????“很抱歉，但不會(huì)，”唐銳濤反駁道，“自我表達(dá)并不等同于獨(dú)立思考。中國社會(huì)從來就不會(huì)推崇任何帶著反叛味道的個(gè)人潛力的解放。創(chuàng)造力被封鎖在瓶子里，擺得高高的，普通公民無法觸及。別理解錯(cuò)，如果他們感到可以安全地追求獨(dú)創(chuàng)性，大陸人絕對(duì)有能力發(fā)揮美妙的原創(chuàng)創(chuàng)意?！?/p>

????一個(gè)相關(guān)見解是，大多數(shù)中國公司都是扼殺創(chuàng)新之地，這就解釋了為何中國有非凡的制造能力，卻至今仍未能出現(xiàn)界定市場標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的產(chǎn)品或世界一流的國際品牌。這一切和中國社會(huì)強(qiáng)調(diào)順從的天性有關(guān)，中國社會(huì)最基本的生產(chǎn)單位不是個(gè)人，而是集體。

????如此看來，《中國人要什么》的核心內(nèi)容，似乎只是將民族刻板印象發(fā)展到了深入的水平。得益于唐銳濤對(duì)當(dāng)代中國的深刻認(rèn)知，以及他對(duì)中國人顯而易見的感情，該書遠(yuǎn)不止于此。他詼諧地講述了自己在傳統(tǒng)的上海小巷中買了一套房子之后，通過長期努力才贏得多疑的工薪階層鄰居的接納的經(jīng)歷；他生動(dòng)地描繪了中國朋友和同事，介紹了他們的愛情故事、政治觀念、職業(yè)理想以及為實(shí)現(xiàn)要求甚高的父母的期望而作出的努力。

????有一段特別感人——他參加了一位同事之父的葬禮，并摘錄了這位家中長子的部分悼詞：“他的語調(diào)頗為莊重，但最后還是泣不成聲?！畡e擔(dān)心，爸爸，’他說，‘我們會(huì)做好人，會(huì)照顧好媽媽，永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記您的教誨，我們會(huì)好好培養(yǎng)兒子，讓您感到光榮。’他默默地流淚，很快控制了情緒，最后一次與遺體告別。其他送葬者也都輕聲哭泣?！?/p>

????作為曾無數(shù)次與中國企業(yè)客戶參加推介會(huì)的老兵，唐銳濤為新來乍到的西方經(jīng)理人提供了久經(jīng)考驗(yàn)的勝利秘訣。例如：“中國統(tǒng)治者的合法性起源于他們掌控整個(gè)體制這一假定，因此外國人可能犯下的最嚴(yán)重過錯(cuò)就是好為人師……我最嚴(yán)重的一次失誤是問一位家電生產(chǎn)商的首席執(zhí)行官，他對(duì)飛利浦的‘精于心?簡于形’營銷策略有何看法，當(dāng)他承認(rèn)對(duì)此一無所知時(shí)，整個(gè)房間陷入沉默，非常尷尬，會(huì)議氣氛再也沒能恢復(fù)?！?/p>

????盡管大多數(shù)時(shí)候，唐銳濤對(duì)中國歷史與哲學(xué)的粗略描繪都頗有說服力，但他有時(shí)也會(huì)說過頭話。舉例來說，該書收尾之時(shí)，他斷言西方個(gè)人主義與崛起中的中國集體主義之間的沖突，代表著兩種“根本上不同但都很有影響力的世界觀”歷史上第一次共存。任何還記得冷戰(zhàn)的人肯定都不會(huì)認(rèn)同，熟悉二戰(zhàn)期間民主與法西斯全球斗爭的人士更會(huì)大搖其頭。

????有時(shí)他還會(huì)陷入千篇一律營銷術(shù)語的窠臼，比如用種種陳詞濫調(diào)一再重申應(yīng)直接用你的品牌與中國消費(fèi)者互動(dòng)，而不是簡單地向其展示品牌信息。不過，書中這類缺陷并不多?？偟膩碚f，該書對(duì)正在經(jīng)歷顛覆性變革的復(fù)雜中國文化作出了充滿同理心、但又頭腦清晰的描繪。如果你想了解中國人的發(fā)展沿革與未來趨向，讀一讀這本書吧。

????譯者：黃興宇

????"Sorry but no," Doctoroff ripostes. "Self-expression is not equal to independence of thought. Chinese society has never celebrated the liberation of individual potential that, in any way, smacks of rebellion. Creativity -- and, make no mistake, mainlanders are capable of wonderful originality if they feel safe enough to pursue it -- exists in a bottle, placed up high, out of reach of ordinary citizens."

????A related insight is that most Chinese companies are places where innovation goes to die, which explains why the country has yet to produce a market-defining product or a world-beating international brand, despite its extraordinary manufacturing prowess. This relates to the intensely conformist nature of Chinese society, where the clan, not the individual, is the basic productive unit of society.

????Thus reduced to its essentials, What Chinese Want might seem like an exercise in high-concept ethnic stereotyping. It's much more than that, thanks to Doctoroff's deep knowledge of contemporary China and his obvious affection for the Chinese people. He writes entertainingly about his long struggle to win acceptance from suspicious working-class neighbors in the traditional Shanghai lane where he bought a house. He offers vivid portraits of Chinese friends and colleagues, describing their love lives, their political views, their professional aspirations, and their struggles to please demanding parents.

????In a particularly moving passage, he attends the funeral of a colleague's father and quotes from the elder son's eulogy: "[His] tone was measured, but his voice broke at the end. 'Don't worry, Dad,' he said. 'We will be good men. We will take care of Mom. We will never forget what you have taught us. We will raise our boys in a way that honors your memory.' He quietly wept, quickly composed himself, and said a last good-bye. Mourners cried softly, too."

????A veteran of countless pitch meetings with Chinese corporate clients, Doctoroff provides battle-tested success tactics for the visiting Western executive. Sample: "Chinese rulers derive legitimacy from their assumed mastery of the system, so the worst sin a foreigner can commit is teaching … My most grievous faux pas was asking the CEO of an appliance manufacturer what he thought of Philips's 'Sense and Simplicity' campaign. When he confessed ignorance, the room fell into awkward silence. The meeting never recovered."

????Although Doctoroff's broad sketches of Chinese history and philosophy are convincing for the most part, he sometimes overreaches. Toward the end of the book, for example, he asserts that the clash between Western individualism and rising Chinese collectivism represents the first time in history that two "fundamentally different yet influential worldviews" will coexist. Anyone who remembers the Cold War will undoubtedly disagree, as will students of the global struggle between democracy and fascism during World War II.

????At times he also devolves into boilerplate marketese, offering bromides on the importance of engaging Chinese consumers with your brand rather than simply exposing them to your brand message. Such lapses are rare, however. On the whole, this is a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of a complex culture that's experiencing convulsive change. Read it if you want to understand where the Chinese are coming from, and where they are heading.

????Our Weekly Read column features Fortune staffers' and contributors' takes on recently published books about the business world and beyond. We've invited the entire Fortune family -- from our writers and editors to our photo editors and designers -- to weigh in on books of their choosing based on their individual tastes or curiosities.