This blog refers to Allison Jang’s blog “Promotion social entreprise behind Myanmar’s closed door.” (https://blogs.ubc.ca/allisonjang/2013/11/15/promoting-social-enterprise-behind-myanmars-closed-doors/)

I agree with Allison’s idea that “I like that people from the other side of the world are working to maximize benefits for Myanmar’s people through the promotion of social enterprise, rather than jumping into an untapped market solely to create profit.” However, that somehow makes me think of my hometown China.

Ironically, I’d say that if China had helped Myanmar to re-enter the global market, the chinese government would solely attemped to create profit without considering social and environmental factors in Myanmar, just like what China did to itself after cutting off the country with the outside world for almost 200 years. Although China’s economy have seen dramatic growth during the last 30 years, its problems are also mounting, such as pollution, abusive labor practices. In the other word, China’s businesses activities are almost booming without social enterprise.

“In foreign countries, the charity has developed for hundreds of years and then social enterprise originally came up. In China, we have everything in a few decades.” As explained by Li Fan, the co-founder of the first social entrepreneur membership organization in China, it is really a challenging task to promote social enterprise in China because it’s hard for many Chinese to understand doing good and making money at the same time, especially the older generations. However, it is reasonable to believe that younger generations of China and newcomers to China would do better on promoting social enterprise and hopefully China would become a country that contribute to the world in a more social and environmental friendly way.

Sources:

Social entrepreneurship in China: Small but growing Retrieved Nov. 17 2013 from : http://www.flyingblueclubchina.com/inspire/whats-hot/social-entrepreneurship-in-china-small-but-growing

The social enterprise emerges in China  (Spring 2012) Retrieved Nov. 17 2013 from Standford Social Innovation Review: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/summercamp/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/The-Social-Enterprise-Emerges-in-China.pdf