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Oriental Baby Eyes Hong Kong

Pre-school education has become a promising industry in China with an ever-extraordinary focus on investing in children. Headquartered in Beijing, the Oriental Baby Care Consulting Company, Limited is the only professional and private pre-school education centre on the mainland.

In 1999, Jia Jun, general manager of Oriental Baby Care introduced the Lamaze method (a method of childbirth in which the expectant mother is prepared psychologically and physically to give birth without the use of drugs) and the PAT (Parents as Teachers) education model into the China. After revising them in accordance with Chinese culture, Jia opened her own business franchises throughout China that provide services to parents of children from birth through early childhood. At that time, she was ambitious of success.

During the earlier period, Jia kept her enterprise running by painstaking efforts. Tardily, she questioned herself several times and modified her business strategy. Now, Oriental Baby Care has 115 locations in 71 cities nationwide. But, as a model of privately funded business success, Jia is not stopping to rest.

“Things have changed. Years ago, the pre-school education market was blank. But now we have competitors. In addition, people’ s lifestyles are also different, which brings us new opportunities. If Oriental Baby Care intends to keep on top, we have to find new ways to keep it compatible,”  Jia said firmly.

Eyeing the new sector’s potential, Oriental Baby Care promotes e-commerce and catalogue sales to make things more convenient for customers who want to buy baby stuff.

“The business mainly relies on our Web site.” Thirteen percent who come to it are customers, Jia said. “Most of them are busy with their lives. So Oriental Baby Care provides baby products and training courses with the help of information technology. “

As a beneficiary of information technologies, she acquired information on childhood education mainly via the Internet.

“Of course, the foundation of Oriental Baby Care is still training,”  Jia said. Though the regulation does not list specific requirements for teachers, to maintain educational quality, most teachers of Oriental Baby Care are experienced mothers or have a medical and baby education background.

Jia said she thinks that education is different from other industries.

“Because of high costs and people’ s limited understanding of professional pre-school education, profits are limited. Pre-school education needs people’ s love.”  She takes this point into consideration when looking for business partners. “Our partners should identify with our concept that profits should not be the only thing to pursue. Such partnerships promote reciprocal learning that can enrich future programmes and further the research agenda.”

Jia is proud that the pursuit of high quality has won Oriental Baby Care a good reputation in the circle.

Referring to her latest trip to Hong Kong, Jia said little to keep others guessing.

“I was invited to join a Business Study Group related to Beijing small and medium enterprises coming into the Hong Kong market, without advisements. So everything is in a daze.”

She revealed, however, Oriental Baby Care has registered in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong has a better investment environment for small enterprises based on mainland to develop. Since Oriental Baby Care has developed steadily in recent years, the expansion is necessary. But the timing is not good for entering the Hong Kong market now,”  Jia said, adding, “Searching partners for further development in Hong Kong is our tentative plan, nevertheless, the prior task lying in front of us is to keep ahead on the mainland.”

Though staying for only a couple of days, Jia was impressed by the service awareness and the professional ethics of the Hong Kong Committee on Trade and Development.

“They are very efficient, as they are familiar with the situation on the mainland.”

Having tasted the flavour of business in Hong Kong, Jia found lots of things to do.

“Hong Kong is an international city, including its financial system, social security and its laws. The most interesting impression comes from the intermingling of eastern and western cultures. It offers a platform to experience novelty, challenge yourself and increase your reach into diverse cultures.”

“In the coming years, we plan to add up to 250 to 300 centres in China.” Jia said with expectation. And then it will be time for the mainland baby to kiss the Hong Kong market.