BeiMac and Apple (Beijing, China)
BeiMac and Apple (Beijing, China)
- Subject: BeiMac and Apple (Beijing, China)
- From: "David Feng (馮岩)" <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 15:42:04 +0800
A little tale to tell you how we, in the People's Republic, deal with
Apple...
What we get:
- Apple posters
- Meeting space assistance
- Smiles
What we want:
- To get more Mac users in China happier
- Maybe, just maybe, help our group out
Our principles in dealing with Apple:
1. "When You're Ready"
My 7th grade drama teacher, Mr. Mills from the UK (who used to spend
some time in China before Deng Hsiaoping instituted the market-based
reforms -- those were the days when you got your fair share of rice
from state rations, and about a few years before I was born), could
be totally forgotten except for one word he kept uttering from day to
night to another day: "When you're ready." This has become our
principle mantra in dealing with Apple.
If Apple China and our friends there are not ready to lend us
somewhere to meet -- we tell them we appreciate their support of
BeiMac and that they will be welcome to help when they're ready. I
was told that a slot we booked in Beijing office was suddenly
rescheduled, which made us look for somewhere else (plus, with 40
people signed up, we were looking for a bigger place anyway). I got
the phone call while driving on the beltway in Beijing, and I was not
angry -- not one bit. The friend at Apple was like "listen up, I'm
so, so sorry about this inconvenience" and I answered him back with
this:
"We appreciate the support Apple China gives to BeiMac. We would
certainly not allow you to do things that will make your situation
more difficult. We stand by our principle, set in stone, of Apple
helping BeiMac only when they're ready."
2. "For the Good of All"
The propaganda posters around town used to read: "Subordinate
yourself to the people, and the people will help you." With the
arrival of capital, Apple and what some conservatives in power call
"western infiltration", those posters were swept away with the wind
(or the sand storms, if you didn't blink during 2002).
But this slogan, red as it might be, still stands true with BeiMac.
We don't want Apple subordinating itself to BeiMac. We don't like it
if Apple helps BeiMac and BeiMac exclusively. We wouldn't like to buy
Apple China, or to suck it dry of its resources.
When we ask Apple a favour, we ask it in the name of the whole Mac
population in China, as we seriously feel very uncomfortable if
BeiMac is the only Big Club in China. We like to see Apple help other
user groups too. I recently reminded our friends at Apple China about
the situation -- there are now more MUGs on the mainland, and they
should be open in giving a hand to them too.
3. "Build up a society at peace"
With Hu Jintao in power, this whole "society at peace" thing is all
over town. I see it everyday, blasted through state TV, adorning
every billboard in Beijing, and even on the freeways (Drive at peace
with other people... don't run anyone over...) . And somehow, this is
very Chinese.
About a million and a half years before Mao and Hu, the Chinese
already stressed peace. The Chinese have a firm mantra: Peace is to
be treasurered. Sure, Sun Zi mastered the art of war (classical), but
left it for the back burner. They would only be used to unify China
in 221 BC.
I think the last thing BeiMac wants to be is a group that chases
Apple and sucks all resources away from The Mothership. It will not
be in our interest, and it will certainly not be in Apple China's
interest.
Apple China has been burnt alive, roasted and still roasting, by
folks who claim that their support is a sham. Still, we're helping
this struggling institution by not murdering it when others would
like to cut the throats out of the Apple China leaders.
If there is no Everyone's Favourite Fruit Company in Beijing, then what?
We view our compatriot user groups in the US as groups in heaven. In
China, we make do with what we have and get along, and we have about
250 people supporting us, including one very vibrant, very pleasant
and very nice Secretary of the user group.
Maybe I should blindfold every moaning user group leader in the US
and force them into the People's Republic...
"Guo yi dianr ku ri zi!" -- Live life the hard way.
David Feng
President of the Beijing Macintosh User Group
PS -- I *do* moan -- but that's reserved for any of these three
occasions: (1) I spot a cockroach on the teapot; (2) Folks run into
me and my car; (3) If I can't make it to MWSF 2006 and UGU Jan 2006.
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