When people ask me what I do for a living I often struggle to explain myself – being a ‘Product Manager’ can mean a lot of different things but whether you’re building something physical like a car, or virtual like an app, a Product Manager has to be able to operate on multiple fronts to juggle business, technical, and creative demands.
During my previous trip to Wuzhen (an ancient canal town near Shanghai) I was lucky enough to come across an old silk production factory which was still in active use, albeit mainly as a living museum these days. The process of turning a silkworm cocoon into fabric, known as sericulture, is fascinating so I took some photos and videos to show how it’s done: Silkworms (technically moths) are cultivated in controlled environments with a female laying up to 400 eggs at a time. Once hatched, the larvae are fed huge quantities of mulberry leaves (up to 50,000 times its initial weight!) for around six-weeks after which it spins a silk cocoon around itself (pupating). During this time it produces about a kilometer of silk filament…
Obtaining an employment visa (Z type) to work in China from the UK has been a real nightmare, seemingly compounded by the Olympics when things were further tightened up. The process isn’t very well documented anywhere so to try and possibly help others I thought I might relay my experiences. Please note that none of the below is in any way official and obviously subject to change – your mileage may vary! To apply for the Z visa from the UK your company will need to provide you with the following documentation: An employment permit An visa notification letter For them to get this documentation you will need give them: Passport (should be valid for at least 6 months with blank pages) Education (degree)…