China Watch Blog

China Watch Blog has learnt that Oil painter Zhou Chunya tops the Hurun Art List with sales of his auctioned works hitting US$75 million in 2012, according to a report.
Zhou, 58, is the youngest artist ever to top the list compiled by Hurun Report Inc based in Shanghai.

Zhou Chunya, oil painter

The value of Zhou’s work has more than doubled from last year when he ranked eighth, according to the report, best known for its annual Hurun China Rich List.

As many as 222 of Zhou’s paintings were sold in 2012. The most expensive one was a 1994 piece with stones as its theme, which was auctioned for 29.9 million yuan, XInhua reported.

Oil Painter Zeng Fanzhi, 49, came in second with US$73 million in sales last year.
Renowned Chinese ink painter and calligrapher Fan Zeng, 75, took third place with US$69 million in sales at public auctions last year.

The total turnover of the top 100 list fell 21 percent from last year to US$1.2 billion. The threshold for artists making the top 100 fell 11 percent from last year to US$2.4 million.

The average age of the artists is 66, three years older than last year. The youngest is 37-year-old Chinese ink painter and calligrapher Ren Zhong, whose work ranked 51st with US$7 million in sales in 2012.

The list also includes six female artists, more than any previous year, including 91-year-old Chen Peiqiu who had an annual turnover of US$22.4 million last year and is ranked 11th.

China Watch Blog has learnt that a Russian entrepreneur wants to introduce MAT Russian swear words – to the English speaking world and in doing so upset all sense of decency.

MAT is the term used to describe Russian sacral swearwords and the plot is simple yet ingenious. Introduce English speaking people to MAT and encourage them to use these Russian words regularly. The ingenious part of the plot is that very few of their friends and family will know that they are swearing and by using these words individuals will be participating in one of the best stress relieving activities around.

The leader of this plot to infiltrate the English language and scandalize Americans is Sergey Yanchevskiy. According to Yanchevskiy there is pure healing magic in properly shaped sacral swearwords, especially Russian language swear words. Yanchevskiy and his team are planning to gather the most effective Russian swear words into one book and then deliver these MAT guides to libraries throughout the United States.

Their diabolical scheme is to introduce as many Americans as possible to the healing power of MAT and they won’t rest until they can walk any street in the country and hear these Russian swear words being expressed on a regular basis.

In essence, the goal of Yanchevskiy’s project is to undermine conventional norms by making swearing more acceptable. Using Russian, a language few Americans know is the perfect way to allow people to swear without obviously offending anyone. It’s scandalous, it’s ingenious and it just might work.

Drawing on recent studies by some of the top researchers Yanchevskiy is testing out the new theory that getting made and yelling out swear words is healthy and in fact can have a healing effect. Researchers are now learning that getting angry every now and then and relieving stress by shouting a few swear words can actually help people cope with daily life in a more effective manner.

Of course there is always the problem of the social stigma of swearing but one can only be offended if they are aware that a swear word has been uttered. That’s where Russian MAT comes in. Like a covert operation, Yanchevskiy and his colleagues will infiltrate the English language and offer people the chance to curse to their hearts content with few people understanding what they are saying.

Yanchevskiy argues that Russian MAT is more effective at helping people cope with stress because of the way the Russian words are structured and how they sound. Forcefully pronouncing the Russian words correctly leads to the maximum stress relieve for those who say them.

Yanchevskiy is currently in the early stages of developing his book and is offering the average person the chance to take part in making the book a great success. He has teamed with Indiegogo.com to fund this project. The partnership with Indiegogo let’s Yanchevskiy enlist many different people in his subversive plot to infiltrate the English language and bring Russian MAT to the masses.

China Watch Blog has learnt that Dr. Patricia O’Gorman’s latest book, The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (HCI Books), is a vital guidebook for today’s women. Women seem wired to have to make others happy and if they don’t live up to these self-imposed expectations, they blame themselves for the hardships that befall them.

Competing voices vie for women’s attention: societal messages that tell them they aren’t smart enough, pretty enough, good enough—self-sabotaging, self-limiting girly thoughts that tell them who they are and how they should act, suggesting to them they better not aim too high—and the voice of their inner strength, which helps them forge their own best solutions for their best courses of action.

In The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power, Dr. O’Gorman offers a thoughtful analysis of the causes of girly thoughts as well as in-depth self-evaluation assessments any woman can use to identify her personal strengths, weaknesses, and resilience style. She created seven daily steps that offer concrete strategies for women to create and strengthen their own resilience. The book is a ‘must-read’ tool for self-growth for women of any age.

