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Coming home to invest
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Wu Yan
EVERY year, the Narcissus Festival in Hawaii's Chinese community produces Narcissus Queen and Princesses. This year, Edward Ngan, owner of Honolulu-based Skyway Travel, will take charge of sending them on a goodwill tour of China, where they will meet a high-profile reception - which will even include the nation's vice-president.
In 1980, as one of the earliest agents responsible for sending US tourists to China, Ngan stepped onto his native soil for the first time since he left Xiamen, his hometown, at the age of nine more than 23 years before.
Standing on Tian'anmen Square, Ngan said, he experienced such a surge of emotions that he almost wept. "The square is so huge and magnificent, and I thought about my native country's rich culture and long history. More amazing was that I found China was in a better condition than I had imagined," Ngan recalled.
At the invitation of the Hong Kong China Travel Service, he attended in 1990 the inauguration of China Folk Culture Villages. And it was that trip which brought him to Shenzhen.
"During the trip, I visited Splendid China and China Folk Culture Villages. They were so clean and well maintained, and showcased such rich Chinese culture. They looked almost as good as the Disney parks. And the employees were disciplined and competent," Ngan said, adding that his experience reversed his previously-held view that China was not a suitable destination for investment.
Hence, Ngan joined Window of the World when it opened in 1994. With an investment of US$5 million from both Ngan and the park, he became the president of the food and beverage company affiliated to the park, under whose management 15 restaurants are operated.
"I have experienced highs and lows here," Ngan said of his time in SZ. "You know China has a different business environment from that of the United States in terms of legal system and other things. But I am fortunate compared with many others, because the leaders of the Overseas Chinese Town within which I am doing business are open-minded and stick to the rules. They have given me a lot of support."
Ngan highly commended Window of the World for its commercial success and social effect. He said the park obviously understands the secret of the success of the Disney parks, noting that it adds a new project every year. As for the park's general manager Jian Dian, Ngan said: "He is an entrepreneur who has grown up in China. But as far as vision and caliber is concerned, he's second to none in the field, and that includes the Disney parks."
With China's impending entry into the WTO, Ngan believes China will have a much better investment environment. "Sure, I'll encourage more people to invest in China," he concluded.
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