Detailing his disastrous experiences of trying to do business in China, Roger Lin's (林志昇) new book, entitled Escape from China (從中國大陸出逃), is scheduled to hit bookshelves today. His story paints a harrowing picture of how Chinese bureaucracy destroyed his multi-million dollar investment.
"I am grateful that I now have a second chance to start all over again back here in Taiwan," Lin said.
Lin, a 52-year-old educator, said in the book that he had endured house arrest, kidnapping, blackmail and false imprisonment in China. He finally opted to escape from China by paying a fisherman to place him on a Taiwan-bound ship back to Kinmen after surviving a decade of disaster in China.
"I had to give up everything to stay alive," he said.
Back in 1994, Lin invested 150 million yuan (NT$600 million) to establish four schools in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, including a kindergarten and a senior high school. In the early days of the venture, Lin said he entrusted the business to his China-based partner -- Boda Co (博達公司), which owned some 20 percent of the venture.
Boda then illegally absorbed his shares and ran the schools into the red, he said. Although he tried to file suit in China's courts, he ended up being accused of occupying the school properties after legal authorities allegedly sided with his China-based partner and coerced him into paying of debts of 8 million yuan (NT$32 million), he said in the book.
"I am not exaggerating anything. I just want to tell my story to advise those who only want to look at the bright side of investing in China. I hope others don't have to go through the pain of what I've been through," he said.
The book mentions other investors who won't talk about their failures in Chengdu, because they still hoping to re-invest in China. They include executives from Wei-chuan Foods Corp (味全食品) and Want Want Group (旺旺集團).
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