Tradition is the best argument for new ideas

China is a seamless blend of traditional and modern ideas, with people drawing on both to achieve their goals. Sometimes, though, people can get mired in the past, and won't accept new ideas without a lot of effort.

A few years ago I worked at what was, for want of a better term, an English "factory". It had an amusing name, and it basically worked like a large sieve - students were poured in, their money was extracted, and they emerged with a smattering of extra English.

It was an extremely frustrating place to work in - entangled in meetings, bureaucracy and red tape. Hours were spent wrangling over minute points, and tempers would boil over.