Making a bold move
07 February 2007
Electronics Manufacture and Test met with Chris Harvey of Electrolube, who relocated to manufacture in China two years ago, to gain an insight into what it was like to make the move
EMT - Were you nervous or did you have any anxieties about moving so far away?
Chris Harvey - Initially, I was only meant to be there for three months. After graduating I had been with the company a year and was sent out to China where we have a factory, to help. It was quite exciting and I went over with a completely open mind. I knew it was going to be very different. It was winter when I arrived – minus 7ºC!
EMT - Had you been to China many times before?
CH - I’d never been before – I’d never even really used a pair of chop sticks before
EMT - What about the language barrier – do you speak Chinese / are you learning / have you picked up a lot?
CH - I never spoke a word of Chinese. The first few weeks I lived in a hotel, and bought a couple of books, and once you get the basics of it, it becomes easier to pick up, and it helps that you listen to it every day. I am learning to write it now, but I wanted to learn to speak first, and be able to get around independently. Chinese is a very ancient, interesting language. However, in the major cities, everything is signposted in English as well.
EMT - What were some main cultural / social differences you have noticed?
CH - There was a big culture shock when I first arrived. If there’s a queue, people will push in. At first I thought this was quite rude. However when you look at the way of life, so many people in a country, it is just the way it is. The roads are the same; however it really seems to work over there fantastically. The traffic in Beijing seems to run more smoothly than in Nottingham, I’ve noticed.
EMT - How does the work ethic differ to that in the UK?
CH - The Chinese are extremely hard workers, and are afraid of making mistakes. They communicate more – less email, less meetings, and that is a benefit to the way they work. They are very efficient. Initially it was slightly difficult for me to put things across as I didn’t know so much of the language.
EMT - What about the quality of life?
CH - I have done a lot of travelling in the country, and found it to be a very beautiful, interesting place. It is also relatively cheaper to live in China.
EMT - And your life – what about the place where you live?
CH - When I first arrived I lived in a hotel, and my colleagues were extremely helpful in showing me around and making me feel at home. But I knew I would have to eventually learn to get on with everything myself, so I rented an apartment in Beijing. In the first six months I had an apartment in the centre of Beijing, but found that this was very busy and commercial, and this was not really China for me, so I found a place more outside the city centre, and I felt I was experiencing the country more. Soon I’m moving to Shanghai, which I find a very interesting place.
EMT - What is it like at your place of work?
CH - At work, everything is run to EU regulations, so that has made it slightly easier. You can transfer products to China and vice versa.
EMT - Have you got a wife/girlfriend living with you?
CH - I have a girlfriend, who is Chinese, and she lives in Shanghai. We met at Nepcon, two years ago.
EMT - Have you made many friends, and do you feel there is a large Ex-Pat community forming?
CH - I have made some good friends, especially when I moved out of the centre of Beijing, A couple of my friends have been out there for five or six years, so they have been a great help to me. There certainly are more and more people moving over to China as manufacturing goes that way, so a bigger Ex-Pat community is forming. There are around six to eight thousand British people living in China.
EMT - Was it a complicated process to make the move, or relatively simple?
CH - No. Very simple. I sent off for a business visa, and I just needed a letter from the company with an invitation to work in Beijing - the next thing I knew, I was there. The moving part of it was also relatively simple, after my first three months, and then I went about things like opening a bank account.
EMT - Is living in China as you expected or have there been a few surprises?
CH - It isn’t as I expected, but as I said, I went over with an open mind. I expected it to be a lot less organised and less developed. It is instead very developed; China has some huge, powerful companies. However, Beijing and Shanghai are two very small parts of an enormous country.
EMT - How often do you come back to the UK?
CH - I come back twice a year – in summer, which is mainly for meetings and the business, and at Christmas, which is purely to see family and friends. My family do miss me, my sister had a baby just after I moved to China, so that can be a hard part, missing out on things back at home. It’s quite expensive to go back to the UK, not to mention a fair old trek!
EMT - Manufacturing in China, and Asia in general, causes wide debate – what are your thoughts?
CH - I see it as an opportunity, and not a threat. The government in the UK is trying to build on innovation in this country, and I have seen that ever since I studied chemistry at university. Driving innovation and environmental responsibility I see as being really important.
EMT - Have people been generally kind and welcoming to you?
CH - Very much so. I was well looked after when I arrived. In the same way people help me with the language, I can help them with their English, and they can learn about English culture. In my experience everyone has been lovely.
EMT - What about things like food, weather and socialising.
CH - I really love the food. It’s very different to your normal Chinese take-away in Britain. There’s a lot of variety. Social life in China is very much about going out for a meal. A lot of things revolve around food – and of course the alcohol comes out! The nightlife is pretty good too. The weather comes in extremes – winter is very cold, and summer is hot.
EMT - Has it started to feel like home yet?
CH - Yes, it has.
EMT - Do you think you will stay where you are for a while, or return to the UK in the near future?
CH - My plan is to stay in Asia for quite some time. I love the country, although the two things I really miss in England are my family, and the English countryside. My girlfriend went to university in England for three years, and now Shanghai is her home and she loves it.
EMT - Overall, has it been a positive experience?
CH - For me, without a doubt. It changed my life. It’s made me a lot more independent, I’ve learned a lot more.
EMT - Would you recommend the move to someone who asked for your advice?
CH - I certainly would - it’s an experience. Some people have difficulties, some not – it all depends if you go with an open mind and positive attitude.
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