YUE SAI KAN

Beauty and Confidence

Yue Sai Kan is an Emmy winning television host and producer, successful entrepreneur, fashion icon, bestselling author and humanitarian

How long have you been living in China?

Since 1984, before you were born…

I first started working with CCTV. I was in the television business.

I was producing television shows for them.

Since then, what do you think has changed most in China?

The first major difference is about the transformation of the country and the development.

Chinese people used to be very insecure about themselves.

They knew they did not know much, so they were very humble. Because their financial situation was precarious, they did not have much confidence. Now, Chinese people, are far more confident.

Now, they know that they can not only conquer China, they can also conquer the world!

And it’s all due to the fact that they were very successful in the last 20 years.

Can you tell us about the beginning of your career?

To open up, China knew they had to understand the outside world. So from my perspective, the government was amazing with the media. For example, the government decided that television was a way to educate their public. So they used something, just like me, to do a TV series called One World to educate the people. So we went to a lot of countries and described the world to our audience. This is one of the smartest things they did.

The program I did was One World and it was aired in 1986 and 1987. That was the time when there were just a few television channels. There was little experience of the outside world. So the program really did a lot to educate the audience.

They understood that their television host could wear makeup. In those days, they did not even use makeup. There were only 6 hours’ of TV on CCTV per day and there was only one channel and one network. But today, you know, it’s totally different.

What would you say is the main difference between doing business here compared to the US?

Relationship is important everywhere. But relationship in China is particularly difficult because, in America, you can just call somebody if you have something to sell. If your product is attractive, people will listen to you. In China, it is different. Relationships (Guanxi) are extremely important in China. You do business in China with relationships. Of course the best relationships are the relationships you create with your family members. But the sense of family is really extended here.

What is the biggest challenge when working with Chinese companies?

If communication does not exist, your collaboration with a Chinese company will be much more difficult. There is a need to communicate. If you don’t speak the language, you can only rely on somebody that can translate for you.

What advice can you give in order to build a successful business in China?

Do not underestimate relationships. Even though it’s true that everywhere in the world relationship is important. In this case, you need to be smart in how to build relationships and how to contact people. Those are very important for the success of your project.

You need to understand who has the power and who are the decision makers.

When you come to this country, you need to know a lot of people and I highly suggest that you hire a very good lawyer and a very good accounting person.

Another piece of advice is that you need to learn how to speak Chinese. It is very important.

Can you share with us two big mistakes you made in your career?

No. 1 is: I used to think that China was like America.

This country is nothing like America.

No.2 is: you need to understand the importance of relationship with the government.

You have been the best person who can bridge the west and the east, you have done documentaries, and you founded Yue-sai cosmetics. In these experiences, what are the big lessons you have learned?

When I first worked in China, I knew communication was very important. So I would say that what I did right was that I learned Chinese. If I had not done that, I could not read books, I could not have watched television, I could not have traveled around. I interviewed everyone in this language. It was my audience. China is a very complex country due to so many years of history.

You can never stop learning about china. You have to learn everything about China. There is a long 2500-year long history and culture. So, there are so many things to learn. It is extremely exciting to deal with this country. It moves so fast.

In your career, what accomplishment do you value most?

I like my television shows and my books. I did charity, I empowered women, I emphasized on education, and I brought Chinese beauty to the whole world. With cosmetics, we empower women by telling them how to be a modern woman. Cosmetics is a very interesting industry. It is not just about lipstick on lips. You can change how the world looks at you.

You can change the way you live. So I think in television, I was just an icon in China. But with cosmetics and my books, I felt I could change how Chinese people live their lives and how they could become more international.

What advice would you give when doing business in China?

Make lots of friends in China, study the Chinese language and China history. Learn about this ever changing country.

#photo