The thoughts of chairman martin

Common mistakes
A surprising number of British consultants set off for China without doing their homework. They have expensively prepared competition entries and detailed models, but they don't understand the politics behind the competition. For example, they don't know that there is a requirement (for the moment) to work in conjunction with a Chinese design institute, or that the president of that institute may well chair the competition jury. They don't even know how they would complete the work if they won it.

Other practices continue to operate from Hong Kong – not the most popular of cities from a Beijing point of view – and wonder why they cannot get appointed to some of the more prestigious projects despite entering design work of an exceptional standard.

Inevitably, British directors become disgruntled when they lose large sums of money on their ventures and refuse to recognise that the fault lies with their lack of preparation and not with China.

Well, is it worth the risk? The answer is yes – but only if you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, have something different to offer and can accept occasionally working outside the rules.

Know your market
Where are the projects and how do you access clients? Do you "hit" China – all of its 31 provinces, five autonomous regions and numerous large cities? (You wouldn't do Europe in one step, so why China?) It is at this point that a sense of reality begins to dawn. China is the third largest country in the world, and it calls for strategy and focus. All the more so since business development costs are high and the average lead-in period to fee-paying work is about nine months – although you can reduce this by working with a well-established local partner.

It also helps to listen to the client and try to understand what it wants, and not what you think it wants. Equally, there is no point bickering with consultants in the UK over who will take on the subconsultancy work when you are faced with a tight timescale and a contract already signed by the Chinese lead consultant.

These situations can be easily remedied by researching the market, accepting what experienced local consultants can tell you and being flexible and quick off the mark.

Don't get star-struck
It is not uncommon for even the best-known architects to be working without a contract for a client they have little knowledge of and to discover too late that the client's assets have been frozen, that fee payments are at best delayed or at worst will never be made. Too often such risks are ignored amid the prestige of working on landmark projects, a desire not to get into tough negotiations with the client and fear of losing the job and credibility among peers.

Jobs for the taking China is a young but immense market, and although most companies experience some difficulties in understanding the business culture to begin with, the rewards are there for those who find a local partner. Going it alone is not an option – unless you have very deep pockets.

Premier design institutes in larger cities, such as China Architectural Design & Research Group of Beijing or East China Design & Research Institute of Shanghai, operate all over the country. The Shanghai Modern Architecture Group is an association of all design institutes in the city. Elsewhere, suitably experienced institutes or other local partners tend to be thin on the ground.