the.world.is.flat-第39章

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you're　going　to　be　sitting　and　watching　the　game。　That's　all。〃　
How　Do　You　Say　〃Zippie〃　in　Chinese？　
As　in　Bangalore　ten　years　ago；　the　best　place　to　meet　zippies　in　Beijing　today　is　
in　the　line　at　the　consular　section　of　the　U。S。　embassy。　In　Beijing　in　the　summer　
of　2004；　I　discovered　that　the　quest　by　Chinese　
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students　for　visas　to　study　or　work　in　America　was　so　intense　that　it　had　spawned　
dedicated　Internet　chat　rooms；　where　Chinese　students　swapped　stories　about　which　
arguments　worked　best　with　which　U。S。　embassy　consular　officials。　They　even　gave　the　


U。S。　diplomats　names　like　〃Amazon　Goddess；〃　〃Too　Tall　Baldy；〃　and　〃Handsome　Guy。〃　
Just　how　intensely　Chinese　students　strategize　over　the　Internet　was　revealed；　U。S。　
embassy　officials　told　me；　when　one　day　a　rookie　U。S。　consular　official　had　student　
after　student　come　before　him　with　the　same　line　that　some　chat　room　had　suggested　
would　work　for　getting　a　visa：　〃I　want　to　go　to　America　to　become　a　famous　professor。〃　
After　hearing　this　all　day；　the　U。S。　official　was　suddenly　surprised　toget　one　student　
who　came　before　him　and　pronounced；　〃My　mother　has　an　artificial　limb　and　I　want　to　
go　to　America　to　learn　how　to　build　a　better　artificial　limb　for　her。〃　The　official　
was　so　relieved　to　hear　a　new　line　that　he　told　the　young　man；　〃You　know；　this　is　
the　best　story　I've　heard　all　day。　I　really　salute　you。　I'm　going　to　give　you　a　visa。〃　
You　guessed　it。　
The　next　day；　a　bunch　of　students　showed　up　at　the　embassy　saying　they　wanted　a　visa　
to　go　to　America　to　learn　how　to　build　better　artificial　limbs　for　their　mothers。　
Talking　to　these　U。S。　embassy　officials　in　Beijing；　who　are　the　gatekeepers　for　these　
visas；　itquickly　became　apparentto　me　that　they　had　mixed　feelings　aboutthe　process。　
On　the　one　hand；　they　were　pleased　that　so　many　Chinese　wanted　to　come　study　and　work　
in　America。　On　the　other　hand；　they　wanted　to　warn　American　kids：　Do　you　realize　what　
is　coming　your　way？　As　one　U。S。　embassy　official　in　Beijing　said　to　me；　〃What　I　see　
happening　＇in　China＇　is　what　has　been　going　on　for　the　last　several　decades　in　the　
rest　of　Asia…the　tech　booms；　the　tremendous　energy　of　the　people。　I　saw　it　elsewhere；　
but　now　it　is　happening　here。〃　
I　was　visiting　Yale　in　the　spring　of　2004。　As　I　was　strolling　through　the　central　
quad；　near　the　statue　of　Elihu　Yale；　two　Chinese…speaking　tours　came　through；　with　
Chinese　tourists　of　all　ages。　Chinese　have　started　to　tour　the　world　in　large　numbers；　
and　as　China　continues　to　develop　toward　a　more　open　society；　it　is　quite　likely　that　
Chinese　leisure　tourists　will　alter　the　whole　world…tourism　industry。　
But　Chinese　are　not　visiting　Yale　just　to　admire　the　ivy。　Consider　these　statistics　
from　Yale's　admissions　office。　The　fall　1985　class　had　71　graduate　and　undergraduate　
students　from　China　and　1　from　the　Soviet　Union。　The　fall　2003　class　had　297　Chinese　
graduate　and　undergraduate　students　and　23　Russians。　Yale's　total　international　
student　contingent　went　from　836　in　the　fall　of　1985　to　1；775　in　the　fall　of　2003。　
Applications　from　Chinese　and　Russian　high　school　students　to　attend　Yale　as　
undergraduates　have　gone　from　a　total　of　40　Chinese　for　the　class　of　2001　to　276　for　
the　class　of　2008；　and　18　Russians　for　the　class　of　2001　to　30　for　the　class　of　2008。　
In　1999；　Yiting　Liu；　a　schoolgirl　from　Chengdu；　China；　got　accepted　to　Harvard　on　
a　full　scholarship。　Her　parents　then　wrote　a　build…your…own　handbook　about　how　they　
managed　to　prepare　their　daughter　to　get　accepted　to　Harvard。　The　book；　in　Chinese；　
titled　Harvard　Girl　Yiting　Liu；　offered　〃scientifically　proven　methods〃　to　get　your　
Chinese　kid　into　Harvard。　The　book　became　a　runaway　best　seller　in　China。　By　2003　
it　had　sold　some　3　million　copies　and　spawned　more　than　a　dozen　copycat　books　about　
how　to　get　your　kid　into　Columbia；　Oxford；　or　Cambridge。　
While　many　Chinese　aspire　to　go　to　Harvard　and　Yale；　they　aren't　just　waiting　around　
to　get　into　an　American　university。　They　are　also　trying　to　build　their　own　at　home。　