In The Resilient Woman, readers discover:

• resilience patterns established in childhood
• how girly thoughts become so powerful and how to neutralize them to become successful in one’s personal and professional life
• relationship issues that are specific to women
• how to overcome physical/psychological/emotional trauma
• how to self-motivate by losing the victim mentality
• methods for tuning in to the inner self and consciously align with personal strengths to expand their personal power
• what resiliency is and is not and how to achieve it
• personal resilience patterns

“Women often miss the path toward achieving their true potential because they have been conditioned to blame themselves for something someone else has done to them,” says Dr. O’Gorman. “But with the right tools to break the cycle, they will learn to consciously harness and nurture their strengths and find the personal assets we often take for granted, realizing that a resilient life is generated not from the things that happened to us, but from our reaction to them.”

Patricia O’Gorman, PhD is an internationally recognized psychologist, coach, and public speaker for her work on women, trauma, and substance abuse. She was one of the first researchers in children of alcoholics in the early 1970s, documenting the impact of alcoholism and sobriety on adolescent development, and went on to create the Department of Prevention and Education for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).She is also a cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics and has run a rape-crisis center.

Dr. O’Gorman is a veteran of numerous television appearances, including Good Morning America, Today, and AM Sunday, and is the author of numerous articles in magazines including Addiction Today, Teen Vogue, Counselor, and Recovery. Dr. O’Gorman maintains private practice offices in Saranac Lake and Albany, New York.

China Watch Blog reports Shea Vaughn is a sought after corporate trainer in health, wellness and fitness. She is an author, speaker, life coach and a recognized spokeswoman for creating individual and business well-being.

In addition, she is the well-known creator of SheaNetics®, a revolutionary wellness and exercise lifestyle practice, and the founder of Healthy Initiative – a non-profit organization that through donations and volunteer contributions champions disease prevention in the U.S. through awareness, education and sustainable solutions.

The visionary behind Healthy Initiative, Shea has devoted her life to helping people break old, negative habits and replace them with healthier choices for a more joyful way of life.

While we do hear that lifestyle-related diseases are costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year, we don’t always hear about the staggering personal cost. Adults are dying prematurely and for the first time in history parents will be burying their children – the tragedy of this trend is that it is largely preventable.

Beginning in Chicago, The Healthy Initiative Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation, is a nationwide effort that advocates disease prevention. Their mission is to defeat obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and other lifestyle diseases in children and adults, and they do this by promoting ideas and distributing knowledge and information on wellness, diet, nutrition, fitness and mental and emotional strength.

They welcome like-minded organizations for partnering opportunities and Shea believes that with the support of concerned individuals, civic leaders, businesses and medical and wellness professionals, this fight can be won!

To raise awareness, the Foundation is following the success of Vaughn’s own SheaNetics® inspired “Breakthrough” program—which made its mark on the airwaves of ABC’s Windy City LIVE—likewise the first 40 participants in the Healthy Initiative’s signature 90-Day Breakthrough Program will experience her “Breakthrough,” gaining the necessary tools to embrace a healthier lifestyle and hopefully go on to become tomorrow’s community ambassadors for this beneficial cause.

This is the only program of its kind to be conducted in conjunction with the Adler School of Psychology of Chicago, GH Training and DexaFit to produce a complete range of supplemental qualitative and quantitative data useful to understand and sustain personal levels of achievement.

With a passion that goes beyond the limits of possibilities, and fueled by an endless positive attitude, Shea and her team of experts inspire others and deliver results by helping to provide an exceptionally healthy Mind, Body and Heart experience to the wellness community they serve.

SheaNetics® is a doctor-endorsed East meets West lifestyle practice, supported by Shea’s 5 Living Principles of Well-Being; Commitment, Perseverance, Self-Control, Integrity and Love, as outlined in her book, Breakthrough – The Five Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great and Find Total Well Being (HCI).

While SheaNetics® provides the dynamic, multi-age appropriate combination of body resistance exercises that build exceptional body and core strength and muscle and joint flexibility, it is the Living Principles in Breakthrough that best describe the mental and emotional sides of SheaNetics® and the inspiration and answers to living life on your terms and living it well.

An international speaker, Shea has been featured on numerous TV programs, including Ellen and The Marilyn Dennis Show. As a health and fitness expert, she appears regularly on Windy City LIVE and The Best Ever You Network.

China Watch Blog reports that for Erica Barrett, life changed one Saturday morning on a trip to the grocery store. Frustrated at the lack of anything creative (and nutritious) on the breakfast aisle, she decided she was going to change the way people thought about breakfast.

