By Victor Cattermole
Asia Pacific Bureau Chief
It’s Chinese New Year time and the year of the Ox has arrived. This month I can’t help but look at what that means for the locals in China.
Quite simply the place goes crazy, the town is covered in decorations and red envelops with cash gifts are being given out like US treasury trying to kick start the economy in a day. On the evening of Tuesday 27th the Hong Kong harbor is lit with a fireworks display that lasts over 20 minutes and is viewed by over 250,000 from every vantage point.
For Chinese though New Year is about more than these things. The Chinese are very spiritual and mystic about what the new year holds ahead for them. The year of the Ox is supposed to be a year of prosperity through hard work. Feng Shui masters are having a field day with predictions based on a variety of events and it’s fair to say the future doesn’t look bright.
A long tradition at this time of year is for family to unite and be together. For thousands and thousands of Chinese that means long trips to the provinces to be with family. It really amazes me to hear reports of people standing on trains and buses for 20 hours, 30 hours or even longer to get back to their family for a few days of celebration. It really shows what incredible value they place on these simple family relationships.
In some way we can all learn something from this aspect of Chinese culture as we look to our own relationships, the way they are created and the way we upkeep and build them. Many westerners may see the journey as a crazy one, especially to simply see family. But in the Chinese culture the family relationship is so important that this journey is what must be done to maintain that relationship.
I found that through hearing these stories and seeing these people I asked myself “What do I do to upkeep and build my relationships? In business and in life.” It is a valuable question to ask, especially as business net workers who place such importance on our relationships.
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