In　2004；1　was　a　speaker　for　the　150th　anniversary　of　Washington　University　in　St。　
Louis；　a　school　noted　for　its　strength　in　science　and　engineering。　Mark　Wrighton；　
the　university's　thoughtful　chancellor；　and　I　were　chatting　before　the　ceremony。　He　
mentioned　in　passing　that　in　the　spring　of　2001　he　had　been　invited　（along　with　many　
other　foreign　and　American　academic　leaders）　to　Tsinghua　University　in　Beijing；　one　
of　the　finest　in　China；　to　participate　in　the　celebration　of　its　ninetieth　anniversary。　
He　said　the　invitation　left　him　scratching　his　head　at　first：　Why　would　any　university　
celebrate　its　ninetieth　anniversary…not　its　hundredth？　
〃Perhaps　a　Chinese　tradition？〃　Wrighton　asked　himself。　When　he　arrived　at　Tsinghua；　
though；　he　learned　the　answer。　The　Chinese　had　brought　academics　from　all　over　the　
world　to　Tsinghua…more　than　ten　thousand　people　attended　the　ceremony…in　order　to　
make　the　declaration　〃that　at　the　one　hundredth　anniversary　Tsinghua　University　would　
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be　among　the　world's　premier　universities；〃　Wrighton　later　explained　to　me　in　an　
e…mail。　〃The　event　involved　all　of　the　leaders　of　the　Chinese　government；　from　the　
Mayor　of　Beijing　tothe　head　of　state。　Each　expressed　the　conviction　that　an　investment　
in　the　university　to　support　its　development　as　one　of　the　world's　great　universities　
within　ten　years　would　be　a　rewarding　one。　With　Tsinghua　University　already　regarded　
as　one　of　the　leading　universities　in　China；　focused　on　science　and　technology；　it　
was　evident　that　there　is　a　seriousness　of　purpose　in　striving　for　a　world　leadership　
position　in　＇all　the　areas　involved＇　in　spawning　technological　innovation。〃　
And　as　a　result　of　China's　drive　to　succeed；　Microsoft　chairman　Bill　Gates　argued　
to　me；　the　〃ovarian　lottery〃　has　changed…as　has　the　whole　relationship　between　
geography　and　talent。　Thirty　years　ago；　he　said；　if　you　had　a　choice　between　being　
born　a　genius　on　the　outskirts　of　Bombay　or　Shanghai　or　being　born　an　average　person　
in　Poughkeepsie；　you　would　take　Poughkeepsie；　because　your　chances　of　thriving　and　
living　a　decent　life　there；　even　with　average　talent；　were　much　greater。　But　as　the　
world　has　gone　flat；　Gates　said；　and　so　manypeople　can　now　plug　and　play　from　anywhere；　
natural　talent　has　started　to　trump　geography。　
〃Now；〃　he　said；　〃I　would　rather　be　a　genius　born　in　China　than　an　average　guy　born　
in　Poughkeepsie。〃　
That's　what　happens　when　the　Berlin　Wall　turns　into　the　Berlin　mall　and　3　billion　
people　converge　with　all　these　new　tools　for　collaboration。　〃We're　going　to　tap　into　
the　energy　and　talent　of　five　times　as　many　people　as　we　did　before；〃　said　Gates。　
From　Russia　with　Love　
I　didn't　get　a　chance　to　visit　Russia　and　interview　Russian　zippies　for　this　book；　
but　I　did　the　next　best　thing。　I　asked　my　friend　Thomas　R。　Pickering；　the　former　U。S。　
ambassador　to　Moscow　and　now　a　top　international　relations　executive　with　Boeing；　
to　explain　a　new　development　
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I　had　heard　about：　that　Boeing　was　using　Russian　engineers　and　scientists；　who　once　
worked　on　MiGs；　to　help　design　its　next　generation　of　passenger　planes。　
Pickering　unraveled　the　story　for　me。　Beginning　in　1991；　Boeing　started　assigning　
out　work　to　Russian　scientists　to　take　advantage　of　their　expertise　in　aerodynamic　