This excellent cook went from dabbling with recipes for her husband to starting her own company, Southern Culture Artisan Foods, selling all-natural breakfast products. This talented young woman is now a true American success story – distributing her delicious pancakes, waffles and syrup to over 1,000 stores nationwide and three countries internationally! Erica is testament that dreams can come true when you follow your passion.

“We are on a mission to save people from drab, boring breakfasts and instead give them life with carefully hand-crafted batches of goodness,” says Barrett. Adding, “We are dedicated to using the best ingredients available and our vendors are hand-picked to ensure we get only top quality products. We want customers to experience true farm-to-table cooking when they open our products and cook with them.”

Her flagship products include Shortstacks Pancake and Waffle Mix and Shortstacks Maple Syrup. No more ‘blah’ in breakfast with these pancakes – they are divine! They contain only the purest ingredients; no chemicals and no powdered dairy (as most do), so vegans and anyone lactose intolerant can also devour them. With flavors like Bourbon Salted Pecan, Vanilla, Banana Pudding, Sweet Potato, Strawberry Shortcake and Oatmeal Raisin – what’s not to love?

Erica Barrett grew up in a large family in Mobile, Alabama, where creating delicious meals was essential. At the tender age of 9, she was already learning the fundamentals of cooking and by age 13 she was preparing the Sunday dinner for the whole family. This lip-smacking meal, which consisted of fried pork chops, cheddar scalloped potatoes and thin green beans, was a huge hit and made her the go-to girl in the family for great recipes and warm, home-cooked southern dishes. “Southern culture to me means something that’s made from scratch,” says Erica. “Something that’s pure. Something that’s made with a lot of love and made with your heart.”

Erica graduated Clark Atlanta University in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Business Finance. After 6 years in corporate America climbing the ranks, she knew something was missing. When one of her recipes won a contest in 2010, sponsored by the Food Network and Lea & Perrins, she knew this was her true calling.

According to Erica, “This is just the beginning; I won’t be happy until everyone around the world can experience breakfast at its best!”

China Watch Blog has learnt that sales training and coaching strategies that focus primarily on behaviors aren’t adequately preparing sales professionals to connect, persuade and win in today’s tough environment.

The reason, according to Herrmann International research, is that selling approaches and buying decisions are rooted in thinking, not behaviors. By embedding thinking into development strategies, companies will be able to improve sales training results and generate higher revenue, account penetration and client loyalty levels.

“Our more than 30 years of research on the brain and business performance has shown that thinking styles impact how we process information, how we buy and sell, what we pay most attention to, and how we make decisions,” says Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrmann International. “Behavioral approaches can help the salesperson manage a sales conversation in an efficient way, but they don’t reflect the mental processes that actually drive sales activities or purchasing decisions, so they don’t provide the complete set of tools to be persuasive, effective and responsive. Particularly in today’s demanding world, many external factors are impacting behavior; thinking is what’s constant.”

Herrmann-Nehdi says the company advises clients to look at the entire sales process for opportunities to maximize efforts through a framework of thinking, including:

• Mapping the mental demands of the sales job to find alignment and uncover gaps
• Using thinking preference data to maximize time spent in training
• Optimizing coaching strategies by taking into account the thinking styles of the manager/coach and the salesperson
• Providing training and tools to uncover customer thinking preferences and communicate, present and sell with the customer in mind

“The best part is this doesn’t require throwing out everything you’re already doing or slowing down the process,” Orin Salas, VP of Sales at Herrmann International, adds. “It actually helps salespeople get prepared, proficient and closing larger, more profitable deals on a faster pace. In fact, one client reduced training time from 24 months to 7 using this approach. It also allows the salesperson to focus their attention in the most high-value way, which is especially important in today’s noisy, pressure-filled environment.”

Herrmann International has compiled best practices, research and tips for using a thinking-based framework to improve sales performance in the free white paper, Wired for Sales: Supercharge Sales Professionals’ Performance in a Demanding World. The paper explores the reasons traditional behavior-based sales training comes up short, the role thinking preferences play in buying decisions and selling approaches, tips for assessing and applying thinking to sales development strategies, and techniques to quickly build the proficiency and performance sales professionals. Additional tools will be available at the Herrmann International booth at the Sales 2.0 Conference, April 9-10 in San Francisco.

For more information, please visit: www.herrmannsolutions.com.

