CPEC: Chinese work ethic and its implication for Pakistan

[Viking 63]

Pakistanis need to die and reborn again 100 times before they can learn and catch up with working ethics of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. A dumb *** nation !!!

 

[Star Wars]

Pakistanis need to die and reborn again 100 times before they can learn and catch up with working ethics of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. A dumb *** nation !!!

Mentality plays a big role IMO. A Morally defeated nation who believes they can never improve will never try to improve. A Nation who believes they will one day be a superpower has people working towards it. Reminds me of early documentaries in mid 2000s about China. People were asked about their country and most of them said, they wanted to work for the country and make it a great power.

 

[Rafael]

Another thing I never understood is why Pakistani builders are incapable of building sloping roofs. You might wonder what is the big deal? Well there is. Sloping roofs allow rain run off with appropriate piping to the ground. Flat roofs cause rain to trick along the walls. This not only leads to ugly discolouration but cracks. That is why Pakistan urban areas present a ugly, worn out look. The only thing I can asume is Pakistan society never goes for the proper way of doing things. I do know when the English were in what is Pakistan almost every building had a sloping roof. Below Karachi 1900.

Karachi 1900

Therefore we can only hope that Chinese interaction causes a slow but sustained change in society where they pay more attention onthe tangible and less on dogma and religion. A few hundred British changed the shape and scape of Pakistan in less than 97 years. With China being neighbour however a lager more sustained change may come about. CPEC is a corridor down which many things will flow down from China. Most precious will be the mindset of the Chinese.

Let me tell you something about my experience with sloping roofs. Last year I was in process of building myself a new house and my preference was building sloping roofs just like the picture. I told this to my architect and he made a near perfect sketch for the house. However, when I showed it to the engineer, he told me that sloping roofs will cost 10-15% more than the normal flat roofs as it will require more material in quantity and quality. If anyone has any experience with construction of houses in Pakistan, he will tell you that 10-15 % increase in cost is too much.

I cancelled the idea and paid architect extra to make a normal flat roof sketch again.

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

@Kaptaan my young brother, many thanks for you tag. Somehow, I did not recieve your notice. Happens quite often now.

Quintessence.

Yes, we need to understand the nature of things.

What makes things move the way the do.

We need to understand the Fundamental, from thence the details.

What makes China, China? All else springs from it.

You have eloquently described examples of the young Chinese. Yet, such industriousness and subsequent spending expression are by-products of the core Deep Pscyche of a civilisation. Chinese in this case.

Now the easiest thing would be for me to provide my input into Deep Chinese Psyche (Junganian Analysis).

Yet, I will like to create more Creative & Thinking space for my Pak friends and brothers. If you allow me I would like to take a Taoist road and let you and other Pak friends discover decide for themselves. If you indugle me I would like only to ask questions to educate myself from yours and others discourse.

First the Fundamental: What in your view is the Chinese Deep Pscyche?

Confuciusism was/is a codification of this deep spirit, the Tao being the Core.

Then we will have to baseline the Deep Psyche of your great peoples.

Only then a rational framework can be developed. Social transformations are not like social engineering...Transformations happen when the Core changes, I fear.

As I have said numerous times before...Pak can learn a lot from China- also from the mistakes that China made in the current development cycle.

@AndrewJin is running a very educational thread about the Deep Psyche of China about natural selection and subsequent development of Chinese Character. He is a very analytical poster. He must be consulted here as well, I highly recommend.

@Shotgunner51

 

[Indus Pakistan]

s running a very educational

Yes, I have been following that thread as a observor - Great stuff.

sloping roofs will cost 10-15% more than the normal flat roofs as it will require more material in quantity and quality.

Precisely. The Pakistani mind has a inclination toward "cutting corners". Which means when everything is compromised, ever so slightly the aggregate effect is the is sub-prime physicial environment. That is why we end up the the roads, houses, products we make not being renowned for quality.

For example as I showed the pictures of Karachi from 1900s why did the British not take "15%" discount on costs by having flat roofs? That was over hundred years ago. The reason was they would not build anything not according to their philiosophy. That was why most of the structures they built are still standing.

In comparison the roads Pakistan builds start looking worn out within few years, bridges start looking tad wonky, houses start looking dishevelled within few years. I have driven along the M2 motorway which was mostly built by Koreans and to my eyes (it must be 25 years old by now) it looks the best in Pakistan. The M1 looks third rate in comparison.

