????面對中國，西方評論界與華爾街相差不大，總是傾向于在恐懼與貪婪這兩個極端之間搖擺。恐懼方面：中國正操縱匯率，強化軍備，鎮(zhèn)壓異見人士，準備在經(jīng)濟與地緣政治上蠶食我們的利益！貪婪方面：沒錯，可你得想想所有那些崛起中的中產(chǎn)階級消費者，他們迫切想要接受我們的價值觀，購買我們的產(chǎn)品！

????中國既是全球最古老的文明，也是最具活力的現(xiàn)代經(jīng)濟體，但上述兩種觀點都源于對中國的無知。如果我們想要與十幾億中國人和平共處乃至從中獲利，我們就必須理解其政治、經(jīng)濟與文化選擇。簡而言之，我們必須培養(yǎng)出文化上的“同理心”，如此才能換位思考，透過中國人的眼睛來看世界。

????只有與中國社會長期親密接觸才能獲得此種同理心。唐銳濤是一位美國廣告公司經(jīng)理人，他過去14年來一直在中國工作、生活。他如今執(zhí)掌智威湯遜廣告公司的大中華區(qū)業(yè)務(wù)，西方電視、廣播制作人需要在短時間內(nèi)獲得對中國人行為方式的精湛見解時，往往求助于他這位專家。

????通過《中國人要什么》一書，唐銳濤提供了一本關(guān)于中國人的文化心理與消費理念的初級讀本，其價值不可估量。盡管他的目標受眾主要是希望打動中國消費者的西方營銷人員，但對任何想要了解現(xiàn)代中國運行方式的人來說，他的書應(yīng)該都頗具吸引力。

????歸根結(jié)底，唐銳濤是個廣告人，他不斷重申自己的信息，直到它們像可樂廣告曲或毛主席語錄一樣深深嵌入讀者的小腦。他的關(guān)鍵觀點是：中國人渴望安全感，懼怕陷入混亂。與西方人不同，他們主要以社會認同而非自我實現(xiàn)作為成功標志。他們希望融入群體，又想要脫穎而出。這會影響他們購物時的選擇——無論要買的是汽車、衣服、珠寶還是紋身。

????唐銳濤指出，中國人很少會挑戰(zhàn)權(quán)威人物，因為儒家尊重等級秩序的觀念根植于中國文化之中。他們的道德觀念也是相對的，而非絕對“任何有利于團結(jié)與社會和諧的事情都是好的，任何誘發(fā)不穩(wěn)定的事情都是壞的。正因為此，西方的普世人權(quán)觀念往往無法獲得中國人的深深認同，對中國人來說，社會穩(wěn)定總是勝過抽象的道德觀。

????唐銳濤還尖銳地強調(diào)，著名政治異見人士、當代藝術(shù)家以及蓬勃發(fā)展的網(wǎng)絡(luò)媒體和生動的地下?lián)u滾等等反主流文化的現(xiàn)象，并不能預示中國正在變得更加自由化——至少不會符合西方人對這個詞的認知。

????Not unlike Wall Street, Western commentary on China tends to oscillate between extremes of fear and greed. The fear narrative: China is manipulating its currency, building up its military, oppressing its dissidents, and preparing to eat our economic and geopolitical lunch! The greed narrative: Yeah, but think of all those emerging middle class consumers, just itching to embrace our values and buy our stuff!

????Both perspectives are rooted in ignorance of China, home to the world's oldest civilization as well as its most dynamic modern economy. If we're to coexist peacefully and even profitably with billions of Chinese, we need to understand their political, economic, and cultural choices. In short, we must develop the cultural empathy that will allow us to see the world through Chinese eyes.

????That kind of empathy comes only from long, intimate experience with Chinese society. Enter Tom Doctoroff, an American advertising executive who has lived and worked in mainland China for the past 14 years. Doctoroff runs greater China operations for J. Walter Thompson and has also emerged as a go-to pundit for Western TV and radio producers seeking quick, sharp insight into Chinese behavior.

????In What Chinese Want, Doctoroff presents an invaluable primer on the culture and buying patterns of the Chinese. Although he writes primarily for an audience of Western marketers seeking to reach Chinese consumers, his book should interest anyone who wants to understand what makes modern China tick.

????An ad man at the end of the day, Doctoroff repeats his messages relentlessly, until they lodge in one's cerebellum like a Coke jingle or a Maoist precept. His key points: Chinese crave security and fear chaos. Unlike Westerners, they define success primarily in terms of social recognition rather than self-actualization. They want to stand out while also fitting in. This influences all their buying choices, from cars to clothes, jewelry, and even tattoos.

????According to Doctoroff, Chinese rarely challenge authority figures because their culture is rooted in Confucian respect for hierarchy. Their concepts of morality are relative, not absolute: Whatever promotes unity and social harmony is good, and anything that promotes instability is bad. For this reason, Western notions of universal human rights tend not to resonate deeply in China, where social stability trumps abstract morality every time.

????Doctoroff argues, provocatively, that countercultural manifestations like China's celebrated political dissidents and contemporary artists, as well as its burgeoning online media and lively underground rock scene, are not signs of a society in process of becoming more liberal, as Westerners understand that term.