About Herrmann International

The originator of the Whole Brain® system and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®) thinking styles assessment, Herrmann International works with organizations around the world to help them put their full brainpower to work to outthink, outpace and outperform the competition. The company’s Whole Brain® Thinking framework, which includes a variety of learning solutions, facilitation resources, job aids and business tools, has helped nine out of 10 of the Fortune 100 harness their collective intelligence to sell more, spend less, innovate faster, and develop and retain the best talent.

China Watch Blog has learnt that this week, 10,000 origami superyachts from Yachting Pages are winging their way around the world, aiming for the letter boxes of superyacht and marine companies. How will they help the superyacht business grow in 2013?

Julia Budniak, marketing manager at Yachting Pages, explains. “We wanted to capture the attention of superyacht businesses globally, to raise awareness of how we can help build their businesses through our leading marine directories.

“In our friendly office competition it took us under three minutes to build our 19cm card superyachts – complete with sun decks! We’re confident that our directories can help superyacht and marine companies improve their brand visibility and market share, too.

“Once you’ve made your boat, why not spend a few minutes on the telephone to us, to see how Yachting Pages can help you build your business? Our multilingual teams would love to see how they can help your company achieve its goals this year.”

Yachting Pages’ CEO, Steve Crowe, was the impetus behind this unique keepsake. He said, “We wanted our message to customers old and new to stand out in the sea of direct mail – so we’re sending out a fleet of 10,000 superyachts to float on top of it.

“They’ll be decorating marinas and offices from Monaco to Antigua, reminding people that if they want to build their businesses then Yachting Pages should be their first port of call. Our directories are hand-delivered to every superyacht in the Mediterranean and are read by over 180,000 marine professionals annually.”

The Bristol-based company Yachting Pages is renowned for its innovation. In 2009, Steve Crowe visited Buckingham Palace to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for his ground-breaking and personalised approach to delivery.

To start building your own business with Yachting Pages, call +44 117 316 0560 today. Film or photograph yourself assembling your superyacht and submit it to marketing@yachtingpages.com. We’ll put it on our YouTube or social media channels. Can you beat our record of three minutes?

China Watch Blog has learnt that in one of the most stunning, non-progressive moves seen from a technology company, Yahoo! has banned working from home. The justification was to improve speed and quality by working side-by-side as one. This begs the question – is the issue really virtual work or the lack of good management coupled with an inability to capitalize on the virtual work environment?

There is a New Currency:

The truth is that the new currency for top tier talent is freedom. These people came to the realization long ago that gold-watch retirements are a thing of the past, and to ensure a long-term career meant taking matters into their own hands. Since the benefits offered by corporations such as insurance and paid vacations are not part of this new world of work, freedom and flexibility became the desirable traits.

Spend the New Currency with Better Management:

Progressive companies attract creative, productive talent with the way they “manage people,” which truthfully is not to manage people at all. Rather than buy into the “productivity can only be seen” mode of thinking, companies that embrace the virtualization of work product attract that always sought after motivated self-starter.

To capitalize on this new work currency, companies must:

• Manage the process and outcome, not the people.
• Utilize more peer to peer management to encourage collaboration.
• Invest in cloud technology to manage projects.
• Understand virtual collaboration both from a technology and communication standpoint in order to get the best ideas.
• Physical presence does not improve creativity. Creative people engaged in the idea and committed to a solid outcome do.

$2 Bills Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time:

Forcing people to return to a cubicle breeds a level of mistrust. Obviously those who have enjoyed the freedom of virtual work environments will feel that they are not empowered to perform their job on their own. The top tier talent won’t make the cubicle walk of shame. They will simply find another place to commit their talents. Only those who feel they do not have a choice will succumb.

About The New World of Work: From the Cube to the Cloud:

The New World of Work: From the Cube to the Cloud is the new, eye-opening book that underscores startling statistics about the global labor force. The New World of Work provides the knowledge to propel careers and businesses forward with a better understanding of next-generation work by explaining how to become a Virtualpreneur™ and highlighting how businesses can compete for virtual talent. Learn more by visiting www.newworldofwork.com.

China Watch Blog reports with the arrival of the year of the Water Snake, in honor of Asia’s most celebrated holiday, ONCEKids hosted a grand Twitter party yesterday inviting friends, media and guests from around the world to join in the celebration.

ONCEKids’ twitter parties, hosted by Daily Ovation out of Los Angeles, California, have become so large that the last Twitter party marking the return to school shut down their Twitter account.