The big debates in Pakistan should not be about what 1947 was about. Or what Islamic law says about xyz issue. The big debate should be about small things but tangible everyday things. Why for example does nobody respect traffic rules? Before Pakistan changes the entire Muslim ummah can we at least get the traffic sorted out.

 

[maximuswarrior]

Pakistanis need to die and reborn again 100 times before they can learn and catch up with working ethics of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. A dumb *** nation !!!

Unfortunately, I have to agree with this notion. The problem is that we never learn. All nations commit mistakes and learn from them. We don't have such a productive mindset. The reason for that is because we are corrupt and that's the bitter truth. Both morally and character wise. A nation which includes individuals who are willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder need to have a very hard look at themselves. We are for instance a nation which has no problem receiving aid. This is 2016. We want it the easy way. This attitude can be found from the very top to the bottom of the society. It is something to ponder upon. Your leadership is the reflection of the society.

 

[Shotgunner51]

A few words on work ethic. Some years back my brother was living in a student house and it was shared with quite few Chinese students. One of them a girl - Vicky, many Chinese show no hang ups about adopting anything for convenience or if they think it is better from anywhere. They don't get constipated like our lot do with terms like "Westernized" or "Ghora" or whatever. They remain steadfast to their core values but show no hesitation in imbibing anything from anywhere if it provides some advantage.

This Vicky was from mainland Chinese city near HK and was only 18 year old, slim, short and probably below 7 stone. She presented a child like figure and had the physical presence of skinny 12 year old. Yet here she was on other side of the world living in house of strangers(all males) in UK on other side of the world.

But don't let size fool you. Inside that small immature frame was a powerhouse. On Saturdsay she would get up 5am and go to another town nearby. She would take suitcase with her full of pirated movies including XXX rated. She would sell these and come back by afternoon making over £100 net profit after costs.

By 8.00pm she would slip into tiny minskirt and tight top and she was off again to club where she would work as waitress in environment full of drunken louts who towered over her like giants. That did not by slightest bit slow here. She finished by 2.00am. She was making over £250-£300 week while a full time student.

Now what did she do with the money? Maybe you think she had elderly poor parents back in China and she was working like crazy in hostile conditions to pay of the debts. No sir. Her parents were reasonably well off. They had paid for all her education and living costs.

But she wanted the good things in life. She did not save penny. She spent every penny as soon as she made it. On what? Expensive clothes. Latest gadgets like mobiles. Perfumes. Holidays to Europe. She was like those mouse you see on those treadmills. Running like crazy but remaining at the same place. However taken as purely a economic factor she was giant. Making and spending. over £30,000 was moving through her little fingers evey year.

And she was by means no exception. All the other Chinese were at it. They would make money and then go to some stupid event and spend all of it. It was then I realized that with 1,300 million Chinese doing the same thing the result would be a economic super power. There were other aspects to the Chinese. Very clean. Very orderly. The kitchen had to be exactly ordered and every user would make sure everything was left exactly the way it was before. They would use milk but then make sure that milk was replaced. There was exactness and honesty there.


This defines the Chinese. They do not let culture, religion, dogma or tradition in any away come in the way of theirquest to "work hard and play hard".

This is just intro. I will develop on these points as and when I collect my though or get time.

@Shotgunner51

That's an interesting story!

Yes "Work Hard" is Chinese culture, but perhaps "Play Hard" isn't exactly the case. Contrary to outsider impressions like Chinese tourists spending lavishly, Chinese domestic consumerism on the rise, in fact Chinese household savings are very high. As per CIA Factbook, gross national saving of mainland China reaches a stunning 46% of GDP in 2015, tie with Singapore in the second spot, only lower than Qatar in the world! Note the latter two are both small and super-wealthy countries, China should not reach such level prematurely, and this is also one factor that holds back GDP data.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2260rank.html​

Such a high savings rate is very common across Chinese societies from mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan to Singapore, similar phenomenon is also observed in Japan and Korea. Savings is one major constituent of Chinese culture, which defines rich by "how much one owns, not how much one spends". In pro term, a rich man is HNWI (High Net Worth Individual), his net worth not his spending determines how rich he is.

"Work Hard, Save Hard"​

Implications? Absolutely, savings is source of investments, perhaps that's the most important implication to any economy.

Thanks!

