The Chinese Term “Hou Lang”
In this vodcast, Jan shares with us a Chinese term pronounced as “hou lang”, which vividly translates into waves coming from behind. As an extension in meaning, it is also used to refer to the new generations who are promising and ambitious.
The Chinese term - “the real waves of the Yangtze River drives on those that ride before”, means that the new generation will always exceed the previous one as they are like standing on the shoulder of the previous giants and keep stacking above.
The Latest Trend
This term has become viral lately because of a Chinese live streaming platform. In the 4 minutes stream, the video captures the multifarious images of youths trying out different adventurous activities as well as having huge material abundance. They were being depicted as a wealthy generation of youth enjoying the privilege. However, this image is disagreed by teenagers in China at large.
The Grand Debate
This highlights the multi-dimensionality and inter-generational differences in China. In a way, the reality is really complex and even Chinese themselves find it challenging to make their own conclusion. One thing for sure is - to understand about China, through the lens of a Chinese consultant with overseas exposure, you may gain a deeper understanding on your own and offer fresher perspectives to others.
About the Speaker:
Jan Kot was born and raised in Shanghai, educated in Hong Kong and the US. With a bachelor degree in journalism and a master degree in creative writing, Jan has over the years taken a ring-side seat in witnessing and documenting China’s rise to a global power. During her earlier career, Jan worked as a reporter for a number of news and business publications in the region with a focus on China’s social and cultural transformation as the country in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. She was also one of the first Chinese writers to report on Chinese in Africa. In 2011, Jan became a founding member of Juwai.com, an international property portal for Chinese. In 2019, Jan founded The Tale Blazers in Shanghai, a consultancy agency that empowers brands and business to tell better stories. Jan is also the managing partner, China of TCP Growth, a Hong Kong-based consultancy focusing on cross-cultural training, consulting and partnerships. Jan speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.