Wishing a very Happy New Year of the Dragon to all. The year of the Dragon started last Saturday 10th February and runs until 28th January next year.
I am a Dragon myself, specifically a Fire Dragon having been born in 1976, and so thought I’d take a look at some of my own wellbeing journey with Chinese culture over the years and some of the influences on my work.
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
Steven
Intelligence, Authority, Good Fortune
Of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon, or more accurately Loong, is the only mythical creature. In Chinese culture the Loong signifies positivity, nobleness and fortune and birth rates tend to soar in Dragon years with parents eager to convey the good fortune of the Loong on their children.
The zodiac also alternates between the five fundamental elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This year, the dragon inhabits the wood element, which represents development and achievement.
Teaching in China
I find a lot of this culture fascinating and first started looking in more detail over 10 years ago when I began to visit China on a regular basis.
I started teaching at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai in 2011. My business school teaching in Europe, via the Sustaining Executive Performance (SEP) program, started to get the attention of other schools around the world, yet I was concerned initially that the content that worked so well in Europe might not land in Chinese culture.
I need not have worried. Many of the program participants had the same workplace pressures as their European counterparts and I was encouraged to find many touch-points of my work with Confucian thought. For example, habits, as rituals are at the core of the Li part of Confucian teaching.
I also found other courses such as Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory at Harvard University which draws parallels with the modern world. Present day issues including challenging human relationships, increasing narcissism and self-centeredness, and disagreement on the best way for people to live in harmony – are shown to be the same as those of China 2,500 years ago.
Using translations of original Chinese texts, the course teaches students to be less calculating and to pay attention to the small actions that comprise their daily lives. The focus is on showing that the smallest actions can have the most profound ramifications, that decisions are less about rationality than we’d like to think, and of the importance of the body in affecting the behaviour of the mind.
All were aspects in my Sustaining Executive Performance course which I delivered for a wonderful four years at CEIBS, in different custom programs and executive MBA courses, from Shanghai to Jakarta and Singapore.
The Chinese Walk
I love to tell stories in class and one of my favourites over the years has been the Chinese Walk. The origins came from an executive training program where half of the people were from a European Telco and the other half from China Unicom.
It was quite a formal, yet enjoyable affair, with welcome speeches, drinks, and conversations, and the Chinese business culture of copious alcohol consumption well to the fore! It was my first awareness of the importance of alcohol in Chinese business etiquette, where one must not merely take a sip of one’s glass with a neighbouring dinner companion during the celebratory toast or cheers, but rather drink the full amount after touching glasses with all guests.
Enquiring as to the health dangers for senior executives who may have to attend business dinners on a regular basis, they told me that members of the C-suite often have a personal assistant, who is basically a drinker. Wow.
At the end of the meal, the Chinese party, of around 40, got up as one and went for a walk around the campus – of around 1-2 miles. Everyone else went to the bar. I then said this to the Europeans, chiding them on their more unhealthy choice. They replied, “No, no, the Chinese weren’t going for a walk! They were just looking for the bar; they didn’t know where it was!”
Jokes apart, I used to see this practice all the time when teaching in China – it’s a real part of the culture.
After lunch or dinner, a walk is common practice. Let me explain the science behind this.
When we eat, our body’s metabolism fires up. The body basically looks to absorb the nutrients and energy – fuel, let’s say – of the food. Our body doesn’t know the exact minute that we stop eating and so continues in this higher rate of metabolism for another 30–40 minutes.
This is called the Thermic Effect of Food, which has a synergistic effect with low-grade physical activity, thereby converting this 30-40 minute period into a window of opportunity and allowing you to triple the calorie-burning effect.
It’s simply a metabolic walk, which I call the Chinese Walk in honour of my Chinese friends. It is another example of modern science backing up ancient wisdom. It’s nothing new, particularly in China where a well-known Confucius proverb is:
Walk 100 steps after a meal and you’ll live to be 99 years old.
And a parting reflection for this week. We considered Le Bonne Vie last week and I’ve looked at that question, what is a good life? from the perspective of different cultures.
It’s a question asked by some of history’s greatest philosophers. Aristotle talked of the importance of fulfilment, learning and virtue. Confucius highlighted rituals and tao which can be roughly translated to path, as in finding our own path, or purpose.
The Chinese character for listening, shown above, might be a good nudge for you to reflect on your own tao. How can you listen more intentionally, in order to move closer to your purpose?