 

[Kabira]

The Chinese imprint

The performance speaks for itself. The quiet pace of progress on CPEC projects in energy, infrastructure, Gwadar and upstream and downstream industrial sectors in Pakistan has silenced detractors and started creating ripples in society.

A structured mega socio-economic plan to counter the language barrier and skill development gaps in manpower in Pakistan is lacking, but some signs of adjustment to the evolving new reality of active Chinese involvement in the economy and society are visible.

Information collected from random private and public sources have brought to light some interesting facts.

There are roughly about eight to 10,000 Chinese nationals working in various capacities in multiple CPEC projects in the country. With the large influx of Chinese all over the country several hotels and motels have hired Chinese speaking hospitality officers to cater to potential clientele. Some have adjusted their menus to suit the taste of Chinese guests.

The hoteliers did not share data but did confirm that the ratio of room occupancy of Chinese guests has altered since 2013.“It would be safe to say on an average about 25-30pc rooms are now occupied by long staying Chinese guests”, a senior hotel manager of a five-star hotel in Karachi told Dawn.

According to a Pakistani diplomat who returned from a posting in Beijing recently, there is a thrust towards strengthening faculty and student exchange programmes between both public and private education institutions of the two countries, in anticipation of a much greater social interaction in the future.

The initially reluctant private sector is now actively pursuing it to be a part of the great game
“From what I heard even some private schools in Islamabad have introduced Chinese as a second language in their curriculum”, he said, adding that some 8,000-10,000 Pakistani student are currently studying in Chinese universities. “All Pakistani graduates of Chinese universities are being hired by scores of Chinese companies opening offices here”, he said.

Dr Zahir Shah, Project Director/Coordinator CPEC at the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Secretariat, ministry of planning, development and reform, accepted that efforts fell short of demand but said several working groups dealing with varied aspects of CPEC meet regularly to coordinate, push through required adjustments and iron out irritants.

Talking to Dawn on the phone from Islamabad he marked the enormity of the multi-faceted task of creating an enabling environment. “We are stunned by their work culture and their speed. Yes, Pakistani society has yet to absorb the meaning of being part of the Chinese One Belt, One Road (OBOR) vision. We expect close to a million jobs will be created in the short run. The full extent of the long run impact is hard to comprehend at this point”, he said, talking hastily as he headed to a CPEC seminar in Gilgit.

He admitted that there were capacity related issues and confirmed that 50 Pakistani universities are initiating exchange programmes with Chinese institutions.

Officers in the Chinese embassy in Islamabad were accessible and all praise for the cooperation and assistance they received from Pakistan. They expressed satisfaction over the progress of multiple projects and were highly optimistic of the development trajectory ahead but declined to come on record. They mentioned websites where information that China wishes to share with the media is posted.

The website has an exhaustive photo gallery covering several hundred CPEC related events and project sites and a series of statements made by the leaders of the two countries. It also has an updated progress report on all eight logistic infrastructure projects, 22 energy projects, 10 Gwadar city and six industrial projects.

According to the monitoring report, roughly on an average 30pc overall work has been completed. In the energy sector the 50MW Dawood Wind Farm is near completion, while work on eight projects — that include the 660MW Port Qasim Coal-fired Power Plant, the 660MW Sahiwal Coal-fired Power Plant, the 330MW Engro Thar Coal-fired Power Plant and the Surface Mine in Block 11 of Thar Coal Field, the 900MW Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Bhawalpur, the 100MW Jhimpir Wind Farm, the 50MW Sachal Wind Farm, the 720MW Karot Hydro power project and the Suki Kinari Hydropower project (60pc work complete) — is in progress.

In the transport infrastructure 2 projects: the KKH Phase11 (the Havelian-Thakot Section 120km) and the Karachi-Lahore Motorway (Sukkur-Multan Section 392 km) have finished 60pc of the work, while 40pc work on the Joint feasibility study for the upgradation of the ML1 and the establishment of the Havelian Dryport has been completed. Nearly 15pc of the other projects have been completed.

In Gwadar Port City a primary school is now ready. Gwadar Eastbay Expressway 19km, connecting Gwadar to Mehran coastal highway and Gwadar New International Airport has progressed by 40pc, the Gwadar Free Zone is half way through at 50pc and the rest are at initial stages.

The Lahore Orange Line Metro train has reached 60pc completion, the Optic Fibre Cable from Rawalpindi to Khunjrab, 50pc, and the Gwadar-Nababshah LNG terminal and pipeline 40pc.

