Mao’s Heirs Show Their Colors
Colors QL-Art, China: "Faster, higher, stronger" -
Beijing has long internalized the Olympic motto. Hardly any other
mega metropolis is changing its face so rapidly, so impressively.
But it's not only the work of architects that is record-breaking.
China's printers are also "artists," as the commercial
print shop QL-Art proves.
Guoliang Zhu is a businessman with body and soul. That's not unusual for the Chinese - especially for those born in the year of the rooster like Guoliang. According to Chinese horoscopes, "roosters" are born leaders: intelligent, communicative and always passionate about their work. You can't describe Guoliang much better than that. For example: to celebrate a particular occasion, he invited a few friends to an exclusive restaurant in downtown Beijing. Ambience, food, service - everything was first-rate. Only the menu didn't fit in: pale colors, poor paper, and even register problems could be seen. On the spur of the moment, Guoliang handed the dumbfounded head waiter his business card and revealed himself as print shop owner. "Perhaps the restaurant would like to order a few new menus soon," Guoliang said with a mischievous smile.
Guoliang has a lot of sense about what kind of business the company pursues. That's why books, illustrated volumes, magazines, fashion brochures and corporate brochures, all in high quality, become typical jobs for QL-Art. Many of the Beijing commercial print shop's customers are artists. The fact that they feel well taken care of at QL-Art must lie in the philosophy of its three founders, Guoliang (38), Qi Bai (40) and Haiying Wang (40). "Printing is an art for us, a process of creation at the end of which a unique product should
emerge," says Guoliang.
So the company name, QL-Art, is fitting. The initials "QL" stand for Qi Bai and GuoLiang Zhu. Haiying Wang's initial exists in the company's Chinese name but not English name. But that's OK with him. The only thing that counts for him is the here and now of daily life in the print shop. And in this respect, he is happy as a clam in his position as production manager. Qi directs the technology and administration departments and Guoliang, as Sales Director and General Manager, is the head of QL-Art. Qi and Haiying are the perfect cast of characters for their positions, and not just according to their horoscopes: As typical "monkeys," they use their resourcefulness to solve even the most difficult problems - whether having to do with appointments, technical issues or anything else. In so doing, Qi is the perfectionist and Haiying the harmonizing force.
Friends from college
The three met in 1987 at the Beijing Institute of Printing where they attended college together. "We've been good friends ever since and have never lost sight of one another," says Qi. This is true although they initially went their own ways after completing their studies and worked in different print shops. While life took Qi to Shenzhen in the south of China, Guoliang and Haiying remained in Beijing with a population of 12 million.
You can download the complete article on the top right-hand side.
Guoliang Zhu is a businessman with body and soul. That's not unusual for the Chinese - especially for those born in the year of the rooster like Guoliang. According to Chinese horoscopes, "roosters" are born leaders: intelligent, communicative and always passionate about their work. You can't describe Guoliang much better than that. For example: to celebrate a particular occasion, he invited a few friends to an exclusive restaurant in downtown Beijing. Ambience, food, service - everything was first-rate. Only the menu didn't fit in: pale colors, poor paper, and even register problems could be seen. On the spur of the moment, Guoliang handed the dumbfounded head waiter his business card and revealed himself as print shop owner. "Perhaps the restaurant would like to order a few new menus soon," Guoliang said with a mischievous smile.
Guoliang has a lot of sense about what kind of business the company pursues. That's why books, illustrated volumes, magazines, fashion brochures and corporate brochures, all in high quality, become typical jobs for QL-Art. Many of the Beijing commercial print shop's customers are artists. The fact that they feel well taken care of at QL-Art must lie in the philosophy of its three founders, Guoliang (38), Qi Bai (40) and Haiying Wang (40). "Printing is an art for us, a process of creation at the end of which a unique product should
emerge," says Guoliang.
So the company name, QL-Art, is fitting. The initials "QL" stand for Qi Bai and GuoLiang Zhu. Haiying Wang's initial exists in the company's Chinese name but not English name. But that's OK with him. The only thing that counts for him is the here and now of daily life in the print shop. And in this respect, he is happy as a clam in his position as production manager. Qi directs the technology and administration departments and Guoliang, as Sales Director and General Manager, is the head of QL-Art. Qi and Haiying are the perfect cast of characters for their positions, and not just according to their horoscopes: As typical "monkeys," they use their resourcefulness to solve even the most difficult problems - whether having to do with appointments, technical issues or anything else. In so doing, Qi is the perfectionist and Haiying the harmonizing force.
Friends from college
The three met in 1987 at the Beijing Institute of Printing where they attended college together. "We've been good friends ever since and have never lost sight of one another," says Qi. This is true although they initially went their own ways after completing their studies and worked in different print shops. While life took Qi to Shenzhen in the south of China, Guoliang and Haiying remained in Beijing with a population of 12 million.
You can download the complete article on the top right-hand side.
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