All Up in the Air…

I’m in the air somewhere over the Pacific on the way to China. Likewise, much of my plans for what I’ll do over the next few weeks are also up in the air.

It’s been a national holiday in China (Yay! 60 years of communism!) and I’ve discovered something surprising about the Chinese. As intensely as they work, as quickly as they can build skyscrapers and as much as they love gadgets-- when they take vacations they ab-so-lutely unplug.

The plan is Beijing for a few days, then head down to Shenzen, then over to Hong Kong, then back to Beijing for a week. But, hey, that could all change.

I’m incredibly excited about getting back to China. I met so many amazing people, and I can’t wait to explore another part of this insanely exploding demographic and economic juggernaut. And, of course, have more delicious Peking Duck, dumplings, mystery street food at 5 am, karaoke and, well, generally just more of everything.

This is trip two to China to research my new book-in-progress on entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Trip one to a place is all about being a sponge and meeting as many people as possible. Trip two is about finding those one or two killer entrepreneurs who’ll make the book – and the story of entrepreneurship in China—come alive. Trip three-plus is about drilling down.

I’m not so sure the hours of Mandarin have done me much good. I understood “mi fan” on the plane, but so far that’s about it. Oh well, it’s more than I knew last time around, right?

After two months of recovery time in San Francisco, I can’t tell you guys how excited I am to get back on the road. San Francisco is my home and probably always will be. It was amazing to get to reconnect with friends, see my husband and be in one time zone. But I’m sorry, Silicon Valley. Maybe it’s me and not you. But there’s just more excitement over-seas right now.

PS: See absurd video of China fun from my last trip below. My sidekick is Tom Limongello, who generously served as my guide and translator during my last trip to China. He can’t go back because he has some dumb job or something but it will most definitely not be the same without him.

Everyone Loves a China Montage from sarah lacy on Vimeo.