome Mark Yang, Elizabeth Haenle, Holly Chang, and Hugh Kater to our team. They will certainly add invaluable support and guidance both to the NorCap staff and future NorCap Interns, and we hope their experience in in each of their respective disciplines (tech, startup, government, non-profit, and the environment) will help us all grow our careers and learn more from those around us.

Mark, Liz, Holly, and Hugh join NorCap’s existing Advisory Board comprising Evan Osnos, Tomer Rothschild, Han Bing, Denis Fasquelle and Jonah Greenberg.

Learn more about our new advisors below, and read about our team here.

Mark Yang – CEO of Ganji.com

Mark Yang is the founder and CEO of Ganji.com, the leading online classifieds site in China with more than 100M monthly active users. Before starting Ganji, Mark worked in Silicon Valley for various technology companies such as Juniper Networks. Mark was also the President and Chairman of Google China’s joint venture which operates Google.cn.

Mark graduated from Yale University with a Master Degree in Computer Science. He also received his Bachelor Degree in Engineering from Tianjin University and Master of Engineering University of Science and Technology of China.

Elizabeth Haenle, President of PLINC

Liz Haenle is a co-founder and president of PLINC LLC, an event and speaker consultancy based in Beijing, China. Prior to her co-founding the first Mainland China-based speaker bureau, Liz worked at the White House as the social secretary and residence manager to the vice president of the United States.  During her tenure at the White House, Liz planned social events around the world for the president and vice president.

Prior to working at the White House, Liz served as an aide to former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Barbara Hackman Franklin, whom she assisted with global trade issues including U.S.-China trade relations.  Liz joined Barbara Franklin Enterprises after planning events on Capitol Hill for a Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth (R-ID).  She also served as Director of Scheduling for Senator Lugar during his campaign for U.S. president in 1996. In her first post-under graduate assignment, Liz worked for the 1996 centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.  There she planned events and visits to Atlanta for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Liz is also a director for Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA), a non-profit organization designed to support President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative which provides opportunities for Americans to study in China.

Holly Chang, President of the Golden Bridges Foundation

Holly is a Chinese-American social entrepreneur, and has served over 100 nonprofits in China as a program builder and accelerator. She has an engineering, psychology and business background, with management experience in projects budgeted > US$1b.

In 2007, she invested her life savings to start the Golden Bridges Foundation to promote mutual understanding between China and the West through charitable projects. She is currently heading a new initiative called Project Pengyou (www.projectpengyou.org) to serve alumni of President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative. Since its launch in 2011, Project Pengyou has received personal endorsements by Secretary Hillary Clinton, US Ambassador Gary Locke, and the project has received financial backing from the Ford Foundation.

Hugh Kater – Managing Director of China Carbon Forum

Mr. Hugh Kater is General Manager of the China Carbon Forum, a non-profit organisation providing independent, neutral platform of services to build relationships, build understanding, and share information among China’s climate change stakeholders. Hugh drives the organisation’s strategic planning and ongoing development. His achievements at CCF so far include delivery high-level climate change discussions, with a focus on market mechanisms; developing new business partnerships with carbon market consulting firms and academic institutions, and developing new alliances with high-profile organisations including the United Nations and the International Emissions Trading Association. Mr. Kater has a Masters degree in Environmental Management & Development from the Australian National University (ANU) with High Distinction and commendation from the ANU Chancellor. Prior to 2011, he spent 6 years in Australia’s private sector in business, strategic environmental program management and procurement. Mr. Kater has been living in Beijing since 2011 and speaks Chinese.

When many people hear the word “networking” they think about forming connections with people at different companies, but sometimes the most important networking you can do, especially as an intern, is within your own office.

Why:

There are several reasons why you should develop strong relationships with your coworkers. The first is that they can provide you with advice regarding your internship, (including insights about your manager and other coworkers!) These tips can save you time and stress and help you avoid making mistakes. This is especially helpful when you are interning abroad in an unfamiliar culture.

