It has been a few years since China's accession to the World Trade Organisation. International companies are hoping China will loosen up on ideology and open the media and publishing markets to foreign companies. This willingness works both ways. Local talents such as journalist Niuniu and her editor/author friend Lulu, who both speak Putonghua and English fluently, want to work for a more free-minded globally focused magazine or a publishing house. Aware of their ambitions, their friend Beibei introduces them to Robert Payne, editor-in-chief at a New York-based women's magazine, who is in town on a business trip. Niuniu and Lulu meet Mr Payne in the lobby of a Beijing hotel. Both are excited to hear Mr Payne's latest information and the details of his trip to China. But Mr Payne does not look excited. 'This trip is a disappointment. I've talked to some potential Chinese partners. I thought they'd be thrilled to meet a foreign investor with a strong background and interest. But they were not. At one Chinese magazine the boss didn't show up. Only her assistant came to show me around. I guess my company should have done some PR prep-work to promote our brand awareness before I came to Beijing.' 'Can I have your business card?' Niuniu asks. She takes one and says, 'You don't have Chinese translation on the back of your card. On the English side you are the editor. In China, even those who understand some English don't know that the 'editor' of a magazine really means the editor-in-chief. 'So they probably thought you were just an ordinary editor - one of the staff. In China, ranking is the key. People get different treatment according to their status.' Mr Payne nods, 'Can you explain another thing? At another magazine, instead of asking me about business, the publisher kept asking me about my own life. Why is that?' 'What questions were asked?' Lulu inquires. 'Whether I live in an apartment or a single house, what type of car I drive, even how much money I make.' 'What were your answers?' Lulu and Niuniu ask simultaneoulsly. 'I didn't tell him about my salary. I did tell him that I live in an apartment in Manhattan, but have a country home in upstate New York. Before I came to China, I was told that personal relationships are important in business deals. So I invited him to visit my country home. I said I'd drive my pick-up truck to meet him at the airport. I though he'd like the idea because our president George W. Bush drove his own truck to pick up the former president Jiang Zeming near his ranch in Texas. 'But the publisher didn't accept my invitation. I don't know why he was so unappreciative,' Mr Payne shrugs with some regret. Lulu and Niuniu look at each other. Lulu says, 'Let me help you analyse this. I think this man doesn't know much about the outside world. He asked you personal questions to get a sense of your status in the United States. In China, most people don't have a clue about how expensive apartments in Manhattan are. They think if your company is big and you're important, you should live in a single house, or a mansion.' 'But I do have a big house in the country,' Mr Payne says. 'Country might be a good word in America when used the right way, such as the 'country club', or 'country estate', but in China, it has the connotation of poverty because it's where poor peasants live. Wealthy people live in the cities.' Niuniu adds, 'pick-up trucks are not fashionable in China. They are cargo vehicle, not vehicles for passengers.' 'No wonder they weren't pleased. I didn't know the Chinese were so class conscious. What should I tell them about me and my company to make them want to do business with us?' 'You must stress that your parent company is listed in the Fortune 500,' says Lulu. Niuniu adds, 'Yes. The Fortune 500 is big here. You should also say your annual salary is what an average Chinese would make in 100 years.' 'That sounds so capitalistic,' Mr Payne says. 'Finally, don't forget to say that you don't agree with the Falun Gong cultists, nor the Taiwan separatists,' Lulu adds. 'Are you saying I need to be a big capitalist and a big communist to get a business deal?' Mr Payne asks. Without waiting for Lulu and Niuniu to reply, he says, 'But why should I do business with those stupid guys who have no clue about America? They just lost a big deal.' Lulu and Niuniu look at each other, then at the same time, they say, 'Pick us as your China reps, pick us!'