What one talks about when one talks about chuhai | Following the Yuan

While there’s an overlap between export and chuhai, the latter is much more complex, involving not just sales but also investment, manufacturing, branding and marketing.

Chuhai, a colloquial term for Chinese enterprises going overseas, does not only denote a business activity. It carries avowals of adventure and heroism.

When Chinese companies explain their plans for chuhai, many refer to Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans (郑和下西洋), a series of maritime expeditions during the Ming dynasty in early 15th century. The…