Furthermore, introductions to your coworkers’ networks can prove extremely beneficial in helping you land a future job. Even if you’re not planning on returning to this company after graduation, developing and maintaining good relations with your coworkers can open myriad doors for your future. Nowadays, landing a job in China isn’t as simple as speaking fluent English. Competing with well-educated, bilingual locals is the norm, and more and more foreigners have their eye on working in China, as well. Strong connections with local residents can give you the edge you need to land an interesting job here.

How:

Be proactive about developing relationships with your coworkers. Frankly speaking, you stand to gain a lot more from the relationship than they do, meaning you should put in the corresponding effort. Engage in conversation with them both in and out of the workplace.

During working hours, you can of course ask them for help. If they seem busy, offer to help them. In fact, even if they don’t appear busy, you should still offer! Every time you speak to a coworker is an opportunity to learn: ask questions about their job, goals, skills, and other positions and departments in the company, all of which will help you make an informed decision regarding whether you would like to work there in the future.

Another essential component to a successful internship experience is finding opportunities to talk with your coworkers and managers outside of work and about unrelated topics. Treat them as you would a friend and learn about their life. In relaxed settings like a lunch break or company party, it’s best to avoid stressful topics and talk about things they are interested in. Always have five questions ready to go and build from there. Talking with others about things they are excited and passionate about will most likely leave a lasting impression.

Making the most out of your internship not only requires accomplishing tasks and being a diligent worker, but also means establishing lasting professional connections. Don’t overlook this key component!

By Lauren Hallanan, NorCap Program Coordinator

Located in the center of Beijing, Houhai is known for its traditional hutongs, lively nightlife, and of course its chain of small, picturesque lakes for which it is named. Once the lakes freeze over in the winter, they turn the area into a massive outdoor ice skating rink which, as you can tell from the picture below, is hugely popular among the locals. NorCap decided to brave the cold and check out this fun winter activity.

Once we arrived, we discovered that the experience here was not exactly the same as what we might find back home: Houhai has a much wider variety of ice equipment, including not just ice skates, but ice-chairs and ice-bicycles as well! Ice chairs look like school chairs on gliders that riders propel along the ice using mini ski poles (simultaneously putting large dents in the ice) and ice bicycles appeared to be single wheel bikes set up on gliders. This time, we went the traditional route and rented ice skates, but I think many of us are planning a return trip to try out the other options.

While the majority of the people at Houhai consisted of amateurs having fun, some experienced skaters were also out there showing off their skills. When we were ready for a break, we stopped and joined the rest of the crowd, watching the speed skaters gliding around in a circle and the figure skaters in the middle, skating backwards and sideways with the occasional twirl or jump. The most impressive part was that many of these skaters appeared to be in their 50s and 60s!

After we wore ourselves out, we returned the skates and headed to the cafe across the street for some hot chocolate, cookies, and roasted chestnuts. What a perfect way to spend a winter afternoon!

Beijing winters are cold, with dry air and lots of cloudy days. Occasionally it will snow, which, although it is very beautiful, means that the traffic will be gridlocked and taxis will be scarcer than usual. I always feel that when I’m in Beijing, despite temperatures being the same, I never feel quite as warm as I do back at home. So I decided to warm up my toes and figure out what we can learn from the locals to help us survive the cold. Here are my top five pieces of advice:

 1. Long underwear – I still have some foreign friends who haven’t made this a habit, but I’m a huge fan. As soon as it gets cold, Chinese people start layering it on. There are all kinds of long underwear options here and wearing a pair under your pants, or wearing thick tights with a dress, will make a huge difference in your overall body temperature. It might not be glamorous and you may look a bit chubbier, but it is well worth it.

2. Drink hot water – Coming from the US, this habit seems quite strange at first, but once you start it’s hard to stop (even when returning to the US, which can warrant some stares…) Drinking hot water (as opposed to cold) elevates your body temperature  and drinking more water in general keeps your skin from getting dried out.

3. Electric “hot water bottles” -

This is a wonderful invention. It is like a small water pillow that can be plugged in. It takes a few minutes to warm up, then just unplug it and hold it in your lap. It’s great for warming your hands and some of them come with straps so you can put it around your waist and warm up your back or stomach.