The leaders of the PML-N government are thrilled by the pace of progress, focused on the political capital generated by the enormous Chinese investment under CPEC in Pakistan. The initially reluctant private sector is now actively pursuing the great game.

Pakistani society, however, it seemed has yet to absorb the full meaning of the drift towards the East and make adjustments to capitalise on economic opportunities thrown up by increasing stake of little understood friend, mighty China.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, September 5th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1282061/the-chinese-imprint

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

As I have said earlier..the goal has to be that at least a million Pak citizens become fluent in Chinese. Both from private and public sector. This must be achieved within 3 years. It takes at least that much time to have some fluency in Chinese.

Language is the key. To understand the mind, speak the language of that mind.

The Truth is that China and Pakistan had been there for each other from the start of PRC...but that interaction had been at gov level.

CPEC has for the first time in history connected the two great peoples in mass transit.

China is here to stay for eternity and so is your great Pak.

Through creating safety, security and elimination of foreign sponsored terrorism...thousands upon thousands Chinese will come to Pak for business and for visiting your beautiful country.

Master the language. Create joint TV programs/channels. Time for both peoples to truly come closer in culture and language.

If the Pak peoples want to reap benefits of CPEC and further economic integeration with the Chinese economy...then some pragmatic cultural synthesis is critical as kind of Sino-Pak Ethos.

Even in the West they are giving children Chinese classes here. Why not introduce a TV based Chinese language to all...like an Open University or Remote learning...also dedicated internet portals will help.

This will also help Pak business people to better understand the Chinese customers...

So, Pak Friends and Brothers, be creative and capture the opportunities with both hands.

Work Hard, Learn Hard = Getting Rich is Glorious

 

[Cherokee]

I agree to most of the observations regarding Chinese work ethic . I have experienced the same in Auz-NZ region .

 

[.]

Pakistanis need to die and reborn again 100 times before they can learn and catch up with working ethics of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. A dumb *** nation !!!

lol you forgot to add a couple of more zeros to the 100

 

[Shah01]

I always wonder why can't villages get together and use all that young under employed youth to dig up the streets and lay underground sanitation pipes and then surface the street. Then plant some trees along the street and that village would look and feel like quaint village. Instead all the young are going around holding guns, using all that energy to cause mischief, while the elders on the way back from the mosque are busy talling about about some other villager.

This is where the main problem lies. If only people collaborate and put some effort into these things the face of Pakistan will change. Villagers are quite good at collaborating in such things. I have seen this happen. For example there was a scheme in Mushis era to upgrade the water channels (lining them) which come off the small canals but the catch was that government and people will share the cost. Furthermore villagers will help as labour to align and dig the water channels. This was done successfully across Punjab as far as I have visited.
Hence we need people to take the initiative and pool together the human and material resources to get the things done.

When work is done it is minimalist and everything is done to cheat. corners are cut. The clever is the one who can get through the day with minimal done. This reflects in everything. Shoddy workmanship.

I will agree with this and this attitude has done no good to the image of made in Pakistan.

If you look at the road in the foreground next to the worker you can see the stupid kinks in the line. Why not a gentle curve? Why is straight, bend, straight, bend? Why not smooth gradual curve?

Exactly why not make it smooth!!! Only because it will be more effort....

The big debates in Pakistan should not be about what 1947 was about. Or what Islamic law says about xyz issue. The big debate should be about small things but tangible everyday things. Why for example does nobody respect traffic rules? Before Pakistan changes the entire Muslim ummah can we at least get the traffic sorted out.

Agree with this. Queue discipline, Lane discipline, being considerate of others etc are small things and do not cost anything but make a better society....

 

[Kabira]

Excellent post.
I always think about these things you mentioned (and i always thought is it just me who thinks too much about these small things) i mean the house roof's kerbs etc and i always wondered why we Pakistani's never talk about these things why we never even think about these things it is so true that our urban areas looks ugly this is Lahore and this looks really ugly.

and than you look at European cities looks so organized and beautiful not only our Gov but our people should think about these things don't know why even after living under the British rule we never learned a single good thing from them

Couldn't agree more, its fair to say Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi etc look ugly from that angle. Only government regulations can change that.

 

[The Sandman]

Only government regulations can change that.

Exactly but that's the sad part Gov never even thinks about these things.