So, Jim, what did you know about doing business in China before you made your first trip there? Very little, actually. These days there's a lot of literature and advice out there. I had heard about the principle of Guanxi before I went to China, but I hadn't really realised how important a part of business culture it was. What is Guanxi, exactly ? It refers to relationships or connections with people that are built on trust and have been developed over a long time. These relationships are based on shared experience, people operating in a similar field, and often also on the exchange of gifts or favours. But if you're an outsider, that must make life very difficult. You don't have a shared background as such. That's right. You don't have those networks and for that reason you're gonna have to be patient, because it takes time to develop them.