China Fortunes: A Tale of Business in the New World

“China Fortunes is a smart and stylish take on what business really is in modern China. Kuhns knows both cold, and most important, he can tell a great story. . .ironic, fast moving and sharply observed. It will lock you in.”  Terry McDonell, editor, Sports Illustrated Group

John D. Kuhns, Chairman & CEO of China Hydroelectric Corporation, China's largest owner of small hydroelectric projects; of Kuhns Brothers, an investment bank raising money for Chinese companies; and of the China Hand Fund, a private equity fund investing in Chinese companies, is announcing the launch of his new novel, "China Fortunes:  A Tale of Business in the New World" published by Wiley (Wiley; Hardcover; January 2011; $34.95; 978-0-470-92804-2).

A modern but timeless global business story in the spirit of James Clavell, China Fortunes is a vast and sweeping tale addressing one of today's hottest topics--doing business in China.

Taking readers on the ground from China's early opening up to current times, the book traces the changes of fortune and cultural edification of Jack Davis, an American financier lured by the spectacular promise of the confusing land, from early success and a meteoric IPO that seems too easy, to treachery and loss, and triumphant financial and emotional renewal.

• Describes the difficulties and ambivalence awaiting those foreigners brave or foolish enough to try to do business in a land that has only hesitantly embraced capitalism while gleefully gobbling up a majority of the world's direct investment
• Follows the money in glittering multi-national deals, from the bond trading floors of Wall Street to the opaque world of investment boutiques, IPOs, market crashes and business failures
• Stops along the way in the PRC's capitals--Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, or 'Fake China'--and visits the feudal but enchanting reality of the country's back roads
• Portrays the human dimensions--the greed and venality, as well as the tenderness and beauty--that have both cautioned and beguiled those interested in China and its culture forever

Drawing on the experiences of one of the first western entrepreneurs and investment bankers to do business in China, this exciting tale makes you hold your breath, hoping for fortune but risking it all, taking the same gamble facing every business person visiting the Middle Kingdom since Marco Polo. “Reality is disappointing, Jack," the book explains. "China is better.”