As the international dean of a business school in China, I read a lot of books about doing business in China and interact with a large number of foreigners who are actually doing business in China.One of the first things to note is that there is not a large overlap between the authors of the books and those who are the businesspersons. No doubt, some good work is produced by those who are not in business. The best of them bring a holistic and multidimensional perspective to what is an extremely messy and complex topic, challenging their readers without depressing them and provoking them to explore solutions to their problems by thinking deeply and systematically about the situations that confront them. For every one of those, however, there are probably ten which are focused on presenting `ten easy ways to succeed in China'. While the latter purport to be `state of the art', `up to the minute' insights into China, most are, in fact, based on assumptions and concepts that were overturned or fundamentally changed years (in some cases, decades) ago. In seeking to understand contemporary China and Chinese business, the half-life of knowledge is incredibly short.Books written by businesspersons are typically prone to other problems, the most common being that they are either too broad or too superficial (and in many cases, both). While some academic books can be horrendously turgid and narrow - and not infrequently dense - books written by `practitioners' are often insufficiently grounded in the complexity and messiness of everything.Managing the Dragon is a notable exception to most other books about doing business in China. I think its strongest attribute is its authenticity. Jack Perkowski has been in China for close to two decades, at the pointy end of what is going on in business here. More than that, he has been through good times and bad - and learned from both, especially the latter. As a highly intelligent (Yale and Harvard educated) and experienced (Wall Street before China) individual, he has been able to draw important lessons for himself from all that he has encountered in China - lessons that are also of value to others seeking to understand how business can be conducted successfully by foreigners in China. A real strength of the book, then, is that it is seriously reflective - not just descriptive - and deeply insightful. It is also highly entertaining. Anyone who has heard Jack speak (thousands have, as when he went on a lecture tour a couple of years ago with Bill Clinton, Michael Eisner and Carly Fiorina) will know how engaging he is to listen to. The book is written in a similar style.The book is a good primer for anyone looking to conduct business in China. The book itself is getting dated, and the Chinese are becoming more Westernized in their business interactions. However, it cannot be understated that any attempt by a Western business executive to show respect for the traditions, history and culture of China will go a long way to building guangxi. While many of the customs and the banqueting are going to vary in intensity as you move out of Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing to the other cities that are less Westernized, the fundamental cultural elements of respect, face, influence and dealing with local influencers are foundationally universal.Perkowski comes across as engaging, entertaining and very enjoyable to read in this book which weaves both personal anecdotes and a brief history of his and his company's experience in China into a book that provides useful insights and suggestions on how it should be done.End of the day, the book is a decent combination of How to do Business in China and How I did Business in China. A good readA worthwhile read before heading to China on business.Jack Perkowski's memoir of building a business in the Peoples Republic of China is insightful, useful and quite valuable. It gave me a crystal clear window into the heart and soul of a very talented entrepreneur. He looks at the pack and where it is heading, and then looks ahead where few if any are focusing. I enjoyed his reflections from his beginning in a hard-scabble life of a solid working-class family; to football scholarship at Yale; to making a name for himself on Wall Street; and a go of it in China without ever having been there or studied it before! Courage, candor, humor! This book was a fun read. He reminds me of that wonderful insight of Henry David Thoreau, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Jack Perkowski sees more than most of us combined.Dr. Patrick M. JoycePittsburgh, [email protected] book for those who are interested in doing business in China. Amazing book for those who want to be inspired.Jack has a lot of great information and presents it in an easy to follow and engaging manner. Jack tells the story of how he built his company and problems he encountered along the way in a manner that his readers can understand and prepare for as they go about establishing business relationships in China.ExcellentNice