The greatest thing that ever happened to me in my life was being allowed to do business in Macau and in China. I love it here. It has been the greatest single event in my commercial career. Period.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Growing up in Singapore, I wasn't allowed to visit China. So when I was finally able to go there after the country began opening up to tourism in the 1990s, I found it to be utterly astounding.
I was posted to China in the summer of 1988, which was the greatest time ever, I think, to have been in China.
In practice, I've had a presence in China since 1998 with my commercial spaces and shops.
Beijing was a huge slap in the face, and it forced me to look at myself. I have to realise that this is my life.
I think my greatest moment in business was when the first Southwest airplane arrived after four years of litigation, and I walked up to it and I kissed that baby on the lips and I cried.
How much the greatest event it is that ever happened in the world! And how much the best!
Asia has always been a really exciting part of the world for me, personally. And it actually was the first part of the world that bought my brand, strangely enough.
I've been to some of the most amazing cities in the world.
The Macau casinos have a wonderful business, it's taking in money from Chinese businessmen elsewhere who send it through junky companies to casinos to gamble. The growth continues and they have basically western managers and western accounting, so we trust the numbers a little bit more.
It was a great experience for me - the ups and downs - because I became a man in Philadelphia.