As part of the festivities, ONCEKids, Inc. launched their newest title in the multi award-winning children’s book series Fujimini Adventure Series. The dynamic new story is named Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco. The story introduces readers to Rainbow Panda, the newest character in the Fujimini family of adorable animals and celebrates the Asian New Year with the traditional use of firecrackers to mark important celebrations.

It’s the eve of the Asian New Year and all the animals are getting ready for the big occasion. They are sweeping, cleaning, planting flowers, writing on ribbons, and preparing food. Rainbow Panda looks forward to the fireworks display but wants to create his own fireworks show. He sets a plan in motion and tries to get Green and Pink Hamster to join him.

The animals know that they are not to play with matches or firecrackers but, nonetheless, continue with their plan. When Rainbow Panda starts to light matches in the woods, he sets the forest on fire and many animals must come to help put out the fire. The Dynasty Dragon’s mom comes and turns into a cloud that rains and puts out the fire. Rainbow Panda, Dynasty Dragon, and both Green and Pink Hamster are given activities to clean up after the fire. They also volunteer to do a beach clean up to show everyone that they are sorry for the fiasco they set in motion.

Written by award-winning author Eileen Wacker, the series features a collection of Asian inspired animals, such as the Pink and Green Hamster, Red Penguin, Samurai Tortoise, Dynasty Dragon among other adorable animals, who all live on the magical Fujimini Island.

Each adventure-based story has an educational message and a happy ending. The series currently consists of 6 books that target the 5-8 year old reader. Each book contains a Fujimini Adventure Series Glossary which explains different Asian items found in the stories such as a bonsai tree, chopsticks, sushi, moon festival, samurai warriors, etc., and adds to the fun of the stories.

Other books in the Fujimini Adventure Series are: Green Hamster and the Quest for Fun about a rascally Green Hamster who is convinced that all the other animals are having more fun than he. He sets off on an adventure to make sure he has the best day ever…but meets some unexpected challenges along the way.

Red Penguin and the Missing Sushi tells the tale of the Moon Festival Celebration. Red Penguin is bragging about her wonderful sushi, which upsets the salad-making hamsters. Suddenly, the sushi has gone missing. Will the Red Penguin find the sushi in time for the big celebration? The third book of the series is Silent Samurai and the Magnificent Rescue in which the Tortoise Samurai warriors come to Fujimini Island on a special mission. A bit scared of the Samurai warriors at first, the animals on the island come together to help the Samurai and become friends.

Pink Hamster and the Big Birthday Surprise! is a fun story about what most every child enjoys – birthday cake. Pink Hamster loves birthday cake so much she dreams about it at night. But everyone forgets her special day and she worries that she won’t get any birthday cake.

Black Tortoise and the Dynasty Dragon shares a little history about the ancient Korean battle boats and the Dragon in Asian culture. When some of the animals start to go missing, the Samurai go on a mission to help find them and discover the young Dynasty Dragon that was sent to Fujimini Island for protection. Reuniting the Dynasty Dragon youngster with his mother brings all the animals together.

China Watch Blog reports that Lisa Umina, founder and president of Halo Publishing International (HPI), has made helping others a priority in her life.

In fact, her award-winning children’s book, Milo and the Green Wagon, used stories drawn from her childhood experiences helping people in need, and this attribute remains evident today at Halo – where charity is a cornerstone of the company.

Lisa is a regular guest on regional and national television and radio and has been the subject of numerous print articles. She is not only recognized for her work as the award-winning author of the Milo series of children’s books, but as a literary consultant and motivational speaker. Lisa travels extensively to promote her publishing company and uses her books to expose children to positive values and teach them important life lessons.

HPI specializes in designing, producing, publishing and marketing books for independent authors, making the whole process of getting a book into print far less intimidating and overwhelming. With offices in the U.S. and Mexico, they literally take the book from print to finding potential buyers. This is what sets them apart from other publishers; they believe their job is not complete until they have provided every author with an all-encompassing publishing solution that includes an essential marketing component.

Without a doubt, Halo Publishing greatly benefits cultures and society as a whole by strengthening the movement of words across international borders with books that are available in many languages. HPI prides itself on not just being an innovative publishing company – but more a community that passionately believes in its authors and in taking their message to a worldwide audience.

It’s evident that giving to others is at the heart of Halo; every year the company donates books, clothing, food and money to local and international organizations, and Lisa and her employees also volunteer their time to an orphanage in Mexico. Who knows, maybe these enriching experiences will inspire another story…

With eleven years of experience as an author and publisher under her belt, Lisa is more than equipped to handle all writers, regardless of accomplishments or experience, and is dedicated to providing the highest level of professional publishing services – with a personal touch!