Page 195 - How China Is Winning the Tech Race

manager Seth Morris, publicist Kenya Henderson, national account manager,
Amazon.com Richard Callison, and from Hong Kong, sales manager Tamie
Sung.
The finish line for this book—proofing the pages for any final revisions—
was reached in Hainan Island during a tiring Thanksgiving weekend. Known
as the Hawaii of China, Hainan is a copy of the American island resort, just
like Silicon Dragon startups Tudou, Baidu, ChinaCars and Eachnet mimic
YouTube, Google, the AAA and eBay. It turned out to be an appropriate
finale, marked by fireworks that sounded as loud as dynamite and lit up my
room from a nearby celebration on the beach.
I was warned by colleagues that writing a book is a “labor of love.” Yes,
it is a lot of work—and it involves sacrifice, not just for the author but for the
author’s loved ones.
My family backed me up in the U.S. From small-town Ohio, mom, you
were always there, asking, “What chapter are you on now?” Thanks, too, to
Kelly and Kyle in Columbus and Deborah and Tom in Chicago, and my rel-
atives scattered throughout Ohio. And, how can I forget my brother Bret,
who was an inspiration for my writing this book, and my father, a professor
at Ohio University. From New York City, my husband John Delmar, an intel-
lectually gifted attorney, proved to be the steady and guiding force I have
counted on for years. He read and reviewed drafts, and offered just the right
amount of feedback.
Thanks to each one of you for your patience, and for giving me the space
to turn my dream into reality.
Rebecca A. Fannin
November 28, 2007

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