Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
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<strong>Tombrello</strong>–245<br />
TOMBRELLO: Somebody very clever twenty years ago got India moving in that direction. Both<br />
countries are going to find obstacles, partly bureaucratic. In the case of China, there will be<br />
particularly a certain degree of, oh, I won’t say criminal activity, but probably close to it, in the<br />
sense of entrepreneurship that crosses the line. It’s a little hard to imagine starting a business in<br />
China <strong>with</strong>out having a very powerful Chinese partner. I don’t know about India, but probably<br />
it’s easier there, provided you can get through the impenetrable bureaucracy. There’s an<br />
enormous amount of poverty in India, though. China has been much more successful at cutting<br />
down on infant death and all of that. The infrastructure may be primitive in many places out in<br />
the boondocks in China, but there is infrastructure out there. There are roads. There are power<br />
lines. India is a very poor country when you get out of the cities. Very, very poor. And it will<br />
take a long time to do anything about that. I’m no expert on India. I’m certainly no expert on<br />
China, either.<br />
ASPATURIAN: No, but it’s interesting to hear your perspective. You’ve been to China a number<br />
of times, at different periods in its recent history.<br />
TOMBRELLO: Well, I think when you interviewed me about the trip in ’85, I may have told you<br />
the story: I got this call on the phone from somebody at the World Bank, asking me if I would<br />
go—such a great thing, to go see China. I said, “I’ve been. It’s like living in a Midwestern<br />
YMCA.” He said, “But you haven’t hung up.” I said, “No. I am totally, totally entranced by the<br />
idea of seeing something that big move that fast.” Every time we went there, it was different.<br />
Our last visit, in ’97, was to Shanghai. You know, what they say in China is, “Shanghai—that’s<br />
where they do things first.” That is not a compliment. I said, “Oh, it’s just like L.A.!”<br />
[Laughter] But you know if there’s a trend, like it or not, it probably started in L.A. and<br />
eventually spread to the rest of the country. Shanghai is actually very much like New York City.<br />
The Chinese say it’s a foreign city in China. You know, it’s a Western city, and I think that’s<br />
certainly an attitude thing. It’s full of Chinese people, but there is a New York attitude about the<br />
way they know they’re special. They’re not a big village like Beijing—which they often say<br />
there—they’re different. It’s fun going to Shanghai.<br />
ASPATURIAN: 1997 was your most recent visit?<br />
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