Beijing or bust

Australian businessman Charles Brent still remembers the day he first arrived in China, 15 years ago.

"It was New Year's Day, January 1, 1994," he says. "I got into Beijing and it was minus 6 C. All I was wearing was a suit, shirt and tie - and I froze my rear end off!"

Soon after, the newcomer made another gaffe. "The first day I walked into my office, I realized not many people spoke English. So I had to learn quickly. One day, though, I was introducing my staff to a government minister - and I introduced my executive assistant as my handbag."

Those days are a far cry to 2008. Brent is now a firmly established expat, with 15 years' experience behind him, a thriving investment business and an enviable lifestyle.

He and his wife, Beijinger Helen, are doing what they usually do, spending Chinese New Year in Beijing after celebrating Christmas with the family in Melbourne.

By all accounts the "early 50s" Brent is living his dream - but it hasn't all been plain sailing.

Marrying Helen, 10 years his junior, has taught him many things - both about himself and his adopted country.

"I was probably too short-tempered before I met her and aggressive in business," he admits. "She has done a very good job of keeping me better grounded. Before, I used to want results sooner and bigger. She has helped me become more humble and patient.

"She is also very polite and considerate, which is actually a strong Chinese characteristic, very Confucian."

In turn, Brent has been able to enrich Helen's life with an Australian slant.

"When I met her she couldn't swim - she had never even been in a boat, had never been snorkeling or diving in the sea. One of the first things I did was to help teach her how to swim and since then she has been on kayaking adventures and gone diving."

She has also converted to Catholicism. "Helen raised the matter herself," says Brent. "It was her decision to follow me and as a husband and wife, our common religion has given us an important extra dimension to our lives."

The couple lives in rented accommodation in Shanghai but Brent, who advises Australian people about investing in China and vice-versa, practiced what he preaches several years ago and bought a home and an office in Beijing. On this matter he is uncharacteristically coy, saying only: "They've been very successful investments."

Some years ago, Brent brought over his two Aussie children from his first marriage - son Matthew and daughter Laura - and both attended an international school in Beijing for three years.

"Fitting into the Chinese culture and studying an American curriculum was a big challenge for them, but the big goal was to learn Chinese and this has stood them in good stead since. Matthews works in international trade, much of which is between Australia and China, while Laura is an actress but has been able to use her Chinese to speak at some public events."

The lessons Brent has learned have also proved invaluable to him for doing business with the Chinese. "China has been very lucky for me and I've been very successful here. I learned very early to be considerate to other people - if you are, it opens many doors for you."

One topic that often crops up in conversation for him has been Australia's Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

"The time I had the privilege of being in the same room as him was when he made his first visit to China as PM, when he visited Beijing and addressed several Chinese business leaders. It was the first time an Australian PM had spoken in Mandarin here - the Australians in the room couldn't understand what their own PM was saying!

"He is very well known here - even the taxi drivers know who Lu Kewen is - having an Australian PM who speaks Mandarin sets us apart because he is the first elected leader to be able to speak Mandarin. It has done the image of our country a lot of good with ordinary Chinese people."

Having a respected prime minister, however, does little in itself for your business prospects.

"If you want to succeed here, there are three things you must do very well," says Brent. "You must have a detailed business plan, a proper tax structure and you must hire the right people to work for you and that is a skill in itself. Many businesses fail because the management doesn't know how to hire the right people.

"Do these things right and China will offer foreigners the potential of immense rewards."

Brent loves today's Beijing more than ever. "When I first arrived, the city was gray and colorless and there wasn't a lick of paint anywhere. Now it has some of the best architecture in the world."

(China Daily 01/19/2009 page10)