A big dream of adventure and fierce drive to succeed
Print Edition
Inspired by the adventurous stories he had heard about his great-great-grandfather, Jared Bishop Schultze decided to realize a dream in China.
Starting off with little money and no friends, the German-American now has a great network of friends and a comfortable life as the ambassador of InterNations in Shanghai, the world’s leading expat network with 1.5 million members in 390 cities around the world.
He also runs two Italian restaurants, La Bota and Nolita, and a wine shop after being here for five years.
When he was 18, Schultze decided to come to China after learning from his mother the story of his great-great-grandfather, John Bishop Carpenter. Carpenter was a poor young man in his 20s when he decided to set off from Kentucky in 1852 with a group of five other men in search of gold. They sailed around Cape Horn and backed up the western coast of South America and North America to reach the shores of California.
The journey and then the process of mining the ground turned out to be such an arduous task that Carpenter was one of the only two men that survived. But by the end he had accomplished his goal and returned with gold. Later he started a family and a large farm and ultimately became a famous Kentucky politician.
“After learning his incredible story, I came to believe it is in my blood to be adventurous and believe in myself. It also helped give me a solid dream. I felt I wanted to have a great adventure like him more than anything else, and if it wasn’t for that goal pushing me, I would have surely given up a long time ago,” say Schultze. “And that is the reason I shared the same middle name ‘Bishop’.”
Shortly after his economics professor told him that China had a big future, he started to learn Chinese and economics. After graduation, he worked in politics for four years, first as an executive assistant to former Kentucky Governor Julian M. Carroll and then helping organize several state Senate campaigns.
“It was now or never if I was really going to take the trip. So I booked a flight and arrived in China with zero regrets,” says Schultze.
Taking every opportunity he could, he discovered that even if something didn’t work out, he was always better off than he was before, just from the experience or people he met.
As the ambassador for InterNations, Schultze finds it very satisfying to meet so many interesting people. He thinks networking is essential for success in almost anyone’s life. Being a good host and ambassador, he holds many networking events and activities. Moreover, he has mapped out a clear direction for InterNations in 2015, with a mission to raise the standard of exclusive and professional networking.
Running two restaurants with two partners on Dagu Road, Schultze started importing Spanish wines and now also brings in wine from Chile, the US and New Zealand. He also helps run a wine company, Rungis Fine Wines.
“I believe the best gain of life is the art of nuance: taking things as they come, not judging yourself too harshly and avoiding extremes in points of view,” says Schultze. “Everyone is different. I know that for me — specifics can drag me down. That’s why I was lucky in that I made a very high but vague goal. In that way there were many paths to get it accomplished.”
Work takes up almost all of his time, but he thinks it’s worth it. What drives him is the passion to achieve something grand and return home with glory.
During his spare time, Schultze likes exploring the back streets of Shanghai by riding on a scooter. When talking about his favorite place in the city, he thinks his home is the most comfortable place, with its enchanting view of Fuxing Park.
“Shanghai is an amazing city and does not move slowly,” says Schultze. “It will not pick up your slack. So if you are coming here to live, you need to be aggressive in networking and learning how the city works. That’s why networking in this city is the key; you just can’t do it by yourself.”
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