Blogger prepares for trip to China by explaining to everyone why he's going

Ever since I've been in business—15 years or so—I've read speeches, employee newsletter articles, white papers and books about the global economy.

The global economy, the global marketplace, the global village—global this and global that.

Tom Friedman's book, The World Is Flat, is only the latest of a million lectures on this subject, each more strident and finger-wagging than the last.

In fact, there's only one subject I've heard more about over the last few years than globalism: China. China's growing entrepreneurialism, China's massive workforce, China's emergence as a rival to U.S. economic supremacy—China, China, China, China.

So when my wife's Chinese-speaking uncle invited me to join him and a number of other people on a tour of China this July, I said, almost zombie-like: I have to go. And so I am going; and taking my sister along with me, and leaving my generous wife and dear baby girl for three whole weeks.

The first surprise of many that I'm sure will come from this trip was the near-uniformity of the reaction I've gotten from friends and colleagues, all of whom would no doubt agree that globalism is king and that China may change the entire balance of world power over the next decade?

"Why are you going to China?"

When I told my dad on the telephone that I was not only going to China but taking my younger sister along, too, there was silence on the other end of the line. I broke it: "I know, Dad. We're not China people." No, he said. We're not.

I did not remind him of his favorite quote: "Every once in a while a man should do something he's a little afraid of."

Look: I never thought I would go to China. In many ways, I dread going to China. It seems to a Midwestern man like going to Mars: I expect it to be strange and uncomfortable and inhospitable, and I only hope I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'm going to China because it is exciting and because I know it will be good for me to have been there.

The question is: Why aren't you coming to China with me?

P.S. I'll be gone July 5-July 23, and as getting away from e-mail, voice mail and the blogosphere in general is one of the most appealing parts of the trip, I'm not planning to post from there. At the considerable risk of becoming Wally Pipp to his Lou Gehrig, I've lined up a star guest blogger to take my place for those three weeks. More on the inimitable Hal Gordon as my departure date approaches.