4. Hot Packs -

I know we have these back home, but they are just so much cheaper here! Some have adhesive on one side, so you can stick a large hot pack onto your T-shirt. It really warms up your body and I use them frequently, especially if I will be outside for a long stretch of time.

5. Visit a Hot Springs Resort – In the outskirts of Beijing there are plenty of resorts with huge saunas, hot tubs, massage rooms, showers, workout facilities, restaurants and more. Some of them are quiet and relaxing while others are noisy and fun with kids running around and families playing card games. Many of them have hotel rooms with Beijing outcall massage available, as well. You can grab a couple of friends and go for a day (or a weekend) and forget all about the cold weather outside!

By Lauren Hallanan, NorCap Program Coordinator

This past weekend, NorCap went to a showing of the film “Laowai”, (Laowai is a  Mandarin nickname for foreigners in China). A romantic drama, this movie follows the relationship between a young French man living in Shanghai and his Chinese girlfriend from Wuhan, the most populous city in Central China.

 While unlikely to win any Oscars, this movie is the first I’ve seen on a topic very relevant to my life and NorCap’s mission, that being helping foreigners to deal with the cultural differences between their home countries and China. For that reason alone, it is a great movie! Through street scenes and interactions with local people, this movie portrays typical life in China for foreigners, as well as the difficulties faced when engaging in a cross-cultural relationship. We found ourselves laughing along because we could empathize with Paul, the main character. If you have been in China for any duration of time, you have definitely experienced many, if not all of the situations, he is put through, such as strangers wanting to be your friend, people always being shocked by your ability to speak Mandarin, being unaccustomed to the flavors of Chinese food, constantly being the center of attention, etc. To us, the humor of this movie lies in the relatability; to those who have never been to China, it might lie in the absurdity.

By Lauren Hallanan, NorCap Program Coordinator

Being abroad for the holidays seems like it could be very upsetting. Holidays are about family, food, and traditions. How can one possibly celebrate in Beijing? Do these holidays get lost in translation? Ignored?

Not at all. In fact, most often it is the opposite. Foreigners here in Beijing end up going a bit overboard with holiday spirit. Thanksgiving was about a week and a half ago and although most Americans still had to work that Thursday and Friday, we didn’t let that get us down. Thanksgiving dinners and parties abound not only on Thursday night, but throughout the remainder of the weekend as well. I ended up eating a mere two Thanksgiving dinners, which was nothing compared to some of my friends who attended dinners four days in a row! And mind you, these were some quite authentic Thanksgiving dinners including all the necessary dishes such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and, on some occasions, a turkey!

It’s not as difficult as you would think to celebrate western holidays in Beijing. Foreign grocery stores are well prepared for the season, stocking all the essential ingredients. Turkeys (and large ovens) are rare here, so many restaurants will cook one for you to take home. And if you’re too busy (or perhaps too lazy) to cook the Thanksgiving meal yourself, plenty of restaurants offer a special holiday menu. All of this is true for Christmas a few other holidays, as well.

An import grocery store in Beijing

In addition to eating, various other events also take place throughout the holiday season to add to the festive mood. Many bars and restaurants hold holiday movie showings, and there are also concerts, parties, fairs, and more.

Of course, celebrating the holidays abroad is not the same as being back home in the States, but being in Beijing is always fun in its own way!

The excitement and tension surrounding the US elections yesterday were palpable… throughout Beijing that is.

In the months leading up to November 6, expat groups volunteered their time to organize absentee ballot registration at popular restaurants and cafes around the city. I walked just 10 minutes through the hutongs from my apartment to Great Leap Brewery, a popular hangout off of Nanluoguxiang, and completed the online registration in a mere 5 minutes. There have also been a multitude of speaker events focusing on the election. NorCap attended a few that addressed the questions “What effect will the US election have on China?” and “Which candidate does the Chinese government favor?”

And yesterday morning as the results rolled in, many Americans rose early to gather in sports bars and hotel basements to watch the networks broadcast real-time results.

