Helping launch and develop Internet businesses is Dutch expat Fons' specialty in Shanghai, China, where he spends most of his time. While learning the language is a good thing, Fons says it isn't the only way to get to know a culture and its people better. Read on for more on his activities in China and some comparisons he makes between living in China and in Europe.	Fons Tuinstra

-Where were you born?
Born in the Netherlands, in Maastricht

-In which country and city are you living now?
Most of the time I'm in Shanghai, China, but spend also part of my time in Brasschaat, Belgium, and Bussum, the Netherlands

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I'm living alone in China, while my wife is having a job in Europe.

-How long have you been living there?
I started to live in China in 1994 and have some breaks in both the US and Europe.

-What is your age?
51

-When did you come up with the idea of living in China?
I was working at the time as a journalist and looking for a new challenge. After the end of the Cold War journalism was changing and I thought the Asian tigers - as they were called at the time - could offer new themes for the journalism of the future. After doing quite some travel and work in different parts of Asia, I decided for China, since the traditional Asian economic tigers at that time were already getting out of breath and moving their activities to China.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Yes and no. I was one of the first foreign correspondents getting permission to settle in Shanghai and the whole process took about one year, allowing me to study some Chinese and build up my network. Now I'm traveling much more on a business visa and that is much easier to get.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
I have always been insured back in the Netherlands and have actually (knock wood) never used it. Medical costs are pretty low here in China anyway.

-How do you make your living in China? Do you have any type of income generated?
Initially I worked for Dutch media, but that expanded to also some of the English-language media, including Asiaweek and the South China Morning Post. I then already started to work on the internet and established an online information service, Chinabiz. At the beginning of this century, while exploring the development of the new media, I also started my first weblogs. Now I'm blogging at the China Herald. That has become very successful with around 5,000 daily visitors now. While this is not a way to make money directly, it has brought me quite a lot of interesting assigments.

Half a decade ago it became clear that the classic foreign correspondent was on its way out, as most media were looking for cheaper ways to cover the world. Initially, I bought time by writing a book, working as a new media consultant and advising companies and organizations on China.

Now we have started to use Chinabiz as a launching platform for other new ventures and last month we started Chinabiz Speakers, China's premier speakers bureau. That means that we are trying to match professional speakers with companies, organizations and event organizers. We do so in exchange for a percentage of the speakers' fee. It is a neat way to reuse my existing network in China for a different purpose. For the marketing of our company we have been using some of the new media techniques, including a heavy presence at Facebook. That has allowed us to set up in a matter of weeks a world-wide network of affiliates.

-Do you speak Chinese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I can help myself in Chinese, not in Shanghainese. Getting familiar with the way things are done here is extremely important. You need to have enough flexibility to get things done, while there might be issues where I would never give in (although they are limited).

For example, though most of my Chinese friends are in favor of the death penalty, I will always be against. It is important to understand people, but that is not always a matter of language. I have met people who spoke fluent Chinese, but still had no clue about the country.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I guess we are not classic expats that stay in one place all the time. The internet communication lines have become much shorter and I'm even chatting daily on MSN with my 80-year-old mother. While Shanghai has everything and even more all the big cities have, getting out of here is more troublesome and a relaxing walk in nature (one of the great things in Hong Kong) is very hard in Shanghai.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
There are still a few ventures to be launched in the future. In the end I want a house on a sunny island at the beach with a good internet connection, but not sure if I can make that soon.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I'm now living in an apartment paid for by my company. I have not asked about the price, but it is not that expensive, I guess around 350 USD per month.

-What is the cost of living in China?
Costs of living vary very much; I compare Shanghai and Brasschaat. Housing and transportation (in Brasschaat you need a car, not in Shanghai) are much cheaper here. Food can be fairly cheap and I would never cook in Shanghai, while eating outside would be very expensive in Belgium. The high-end restaurants tend to take up more money in the last half decade, but they are still cheaper.

Supermarkets tend to be relative expensive in Shanghai, compared to Belgium, partly because logistics is poorly organized in China.

-What do you think about the Chinese?
As a foreigner in China you are mostly in a rather privileged position. While there can be flares of nationalism, that mostly goes against Japan and the US and very seldom against individuals. Very hard to give a verdict about "the" Chinese apart that they are rather different, just like other people.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in China?
When you know your way, this country offers giant possibilities, where Europe seems to be mostly in a stagnation. That makes life very fast here and also sometimes very exhausting. But after a month in Europe, I start missing the speed here.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in China?
Read my weblog :-)

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about China?

www.chinaherald.net

www.cbiz.cn

www.chinabizspeakers.com

At my weblog you find links to the hundreds of websites I subscribe to, that should be a nice stepping stone.