problems　and　new　aviation　alloys。　In　1998；　Boeing　decided　to　take　this　a　step　further　
and　open　an　aeronautical　engineering　design　office　in　Moscow。　Boeing　located　the　
office　in　the　twelve…story　Moscow　tower　that　McDonald's　built　with　all　the　rubles　
it　made　from　selling　Big　Macs　in　Moscow　before　the　end　of　communism…　money　that　
McDonald's　had　pledged　not　to　take　out　of　the　country。　
Seven　years　later；　said　Pickering；　〃we　now　have　eight　hundred　Russian　engineers　and　
scientists　working　for　us　and　we're　going　up　to　at　least　one　thousand　and　maybe；　over　
time；　to　fifteen　hundred。〃　The　way　it　works；　he　explained；　is　that　Boeing　contracts　
with　different　Russian　aircraft　companies…companies　that　were　famous　in　the　Cold　War　
for　making　warplanes；　companies　with　names　like　Ilyushin；　Tupolev；　and　Sukhoi…and　
they　provide　the　engineers…to…order　for　Boeing's　different　projects。　Using　
French…made　airplane　design　software；　the　Russian　engineers　collaborate　with　their　
colleagues　at　Boeing　America　…in　both　Seattle　and　Wichita；　Kansas…in　computer…aided　
airplane　designs。　Boeing　has　set　up　a　twenty…four…hour　workday。　It　consists　of　two　
shifts　in　Moscow　and　one　shift　in　America。　Using　fiber…optic　cables；　advanced　
compression　technologies；　and　aeronautical　work　flow　software；　〃they　just　pass　their　
designs　back　and　forth　from　Moscow　to　America；〃　Pickering　said。　There　are　
videoconferencing　facilities　on　every　floor　of　Boeing's　Moscow　office；　so　the　
engineers　don't　have　to　rely　on　e…mail　when　they　have　a　problem　to　solve　with　their　
American　counterparts。　They　can　have　a　face…to…face　conversation。　
Boeing　started　outsourcing　airplane　design　workto　Moscow　as　an　experiment；　a　sideline；　
but　today；　with　a　shortage　of　aeronautical　engineers　in　America；　it　is　a　necessity。　
Boeing's　ability　to　blend　these　lower…cost　Russian　engineers　with　higher…cost；　more　
advanced　American　design　teams　is　enabling　Boeing　to　compete　head…to…head　with　its　
archrival；　

Airbus　Industries；　which　is　subsidized　by　a　consortium　of　European　governments　and　
is　using　Russian　talent　as　well。　A　U。S。　aeronautical　engineer　costs　120　per　design　
hour；　a　Russian　costs　about　one…third　of　that。　
But　the　outsourcees　are　also　outsourcers。　The　Russian　engineers　have　outsourced　
elements　of　their　work　for　Boeing　to　Hindustan　Aeronautics　in　Bangalore；　which　
specializes　in　digitizing　airplane　designs　so　as　to　make　them　easier　to　manufacture。　
But　this　isn't　the　half　of　it。　In　the　old　days；　explained　Pickering；　Boeing　would　
say　to　its　Japanese　subcontractors；　〃We　will　send　you　the　plans　for　the　wings　of　the　

777。　We　will　let　you　make　some　of　them　and　then　we　will　count　on　you　buying　the　whole　
airplanes　from　us。　It's　a　win…win。〃　
Today　Boeing　says　to　the　giant　Japanese　industrial　company　Mitsubishi；　〃Here　are　the　
general　parameters　for　the　wings　of　the　new　7E7。　You　design　the　finished　product　and　
build　it。〃　But　Japanese　engineers　are　very　expensive。　So　what　happens？　Mitsubishi　
outsources　elements　of　the　outsourced　7E7　wing　to　the　same　Russian　engineers　Boeing　
is　using　for　other　parts　of　the　plane。　Meanwhile；　some　of　these　Russian　engineers　
and　scientists　are　leaving　the　big　Russian　airplane　companies；　setting　up　their　own　
firms；　and　Boeing　is　considering　buying　shares　in　some　of　these　start…ups　to　have　
reserve　engineering　capacity。　

All　of　this　global　sourcing　is　for　the　purpose　of　designing　and　building　planes　faster　
and　cheaper；　so　that　Boeing　can　use　its　cash　to　keep　innovating　for　the　next　generation　
and　survive　the　withering　competition　from　Airbus。　Thanks　to　the　triple　convergence；　
it　now　takes　Boeing　eleven　days　to　build　a　737；　down　from　twenty…eight　days　just　a　
few　years　ago。　Boeing　will　build　its　next　generation　of　planes　in　three　days；　because　
all　the　parts　are　being　computer…designed