While I was traveling through China filming a new travel show, I was asked to speak for a group of business leaders in Yancheng in Jiangsu province. The business leaders were attending a two-day conference that focused on business opportunities, ethics and the teachings of Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius.
While most of the audience only spoke Chinese, a local business man, Chris, served as my translator/interpreter. I was able to share core concepts and messages of my keynotes and travel experiences. I spoke of bridging cultures, sharing opportunities and the importance of trying new things and fear: fear of failure or fear of culture barriers such as language, customs, and certainly economics.
The crowd enjoyed the talk. They even laughed and many took the bold move to approach me after my talk, take photos with me and share their happiness and how it related to my talk.
After the conference, I was invited to a special dinner with some of the provincial government leaders where we shared great food and I presented a copy of my book, “FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection” to the highest ranking government official in attendance.
I’m working on getting a video of my talk, but for now I think the photos below help share this experience.