Although his first impression about Beijing wasn't good, Michael Crain is now happy to call the capital his home. [Todd Balazovic / China Daily]

Former US government official takes a chance on china's capital after a bad start

When Michael Crain first arrived in Beijing as part of a two-week delegation with the US Department of Commerce in 2005, he was ready to hop on a plane and never return.

A combination of unfamiliar business practices, extreme summer heat and clogged traffic left a bad taste for the 39-year-old Texan.

"All of that played into this feeling that I'd been there and done that, and I didn't care to go back," he says.

Now, after living in the capital for more than a half decade, the vice-chairman of the Beijing American Chamber of Commerce says he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Though he admits his initial reaction was too strong, he says it's a response most businessmen and businesswomen can relate to when first coming to China.

"China, if you're not ready for it, can be in your face a little bit," he says. "Everything is moving very quickly. If you're not used to that pace, it can be difficult."

While Crain was used to high-paced politics, having spent more than 10 years in Washington holding various political positions, from the director of external affairs for the US Secretary of Commerce to senior managing director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee and White House advance representative for the Bush administration, China presented a new challenge.

"Washington is fast paced, but it's nothing like China. It wasn't just the pace, it was also just how differently things were done," he says.

During his initial foray into Chinese culture, Crain may not have seen the best of Beijing, but it did open the door for him to return.

Following his visit, he was offered the position of chief of staff at the US Embassy, a title he was hesitant to take following his first visit.

So, he did what all wise men do in that position - consulted his wife, Joanna.

"My wife had visited several times and loved it. I thought, if she sees something positive about the place, then there's got to have been something I've missed," he says.

Jumping in headfirst, Crain took the job.

He says making the commitment to stay for a two-and-a-half-year term as the chief of staff transformed his perception of the country.

"That infatuation with China, if you know you're going to be here for a period of time, happens very quickly. You've got to assimilate," he says.

Crain assimilated so well that at the end of his term he decided to leave the field of politics, which he had been toiling in for more than a decade, to serve as the president and CEO of MDC strategies, a Beijing-based business consulting firm.

During his two years at MDC Strategies, Crain saw firsthand how difficult it was for incoming businesses to fully grasp the ever-changing China market.

"In China, something can be one way a million times and the million and first time it won't be the same. And that's just China and you've got to roll with it," he says.

He says the biggest blunder most businesses make when coming East to set up shop is not taking the time to understand the environment they're working in - something he, too, was guilty of upon first arriving.

"Even though things look like they're moving at a fast pace here, at least deals take a little more time to massage and get done than they do anywhere else," he said. "If you don't come from the Chinese mentality, you wouldn't necessarily understand that."

And while he has successfully helped dozens of businesses establish a base in China, he forewarns those eyeing the East as a land of instant success.

"A lot of people think China is this huge land of opportunity. I think that idea has been somewhat romanticized in the West. I still think there's a lot of opportunity here if you're willing to work hard," he says.

Shifting from MDC Strategies to become the Beijing representative for Bingham McCutchen early last year, Crain is now employing his wealth of Chinese knowledge to help the international law firm set up its first branch on the mainland.

But that's no longer the job keeping Crain in Beijing.

Having adopted Chinese twins last year, Crain says he is keen to stay in China to allow his children to get a grasp of their heritage, while also giving them a chance to experience the US beyond "a passport and six weeks with grandma in the summer."

"Everybody wants their children to do well; you always want them to succeed. I think for their generation it's definitely going to be more global, we're already seeing that transition," he says.

In addition to raising his family in the capital, he and his wife have also invested themselves in the community, founding Chi Fan for Charity, a Beijing-based charity-dining event.

The annual event pools donated meals from dozens of restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai to raise money for blind orphans and other local charities. Celebrating its third year in early November, Chi Fan for Charity raised more than $45,000.

Between work, raising a family and running a charity, Crain is now happy to call China's capital home, a far cry from his initial impression of the Far East.

"In the end, you see that Chinese and Americans have the same goals. We all want to take care of our families, we all want to do better personally and we all want to succeed in some way," he says.

"How we approach those goals is sometimes different. That's the challenge of finally wrapping your mind around it."