Five minutes before the conference concluded, my boss came to me with excitement and told me he plans to return to China next quarter. He is looking forward to his second trip to China. In fact, I really missed the days when he had never been here, completely clueless to China. Well, at least he knew he didn't know. But after a single visit, stayed for ten days, had a roasted duck, he felt like Mr. China Know it All. Now, he doesn't know what he doesn't know, much worse than before.
The other meeting was about a project at the HQ. Managers from China, India, Singapore, Europe and other countries were in the conference. I will hold my tongue on the matters of my Indian colleagues' "perfectly understandable English". It was more than a battle to stay till the end. Finally, the moderator asked if we had any question. This is the utter question that upsets me. If I don't ask anything, all the responsibilities are on my shoulders. The weight feels so heavy since I am here to represent the China sector. If I asked something simple, they will return with a seemingly professional answer with the smallest detail. If I say this project cannot be carried out in China, their response will be very simple, "Yeah, I understand." Then the sympathy drastically shifts, "But, the decision has already been made. So do what you can. Thank you." Well, why on earth would we have this conference if the decision has already been made. What should I tell my other Chinese boss tomorrow morning?