Tim Clissold’s is not the typical “business gone south” story. He visited China as an accountant in 1988, and fell hard for its mystique. He quit his job and spent two years learning Mandarin in Beijing. Then, he founded an investment compay, raised a $400 million capital, crisscrossed the Chinese country, and invested in Chinese factories.

But to tap China’s potential, Clissold quickly learned, would mean operating outside any rule book, because rules in China didn’t matter. Clissold responded as best he could when workers revolted, when millions disappeared, when the government turned its back and things got very strange. For a decade, he wrestled his way into China’s huge and opaque economy. He lost millions in the process but never lost his love of the country.

Hear a conversation with Tim Clissold about his wild ride through China on the brink of capitalism.

Guests:

Tim Clissold, co-founder of an investment company that put $400 million into Chinese factories, and author of “Mr. China: A Memoir.”