中国人到底要什么

    “很抱歉，但不会，”唐锐涛反驳道，“自我表达并不等同于独立思考。中国社会从来就不会推崇任何带着反叛味道的个人潜力的解放。创造力被封锁在瓶子里，摆得高高的，普通公民无法触及。别理解错，如果他们感到可以安全地追求独创性，大陆人绝对有能力发挥美妙的原创创意。”

    一个相关见解是，大多数中国公司都是扼杀创新之地，这就解释了为何中国有非凡的制造能力，却至今仍未能出现界定市场标准的产品或世界一流的国际品牌。这一切和中国社会强调顺从的天性有关，中国社会最基本的生产单位不是个人，而是集体。

    如此看来，《中国人要什么》的核心内容，似乎只是将民族刻板印象发展到了深入的水平。得益于唐锐涛对当代中国的深刻认知，以及他对中国人显而易见的感情，该书远不止于此。他诙谐地讲述了自己在传统的上海小巷中买了一套房子之后，通过长期努力才赢得多疑的工薪阶层邻居的接纳的经历；他生动地描绘了中国朋友和同事，介绍了他们的爱情故事、政治观念、职业理想以及为实现要求甚高的父母的期望而作出的努力。

    有一段特别感人——他参加了一位同事之父的葬礼，并摘录了这位家中长子的部分悼词：“他的语调颇为庄重，但最后还是泣不成声。‘别担心，爸爸，’他说，‘我们会做好人，会照顾好妈妈，永远不会忘记您的教诲，我们会好好培养儿子，让您感到光荣。’他默默地流泪，很快控制了情绪，最后一次与遗体告别。其他送葬者也都轻声哭泣。”

    作为曾无数次与中国企业客户参加推介会的老兵，唐锐涛为新来乍到的西方经理人提供了久经考验的胜利秘诀。例如：“中国统治者的合法性起源于他们掌控整个体制这一假定，因此外国人可能犯下的最严重过错就是好为人师……我最严重的一次失误是问一位家电生产商的首席执行官，他对飞利浦的‘精于心•简于形’营销策略有何看法，当他承认对此一无所知时，整个房间陷入沉默，非常尴尬，会议气氛再也没能恢复。”

    尽管大多数时候，唐锐涛对中国历史与哲学的粗略描绘都颇有说服力，但他有时也会说过头话。举例来说，该书收尾之时，他断言西方个人主义与崛起中的中国集体主义之间的冲突，代表着两种“根本上不同但都很有影响力的世界观”历史上第一次共存。任何还记得冷战的人肯定都不会认同，熟悉二战期间民主与法西斯全球斗争的人士更会大摇其头。

    有时他还会陷入千篇一律营销术语的窠臼，比如用种种陈词滥调一再重申应直接用你的品牌与中国消费者互动，而不是简单地向其展示品牌信息。不过，书中这类缺陷并不多。总的来说，该书对正在经历颠覆性变革的复杂中国文化作出了充满同理心、但又头脑清晰的描绘。如果你想了解中国人的发展沿革与未来趋向，读一读这本书吧。

    译者：黄兴宇

    "Sorry but no," Doctoroff ripostes. "Self-expression is not equal to independence of thought. Chinese society has never celebrated the liberation of individual potential that, in any way, smacks of rebellion. Creativity -- and, make no mistake, mainlanders are capable of wonderful originality if they feel safe enough to pursue it -- exists in a bottle, placed up high, out of reach of ordinary citizens."

    A related insight is that most Chinese companies are places where innovation goes to die, which explains why the country has yet to produce a market-defining product or a world-beating international brand, despite its extraordinary manufacturing prowess. This relates to the intensely conformist nature of Chinese society, where the clan, not the individual, is the basic productive unit of society.

    Thus reduced to its essentials, What Chinese Want might seem like an exercise in high-concept ethnic stereotyping. It's much more than that, thanks to Doctoroff's deep knowledge of contemporary China and his obvious affection for the Chinese people. He writes entertainingly about his long struggle to win acceptance from suspicious working-class neighbors in the traditional Shanghai lane where he bought a house. He offers vivid portraits of Chinese friends and colleagues, describing their love lives, their political views, their professional aspirations, and their struggles to please demanding parents.

    In a particularly moving passage, he attends the funeral of a colleague's father and quotes from the elder son's eulogy: "[His] tone was measured, but his voice broke at the end. 'Don't worry, Dad,' he said. 'We will be good men. We will take care of Mom. We will never forget what you have taught us. We will raise our boys in a way that honors your memory.' He quietly wept, quickly composed himself, and said a last good-bye. Mourners cried softly, too."

    A veteran of countless pitch meetings with Chinese corporate clients, Doctoroff provides battle-tested success tactics for the visiting Western executive. Sample: "Chinese rulers derive legitimacy from their assumed mastery of the system, so the worst sin a foreigner can commit is teaching … My most grievous faux pas was asking the CEO of an appliance manufacturer what he thought of Philips's 'Sense and Simplicity' campaign. When he confessed ignorance, the room fell into awkward silence. The meeting never recovered."

    Although Doctoroff's broad sketches of Chinese history and philosophy are convincing for the most part, he sometimes overreaches. Toward the end of the book, for example, he asserts that the clash between Western individualism and rising Chinese collectivism represents the first time in history that two "fundamentally different yet influential worldviews" will coexist. Anyone who remembers the Cold War will undoubtedly disagree, as will students of the global struggle between democracy and fascism during World War II.

    At times he also devolves into boilerplate marketese, offering bromides on the importance of engaging Chinese consumers with your brand rather than simply exposing them to your brand message. Such lapses are rare, however. On the whole, this is a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of a complex culture that's experiencing convulsive change. Read it if you want to understand where the Chinese are coming from, and where they are heading.

    Our Weekly Read column features Fortune staffers' and contributors' takes on recently published books about the business world and beyond. We've invited the entire Fortune family -- from our writers and editors to our photo editors and designers -- to weigh in on books of their choosing based on their individual tastes or curiosities.