Theyear is 1418. On the horizon, ashimmering vision under the blazing sun. Thisis not a cloud, or anything you'veever seen before. It's anenormous ship followed by dozensand dozens more.Strange men come towards you in their white robes carrying with them knowledge andtreasures from a distant land.
Thisunimaginable assemblage was led by Admiral Zheng He who established the first-ever searoute connecting the westernPacific to the Indian Ocean. Theinfluence of this voyage was so profound thatit changed the local cultures wherever it landed. With navigation skills, shipbuildingtechniques, Chinese etiquette andsocial practices on display. Eventoday, the impact of Admiral Zheng's armada canbe traced from Africa all the way back to Asia.
I'mhere to tell you that another invasion is happening 600 years later and this one will impact you. This one is also led by Chinese,butthis time, it's Chinese millennials. (Laughter) I know a ton has been written and saidabout American millennials - it'sall you guys talk about! You'retrying to study them, label them, definethem,and most importantly, you're trying to cater to them.
(Laughter) I'd like to suggest that you might belooking at the wrong group of millennials onthe wrong continent. Becausewhether you're ready or not, weChinese millennials are about to take over the world!
(Laughter) But luckily, I'm here to help you. (Laughter) Here are five things you must know for surviving the impending Chinesemillennial invasion.
(Laughter) Number one: We are many!
(Laughter) Do you know how many Americanmillennials you have today? 90million. That's a lot. Now, imagine that times five. That's how many of us there are. With a population of around 400million, we Chinese millennialsare proud to be the third biggest country in the world.
Mostof the talk about American millennials is related to the workplace.With almostfive times the amount of American millennials, Chinese millennials are an enormouslabor pool. And we're beingcompletely overlooked in the U.S. Whowould you rather hire? A newemployee who is the best out of 100 people? Ora new employee who is the best out of 500? Andsince there are so many of us, you'llbe seeing more of us in places you never thought of.
Don'tbelieve me? This guy seems prettypopular here. (Laughter) He might look old; he's actually oneof us millennials. 20 years ago,who would have imagined that aseven foot-plus tall Chinese athlete wouldbecome the only non-American player to lead the NBA in all-star voting.
Numbertwo: We're well educated and super motivated. Becauseof the high population density and limited resources, labor is easily replaceable in China.
Weare required to work harder and be more motivated just to compete with our peers. We're surely not all of the labor poolin China. I contacted DxConsulting. Today, 57 percent ofChinese millennials have a bachelor's degree; 23percent of us have a master's degree; and20 percent have an associate's degree.
Andof course, we're not just educated in China. Inthe U.S. in 2014 and '15, 42 percent of Chinese students were studying STEM - science, technology, engineering,mathematics - versus 12 percentfor American students. 27 percentof us were studying business and management versus16 for all students studying in the U.S.
Weare choosing majors that can give us a competitive edge, and in turn, higher exposure andimpact in Western society. Areyou having a hard time motivating your American millennial employees? (Laughter) Well, Chinese millennials don't needyou to spend a dime on a Foosball table oran in-house coffee shop. (Laughter)
(Applause) We are already super motivated andqualified. (Laughter) And we're more than happy to take onthe tough jobs. In fact, we'vebeen preparing for it.
Numberthree: We are the Bruce Lee in Levi's witha smartphone who shop online every day. Chinesemillennials are multicultural. Ieven used chopsticks to eat Georgian barbecue whenI was interning here in Atlanta. AndI was more devastated at this guy's death thanmy best scores on my Chinese exam.
Weare really digital. In 2017,smartphone penetration rates is almost 100 percent for those of us who are ages 18 to 34. We are also shaping mobile payment aswell as the economy. According toa 2017 survey from Labbrand, 86percent of Chinese millennials use mobile payment in physical shops at least once a week, versus 45 percentfor American millennials.
Andaccording to Dx Consulting, wespend four times what American millennials spend for mobile purchases. The U.S. is the center of the digitaluniverse. But for how muchlonger? If you want to buy thebest digital real estate in thevirtual world of the future, Isuggest that China is a prime location. Thegood news for foreign companies hopingto capture part of the Chinese millennial market is that my cohort is extremely mobileand adventurous.
Here'smy personal travel map for the last couple of years. The desire to see the world dominatesour consumption habits.We aren't just spending money at home, we are also making purchases and usingweb services from foreigncompanies like Airbnb and Uber whenwe travel overseas. Sure, you buythings from us, and we buy things from you. (Laughter) So next time you have a meeting on howto exploit millennial markets, keepin mind that Chinese millennials - not American - are the biggest emerging consumerdemographic on the planet.
