China's young entrepreneurs 4 giovani imprenditori cinesi raccontano alla BBC la propria storia,le loro speranze e paure nei riguardi del futuro della loro nazione. Hearty GongMarketing Executive "I soldi sono importanti ma non sono paragonabili alla felicita´" Annie YeProperty development "Il resto del mondo dovrebbe conoscere di piu´la Cina" Didi Mengex ballerina"Ho incominciato a frequentatare una scuola professionale di danza dall´eta di 10" Ling Zheng Gu Cuoco professionale"Ho aiutato a costruire questo business sviluppandolo da 1 a 9 ristoranti" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hearty Gong e´un schanghainese.Una marketing executive e modello part-time , ci dice che i giovani cinesi hanno parecchio per cui sorridere - in effetti non sono mai stati cosi ottimisti come ora. "Sono ritornato a shanghai da bambino, poiche la mia famiglia materna viveva a shanghai. Potevano aiutarci a vivere dopo la morte id mio padre.In quei giorni la vita era dura. Se andavi al mercato del pesce dovevi svegliarti alle 5 del mattino.Mi sarei messo in coda con mia madre- avevamo bisogno di un coupon e dovevamo aspettare 2 ore per poter comprare il pesce. Sono cosi fortunato poiche la mia generazione e´tra la nuova generazione e la vecchia e cosi posso vedere la vecchia Shanghai e quella nuova,la vecchia Cina e quella nuova.La citta e´in pieno "boom" e mi sento cosi eccitato.Vedo i cambiamenti.E mi posso aspettare di piu´per il futuro.Il mio nome e´ Gong Xingyi. Gong e´il nome delle mia famiglia e Xing significa cuore.Cio´significa felicita´.I soldi sono importanti,certo,ma non di piu´della felicita.Voglio essere felice.Tu vedi i grattacieli; io gli chiamo l´ hardware. Ma che mi dici del software? Parlo del modo di comportarsi della gente e delle responsabilita´di ognuno.Ma ci vuole tempo,molte generazioni,per migliorare.Questi palazzi possono venir costruiti in una notte,ma il software,quello richiede tempo.Cosi spero che nello stesso giorno,fra 15 anni, ci saranno piu persone con talento.SI,la societa richiede persone creative,che creano qualcosa di originale e innovativo.E questo e´il modo per far si che una societa progredisca...." Didi Meng is from Beijing but settled in Shanghai after injuries meant she could no longer continue her dance career. She now owns a nail bar and two clothing shops. "Life when I danced was very creative. All I worried about was how to dance better. There's a saying in China; one minute on the stage needs 10 years' practice off stage. I trained hard every day, but I loved it. I was at professional dance school from when I was 10, for almost 13 years. So I think being creative is very important, but of course you can't survive without money. You need a balance, but being creative is much more interesting. I think it's easy to set up a business [in China], but it's very difficult to manage it. You need to manage it with your heart and soul. I've set up shop in a good neighbourhood - about 25,000 people live here. There are not many local Shanghainese. People are from other provinces and Hong Kong, and lots of foreigners, so they can afford to spend money on looking good."Annie Ye is from Shanghai, and works for a property developer. She worries that the world misunderstands China and says the country's development cannot come at the cost of people's lives. "I think what's very important for us is to have the freedom to honestly pursue our dreams. Our country should facilitate us in pursuing our dream. It's more important than having a car or a house. I can't help it if other countries fear China getting stronger. I just think the rest of the world should know more about China; not only through the international media but they should come in and feel China. It's so different from the China presented in the international media. That only shows one small part of China. I think development is a must for China, as it grows stronger, but along the way you need to be conscious about what you are doing. I don't mind that the country is changing quickly, as long as it's not at the expense of other things like, say, pollution or the environment." Return to topLing Zheng Gu is the executive chef at Shanghai's Blue Frog restaurants. Thirteen years ago, he was a kitchen boy, now he's in charge of nine kitchens and 178 staff. "From day one, I've worked 16, 17 hours a day. I joined this company more than eight years ago, and have helped build this business from one restaurant to now, nine restaurants, all over China. And we're going to have more and more. I love to cook. I remember seeing a Western chef for the very first time on my grandmother's tiny television when I was a child. I knew then - that's what I want to do. My kitchen is like my family, it's my home. I love all my staff, they're like all my kids, my friends, my family. They work for us, and I work for them. I see my daughter maybe once or twice a week, because I'm really busy with the restaurant and I do a lot of travelling. I don't see her much, she lives with her grandparents. But at least once day I give her a call. I want my daughter to feel totally free and of course I will give her support for anything she wants to do. I'll support her 100%. Maybe I'm not like other mums and dads. But she must choose her own life - her life is in her hands." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi....stm#persontwo