However, it wasn’t just the American expats that showed up: the Chinese have been completely in tune with American politics over the past few months. While in a third-tier city in southern China last weekend, I fielded an interesting question from one of the local cabbies:

     “So, did you vote?”

     “Yes”, I responded curtly, a bit shocked.

     “Well, who then? Obama or Romney?” he asked bluntly. “Romney is too forceful towards China.”

Another NorCap staff member learned the election results from a Chinese friend who, afraid she wasn’t sitting at the computer keeping track of the votes, excitedly texted around 12:30 to inform her that Obama had won.

It’s certainly worth noting the extent to which Chinese people paid attention to the U.S. election, as they were quite aware that it would, in some way, have an impact on their lives. I can’t help but wonder if Americans will do the same, or if my friends back home even know the Chinese transition of leadership begins today.

If you would like to learn more about the 18^th Party Congress that began two days after America elected its 44^th president, we recommend the following articles:

Reuters examines the facts of Beijing’s leadership transition in Understanding China’s 18^th Communist Party Congress
Evan Osnos on Democracy in Washington and Beijing

Last week was Beijing Design Week 2012 and NorCap decided to go check it out. We not only are big fans of art and anything creative, but also wanted to get the low down on all the current movers and shakers in the design world so that we can better serve our creative internship applicants.

All week long there were talks, events, and exhibitions held throughout the city. We were a bit busy, you know, doing our jobs, so we didn’t get to see it all, but here’s a slice of what we saw out in the Caochangdi area:

Opening Ceremony and Exhibits:

In addition to the already popular 798 art district, Beijing also has several up-and-coming art areas including Caochangdi, located just north of 798. The opening ceremony for the Caochangdi portion of Beijing Design Week looked like we stepped into a psychedelic dream: a courtyard between several of the main art galleries was decorated with curvy snake-like inflatables surrounding a massive DJ podium; beneath the podium we found uniquely designed couches and chairs; and all this was lit up in various shades of blue and purple. There were speeches, music, food, good drinks, and best of all the Caochangdi exhibits were only steps away!

You can find this designer’s work all over Beijing. Inspired by her experience of frequently moving from apartment to apartment, she built a set of furniture that can be collapsed into boxes for convenient transportation. The furniture is not only incredibly functional, but also quite beautiful – The tiny details built into her designs make the pieces look better than most normal stationary furniture!

Shanzhai Biennial 

Shanzhai is the Chinese word for a knock-off product, and this exhibit was poking fun at just that. Examining their photographs, we found it somewhat of a game to see how many things in the picture were copied off of something else. There were mis-matched labels and patterns all over the models’ clothing, and their facial expressions were even a knock-off of Yue Minjun’s smiles, (Yue is a popular contemporary artist, Google him and you’ll know what smiles I’m talking about). Besides raising some good points about intellectual property rights, this exhibit was simply a lot of fun to look at!

To see more photos of the event check out our Facebook album: NorCap Visits Beijing Design Week

This past weekend, NorCap went hiking on a remote, unrestored part of the Great Wall. It was wonderful to get out of the city and experience the blue skies and fresh breeze of the countryside. Furthermore, the whole afternoon hiking we only saw around 20 other people!

Interns Lizzie, Luke, and Jaise taking a well-deserved break.

After an afternoon of hiking we climbed down off the wall and stayed in a cabin nearby. We had a delicious homestyle cooked meal then sat outside and had some interesting discussions while staring at the stars. And somehow there were no mosquitos! Looking back now it just sounds too good to be true!

We got up early the next morning to see the sunrise but it was a bit overcast so we just watched the dawn come and enjoyed the cool air and the quietness of the countryside. We were all sad to go back to the city and end this relaxing time together.

Striking a pose on the Wall!

Last weekend, NorCap Interns gathered at the home of Ad Board member, Tomer Rothschild, co-founder of Elite Scholars of China, a boutique consultancy helping China’s top students get into America’s top colleges. With extensive experience marketing to China’s consumers in the education and health and fitness industries, Tomer shared more about his experiences, as well as tips for building a successful and healthy career in China and as an entrepreneur. After some good dialogue and Q&A, everybody walked away with much to think about and a new mentor here in Beijing.