Numberfour: We're big picture people. Doyou know how big China is? It'saround the same size as the States. Butwe all know that there are four time zones acrossthe contiguous United States. InChina, we've got one. In China,everything is perceived as one. Onetime zone, one official language, one party, despite diverse ethnicities andcultures. Our thinking alwaysstarts from the overview to the specific.
TheChinese way of writing an address is country, city, and street. And we write the date: year, month,and day. And because we are suchbig picture people, we focus muchmore on growth and the future thanAmericans in the workplace. Wetend to look at a company as a whole and see how we fit into it.
Andnumber five: We're still Confucian individualists.Granted, we Chinesemillennials are acting more and more individual nowadays, but ten years of iPhone and onlinedating apps cannot wipe outthousands of years of Confucian cultures.
Asense of hierarchy is still deeply entrenched inour understanding and construction of social relations. In my mind, a child is supposed toshow respect to his parents justlike if I'm a subordinate. I'mexpected to show respect to a senior manager. Idon't think we should disagree with our bosses or criticize them,at least notdirectly or publicly.
(Laughter) (Laughter) My American friends are more likely tochallenge authority and power, andI think that's a good thing. Wemight learn a little bit from American millennials on that, but I do like our respect forhierarchy and experience, and Idon't want to see that go away.
In20 years, we'll all still be millennials, butwe'll be 40, we'll be in biggerpositions of power,and we'll have much more opportunity to change the world like we insist we know how to do rightnow.
AndI really hope we do. Everybodyknows the Great Wall of China. Eventhose ancient walls were crossed by Admiral Zheng He 600 years ago, and our new border, if we even hadone, is far beyond the old one. Whetheryou're trying to build your own walls, keepout what you don't want, keep in what you do, holdin your pride, keep outcompetition, all those things aregoing to happen anyway.
Theworld is flat. It's flat! But it's tilted toward China now. (Laughter) And I can assure you, we Chinese millennials are ready to bethe explorers in this new adventure fromthe Far East. Thankyou.(Applause) (Cheers)
中文翻译如下：
