they come. … I’m opening a Chinese
restaurant in Napa this summer. … So I
will start that as part of California Cen-
ter work. So we recruited some master
chefs from China that are going to be
promoting the history of China, because
a lot of the vineyards were started by
Chinese … 150 years ago. The Chinese
(workers) were shipped from China to
help build the Union Pacific Railroad.
After they (finished) the railroad, they
built a lot of vineyards here. I’m trying
to go back and tell the story in memory
of the Chinese contribution, because
over 50 percent of the tourists in Napa
(are) Asian. A few decades ago, the
Chinese (went to Napa and asked), “How
much is (a bottle of) wine?” Then they
say, “How much is a case of wine?” Now
they come in and say, “I want to buy
you out.” So there’s a lot of investment
coming to Napa. There’s a lot of interest
from overseas.
We’re talking on the heels of a trade
deal being made with China. What
are your initial thoughts on the deal?
I think it’s a good start. It is a healthy
start. But people like us that are bring-
ing products every day … we are en-
countering 25 percent duty, 15 percent,
10 percent duty. These are just hurting
our business tremendously. … The
bad news is we have to pay extra, we’re
losing business. The only good news is
everybody got hurt, I’m not the only one.
Overall, I think this is a good start. It’s
a good wake-up call for both China and
the U.S. in the way that they see more of
how (everyone got hurt with the trade
war). … Hopefully, phase two will show
a reduction of tariff; market opening is
crucial. I think the Chinese are willing
to buy $200 billion in the next two years.
It could happen. … If (the) U.S. is afraid
of China (importing), it is our fault
that we did not aggressively go out and
export ourselves. … We’re very defen-
sive, we’re not offensive. The exporting
(of manufacturing) to China … we’re
losing a lot of jobs. (But) we have a lot of
value (in terms of) technology to export.
It doesn’t help the people who lose their
jobs, but it helps the country by get-
ting another segment that can be very
strong. So there’s a shift between all
these workers in manufacturing being
taken away, but all the technology peo-
ple win. Whether we can shift that and
still be a happy camper in the United
States, that’s the challenge.
This is our annual Women in Leader-
ship issue. What advice do you have
for young professionals who want to
become leaders in their field?
Honestly, I really don’t feel that because
I’m a woman I’m inferior. I have more
difficulty being recognized as a woman
in the United States than I do in China.
Because I’m in a unique position, I was
able to be accepted by Chinese traders
— I live here, I’m a U.S. citizen, I can
speak the language, I’m very much wel-
comed by them because of my knowl-
edge to help them make things happen.
For the youngsters, it’s all about your
deliverables, it’s all about your track
record. … I’m proven by my persistence,
my perseverance and my delivera-
bles. … I always say, when people are
sleeping, when they are having fun, I
am working. That’s how I survive. I’m
originally from Hong Kong. When I
come to the U.S., I start to adapt to the
U.S. I start doing business in China, so
I adapt to China. I’m just saying, I am
an adaptable person, and I work hard.
I encourage all the youngsters to keep
working. When you do business, you put
in 10, you only get one. But someday, you
put in 10, you get 20. Of course, there are
times I put in five, I get nothing, or I put
in five, I get 40. There are times I put in
10, I get zero. You just average it out. You
want to get achievements psychologi-
cally and monetarily. Your ego and your
status, that’s what you need to build on
your own.
Sena Christian is managing editor of
Comstock’s. On Twitter @SenaCChristian
or senachristian.com.
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