Credit: Gauthier Delecroix/FLICKR
I AM A BUSINESSWOMAN. I sell shampoo. The kind of product we have, you can’t find anywhere else. See how smooth and shiny my hair is? Give me your hand. Feel it. Soft, right?
It’s just me right now, with some helpers. We have shampoo, cosmetics, handbags. We’re just getting started. Take a look at our app. We’re online only but soon we’ll have physical stores, with a lounge and a cafe and a play area for kids. We will do everything. If there’s rain, we will deliver an umbrella. If you’re out, we will send over a car.
I’m here for the beauty expo. It starts tomorrow. I love Guangzhou. The commercial districts are full of traders and merchants. You’d never expect to see so many Africans in this country. Why do they come? To get things done. To do business. I’ve already found an office space near Yuexiu. I’ll sign it once I get my funding. It’s coming soon. Maybe end of the month. Definitely by end of the year. All my investors are eager. I can’t wait to get out of Beijing.
In Beijing, everything is about rules. If you don’t have connections, you better have patience. And luck. Every day there’s a new permit for this or that. If you’re in a rush, forget about it. If you just want to get things done, better go somewhere else. Guangzhou is different. The people in Guangzhou are different. Things move here.
Right now we’re only focused on high-end goods. If you look at the luxury brands, which one of them is Chinese? Dior, Gucci, LV. Not one from China. What, we don’t have people who care about beauty in this country? And style? And sophistication? We don’t have people who can show up with the money? We need a national brand, a Chinese brand. That’s what Chinese people want.
Look at xiangyunsha. Go to any fashion show and it’s what those tall, slim models all love wearing these days. Where do the garments come from? A half-hour away in Shunde. That’s where. They make it with pure natural silk, then dye it with traditional techniques. They’ve done it for hundreds of years. Tell me, where else in the world are you going to find that? So that’s the kind of business we do. We want to connect commerce with Chinese traditions.
I’m starting this company so that… How to put this…
I have two grandsons. They’re smart. Really smart. Of course they are, both their parents have advanced degrees. The older boy just tested into Beijing No. 4 Middle School. But the younger one, let me tell you about him. He’s only eight but he’s going far. You can tell. It’s the way he deals with people, the way he counts things. It’s the questions he asks.
Nainai, what is your job?
Nainai, who pays for all your things?
Nainai, why do you keep tapping the charts on your phone?
He’s learning. I love talking with him. I used to talk with him and his brother all the time, for hours, the whole day. But now it’s not so easy. I don’t see them much. Without them, my life feels hollow. The last time was already a few months ago. I waited until my son and his wife were away on a business trip. Then I contacted his wife’s parents. I met them at the shopping center behind their compound. My grandsons ran over as soon as they saw me. I brought them to an expensive bakery on the second floor and got them a big sponge cake with red bean filling. The little one took a few bites then said he wanted ice cream. I said, Gelato is better and we went to get gelato.
I asked my grandsons, Do you miss nainai?
I said, Tell nainai what you want to buy.
I told them, Nainai will buy anything you want.
After a couple hours, my daughter-in-law’s mother came back to pick them up. She wouldn’t even look me in the eye. You would think I was a fugitive. What, is it a crime to sell my own property? What, is it a crime to have a goal, to just want to do something, to build something? But at least she has a heart. She has the conscience of a woman. She knows you can’t be taken from your own grandchildren.
It’s been more than a year since I talked to my son. He doesn’t respond to my messages on Wechat and he refuses to meet with me. At first I could understand. I’m not a rock. He was upset. I know he expected to get the apartment. Even though his family already has a home that is more than enough—ninety square meters, there’s even a bathtub, and of course I helped pay for it—he thought he was entitled. That’s what the young people expect these days, for their parents to give them everything. But if you think about it, what right does he have? Haven’t I given him enough?
I bet you his wife was a little urchin in his ear. At first I just accepted their abuse. Okay, let it out, release your anger. You can quarrel, you can shout. I know they were even telling people I was crazy. But then you say that I can no longer see my own grandkids? That’s crossing the line. The bastards. My foolish son and his deceitful wife. What’s the good of all that education if you don’t have vision? Yes, I sold the apartment, but that money is an investment. Once my company makes a fortune, won’t that benefit them, too? Won’t that benefit their children? But they don’t see that. They don’t get it. But they will.
As soon as I make it big, I am buying another apartment. Not in the same compound where the old apartment used to be, but in Chaoyang where all the rich foreigners live. Inside, everything will be brand new. All designer furniture, the best appliances. Everything will be sleek and shiny. But I won’t live there. I’ll be traveling overseas, making deals all around the world. And the apartment will just sit there, in Beijing, empty. Then my son and daughter-in-law will see. They will know exactly what they did. They don’t believe in me now, but they will. Yes, they will know exactly what they did.
I am not in a rush. It will take some time, but I am not worried. I know I will succeed. Because there is no turning back. ✉️