时间是1418年。 骄阳下，波光粼粼的海平面尽头。 映入眼帘的不是云， 也不是任何你见过的东西。那是一艘巨大的船， 一艘接着一艘，不计其数。 一群身着白袍，样貌奇特的人 从一个遥远的国度带来了 他们的知识和财富。 这个令人叹为观止的 船队的首领，叫做郑和， 他开辟了世界上第一条海路航线， 把西太平洋和印度洋连接起来。 这个舰队的所到之处， 当地的文化都受到了深远的影响。 他们展现了精湛的 航海技能，造船技术， 以及特殊的中国的礼节和社交实践。 即便是今天，我们仍然 能够追寻到郑和舰队的痕迹， 从非洲一直延伸至出发地，亚洲。 我来这里是想告诉大家，600年后 还有一场文化入侵正在发生， 而且会影响到你们每一个人。 引领这一切的依然是中国人， 但却是中国的千禧一代。 （笑声） 我知道关于美国的千禧一代 有着很多描述—— 你们总是挂在嘴边！ 你们在尝试着了解，辨别， 定义他们， 更重要的是， 你们还在尝试着迎合他们。 （笑声） 我想说，你们可能 关注了错误的群体， 在一个错误的地域。 毕竟，无论你是否有所准备， 中国的千禧一代 已经准备掌管整个世界了！ （笑声） 不过幸运的是，我来帮助你们了。 （笑声） 面对迫在眉睫的中国千禧一代的 文化入侵，你们必须 知道五件事才能从容应对。
（笑声） 第一：我们人多势众！ （笑声） 你们知道如今在美国 有多少千禧一代吗？ 9千万。 不少了。 现在把这个数字乘以5再想想看。 这就是中国千禧一代的数量。 占据着大约4亿人口， 我们中国的千禧一代都可以 骄傲的自称为世界第三大国家了。 关于美国千禧一代， 被谈论最多的是就业。 五倍于这个人数， 中国千禧一代则是 一个庞大的劳动力资源。 而我们在美国却被完全忽视了。 你会雇用哪一类人？ 100个人中最优秀的， 还是在500个人中脱颖而出的佼佼者？ 介于我们人数众多， 你们会在意想不到的场合 越来越多的见到我们。 别不相信。 这位大家都很熟悉，人气极高。 （笑声） 他年纪可能有些偏大； 但他也是千禧一代。 20年前，谁能想到 一个两米多高的中国运动员 能够成为领衔美国篮球职业联盟 全明星选秀的唯一一个非美国籍运动员。
第二：我们都受过良好的教育， 而且干劲儿十足。 由于人口众多，资源有限， 在中国劳动力是很容易被取代的。 我们被要求更努力的工作，更主动， 只为了在与同龄人的竞争中不被淘汰。 当然我们并不是中国全部的劳动力。 我联系过Dx 咨询公司。 当今，中国的千禧一代中 57%拥有本科学位； 23%拥有硕士学位； 20%有专科学位。 当然，我们不仅仅是在中国接受教育。 在美国，2014-2015年间，42%的中国留学生研修了理工科学位—— 科学，技术，工程，数学—— 在美国学生中这个比例只有12%。我们中27%的人选择了 商科和管理学专业， 而全美这个比例是16%。 我们选择的是能让我们 更有竞争优势的专业， 期望得到西方社会更多的关注和认可。 你们是不是觉得动员美国本土的 千禧一代努力工作很费劲儿？ （笑声） 相比之下，中国千禧一代可 不需要你们在桌上足球或者建内部咖啡店 上浪费一分钱去激励他们。 （笑声）（掌声） 我们已经具备了超强的动力和才华 （笑声） 我们也完全不介意面对棘手的工作。 事实上我们一直在为此做准备。
第三点：我们是穿着Levi‘s的Bruce Lee 每天都用手机网购。 中国的千禧一代文化背景丰富。 我在亚特兰大实习的时候 甚至还用筷子吃过 美国南方风味的烤肉。 相比我在中文考试中拿到了最好成绩， 这个人的死更让我感到震惊。 我们是数字化的一代。2017年，在18到34岁这个年龄段中， 智能手机的普及率达到了100%。 我们也塑造了移动支付和 对应的经济模式。 朗标咨询公司在2017年的 一份调查报告中指出， 86%的中国千禧一代每周至少用手机在实体店消费一次， 这个数字在美国是45%。 Dx咨询公司也指出， 我们通过手机支付的费用 是美国千禧一代的四倍。 别忘了美国才是数字化时代的中心。 但这个优势会持续多久呢？ 如果你想在未来的虚拟世界购买 最好的数字地产， 我强烈建议把中国作为首选目标。 对于希望抓住中国千禧一代 部分市场的外企来说，好消息就是 我的同胞们极其具有冒险精神， 而且善于变通。 这是我最近几年的旅行轨迹。 我渴望看到世界在主导我们的消费习惯。 我们并不仅仅是在自己的国家消费， 我们在国外旅行时，也会通过 网络服务进行消费， 比如爱彼迎和优步。 当然，我们互相都有生意往来。 （笑声） 所以如果下次你们要商讨 如何开拓千禧一代的市场， 请记住中国千禧一代—— 不是美国哦—— 才是世界上迅速崛起的 最大的消费群体。
第四点：我们目光长远，以全局为重。 中国到底有多大？ 跟美国差不多。 不过我们都知道美国本土 横跨了四个时区。 在中国，我们只有一个。 在中国，所有人步调一致。只有一个时区， 一种官方语言， 一个执政党， 尽管民族众多，文化迥异。 我们的思维模式总是从整体到局部。 中国人写联络地址的顺序是 国家，城市，街道。 我们写日期是按照年，月，日的顺序。 正因为我们顾全大局， 相比美国人关注就业市场， 我们更关注经济增长和未来发展。 我们倾向于从整体上评价一个公司， 看看要如何融入它的文化。
第五点：我们仍然是 儒家文化背景下的独立个体。 诚然，我们中国千禧一代 越来越特立独行了， 但是过去几年使用iPhone和网络约会应用 并不能抹去几千年的儒家文化。 等级观念仍然深深的影响着 我们对社会关系的理解和构建。 我认为，孩子依然 应该对父母表现出尊重， 就好比下属对上级。 我也理应对资深的上级表示出尊敬。 我不认为应该反对或者顶撞老板， 至少不能直接或者公开这么做。 （笑声） （笑声） 我的美国朋友们 总是喜欢挑战权威势力， 我不觉得这有什么不妥。 在这一点上我们多少应该 向美国千禧一代学习， 但我依然赞成对 等级和经验表示出尊重， 我不希望看到这种传统消失 再过20年，我们依然还是千禧一代， 但是我们已经40多岁了，也会获得更多的权力， 我们改变世界的机会也更多 ， 就像我们坚持认为自己 知道现在应该做什么。我对此深信不疑。 中国的长城无人不知。 即便古老的城墙壁垒在600多年前 就被郑和的船队成功穿越， 我们打造的新边界的力量也不容小觑。 无论你是否在尝试打造自己的围墙， 想要趋利避害， 保留自己的骄傲， 躲避竞争， 但所有该来的都还是会如期而至。
世界是平的。 它是平的！ 不过它正在向中国倾斜。 （笑声） 我可以很确定的告诉大家， 在遥远的东方，我们中国的 千禧一代已经准备好 探索新的冒险旅程了。 谢谢大家。 （掌声）（欢呼声）
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