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Precis: " Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia" (1997) by Jame Watson

Jame Watson’s 1997 article “Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia" examines the image of McDonald’s in the minds of ordinary Chinese people, particularly on how it fit into the Chinese market, as well as the ways in which Beijing consumers have appropriated McDonald’s for their own use. Through his research, Watson portrays how McDonald’s is seen as the symbol of America, however it needed to cater to local taste. As such, the success of McDonald’s in China is not so much because of its Americanized cultural taste that was imported, rather, that it had to be repackaged into the Chinese culture through appropriation and localization while retaining its Americanized food service culture and corporate philosophy. As such, the attraction was not so much about the food but the atmosphere and the fulfilling experience which brought about new behaviors such as good manners, soft spoken public, good hygiene and cleanliness. Overall, this article is helpful to the general reading public as it is written in a readable format and uses appropriate examples to clarify arguments.

(July 2, 2019)

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