(FORTUNE Magazine) – When Trammell Crow needed a China expert to help him negotiate terms for building a $300 million trade center in Shanghai, he turned to Steven Lo, 40, head of the Asiatic International consulting firm in Dallas. But for a lesson on how not to deal with the Chinese, he could simply have read Lo's new novel, The Incorporation of Eric Chung. It's the humorous tale of a Taiwanese immigrant who becomes president of a startup company that fails miserably in its attempts to make money trading with the Chinese mainland. In real life, Lo is optimistic about the prospects for dealing with China: ''Years ago, the terms were very unfavorable for real estate projects. Now we're talking about a 50-year land lease, and you don't have to give any profits back.'' Lo also believes the political situation will improve. ''I think we'll see some drastic changes soon. There are so many opportunities for people to radically demonstrate their grievances'' -- May Day, for example, or the June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.