The Year of the Dragon
Wishing a very Happy New Year of the Dragon to all. The year of the Dragon started last Saturday 10th February and runs until 28th January next year.
I am a Dragon myself, specifically a Fire Dragon having been born in 1976, and so thought I’d take a look at some of my own wellbeing journey with Chinese culture over the years and some of the influences on my work.
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
Steven
Intelligence, Authority, Good Fortune
Of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon, or more accurately Loong, is the only mythical creature. In Chinese culture the Loong signifies positivity, nobleness and fortune and birth rates tend to soar in Dragon years with parents eager to convey the good fortune of the Loong on their children.
The zodiac also alternates between the five fundamental elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This year, the dragon inhabits the wood element, which represents development and achievement.
Teaching in China
I find a lot of this culture fascinating and first started looking in more detail over 10 years ago when I began to visit China on a regular basis.
I started teaching at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai in 2011. My business school teaching in Europe, via the Sustaining Executive Performance (SEP) program, started to get the attention of other schools around the world, yet I was concerned initially that the content that worked so well in Europe might not land in Chinese culture.
I need not have worried. Many of the program participants had the same workplace pressures as their European counterparts and I was encouraged to find many touch-points of my work with Confucian thought. For example, habits, as rituals are at the core of the Li part of Confucian teaching.
I also found other courses such as Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory at Harvard University which draws parallels with the modern world. Present day issues including challenging human relationships, increasing narcissism and self-centeredness, and disagreement on the best way for people to live in harmony – are shown to be the same as those of China 2,500 years ago.
Using translations of original Chinese texts, the course teaches students to be less calculating and to pay attention to the small actions that comprise their daily lives. The focus is on showing that the smallest actions can have the most profound ramifications, that decisions are less about rationality than we’d like to think, and of the importance of the body in affecting the behaviour of the mind.
All were aspects in my Sustaining Executive Performance course which I delivered for a wonderful four years at CEIBS, in different custom programs and executive MBA courses, from Shanghai to Jakarta and Singapore.
The Chinese Walk
I love to tell stories in class and one of my favourites over the years has been the Chinese Walk. The origins came from an executive training program where half of the people were from a European Telco and the other half from China Unicom.
It was quite a formal, yet enjoyable affair, with welcome speeches, drinks, and conversations, and the Chinese business culture of copious alcohol consumption well to the fore! It was my first awareness of the importance of alcohol in Chinese business etiquette, where one must not merely take a sip of one’s glass with a neighbouring dinner companion during the celebratory toast or cheers, but rather drink the full amount after touching glasses with all guests.
Enquiring as to the health dangers for senior executives who may have to attend business dinners on a regular basis, they told me that members of the C-suite often have a personal assistant, who is basically a drinker. Wow.
At the end of the meal, the Chinese party, of around 40, got up as one and went for a walk around the campus – of around 1-2 miles. Everyone else went to the bar. I then said this to the Europeans, chiding them on their more unhealthy choice. They replied, “No, no, the Chinese weren’t going for a walk! They were just looking for the bar; they didn’t know where it was!”
Jokes apart, I used to see this practice all the time when teaching in China – it’s a real part of the culture.
After lunch or dinner, a walk is common practice. Let me explain the science behind this.
When we eat, our body’s metabolism fires up. The body basically looks to absorb the nutrients and energy – fuel, let’s say – of the food. Our body doesn’t know the exact minute that we stop eating and so continues in this higher rate of metabolism for another 30–40 minutes.
This is called the Thermic Effect of Food, which has a synergistic effect with low-grade physical activity, thereby converting this 30-40 minute period into a window of opportunity and allowing you to triple the calorie-burning effect.
It’s simply a metabolic walk, which I call the Chinese Walk in honour of my Chinese friends. It is another example of modern science backing up ancient wisdom. It’s nothing new, particularly in China where a well-known Confucius proverb is:
Walk 100 steps after a meal and you’ll live to be 99 years old.
And a parting reflection for this week. We considered Le Bonne Vie last week and I’ve looked at that question, what is a good life? from the perspective of different cultures.
It’s a question asked by some of history’s greatest philosophers. Aristotle talked of the importance of fulfilment, learning and virtue. Confucius highlighted rituals and tao which can be roughly translated to path, as in finding our own path, or purpose.
The Chinese character for listening, shown above, might be a good nudge for you to reflect on your own tao. How can you listen more intentionally, in order to move closer to your purpose?
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