MBA - China Experience

Well, after a solid 24 hours on three flights back to Portland I arrived (very very happily) at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.  It was so wonderful to see blue sky, drive a car, and enjoy the comforts of home such as your own bathroom and kitchen and water that you ‘t afraid to brush your teeth with or drink right from the tap!

• Our last day in Shanghai was a terrific one.  Rob Coomer and I adventured out into Shanghai to the Jade Budda Temple which is a very old temple that holds hundreds of jade, marble, gold, silver and brass statues of budda’s, gods, etc. - some amazing work is entombed in this temple and you just have to see if for yourself to believe the detailed works of art - some must have taken several hundred years to complete.  We wondered where the artisans learned their crafts - a question that remains unanswered.
• We also enjoyed feeding numerous (we’re talking perhaps a hundred?) coy fish of all sizes and we got some great pictures and video of the feeding and sucking on our fingers - a treat!
• From there we took a taxi to find the Yu-an Gardens in old town Shanghai - an oasis of calm in the middle of the city near the Bund, however, once the taxi driver dropped us off and pointed “that way” we never did find the gardens… instead we were sucked into the delicious sounds, smells, and sights of old town Shanghai - the architecture alone was worth the trip - this truly was old town and took us back thousands of years in time.  We tested fate and tried a Chinese restaurant for lunch in which we couldn’t read the menu (what’s new) and just picked from pictures, but all dishes ended up tasting terrific and we didn’t get sick!
• We walked and gawked at the buildings and people and began to begin hearing “you looking for watches?” … “you wants purses”…. “you need sunglasses?”, etc. and soon we were off an adventure with our own personal shopper leading the way - a middle aged Chinese woman with long black hair that took us down a tiny alley way and into a small room full of watches.  We did some heavy negotiating and everything purchased averaged 25% of their asking price (which was probably still too much, but bargaining was fun and we felt like we jot some great deals)… then the lady led us down the street and into another alley way and into a building with a tiny narrow very steep set of stairs (that were pretty rickety) and up into the second floor with a large room (by their standards), chalk full of designed purses!  I was in heaven, however, knowing I really didn’t need another purse I refused all offers to bargain and we left.
• Now we were just telling the lady what we wanted - I had to get a mau (kitty) that waives like you see here in town in the Vietnamese and Chinese shops and nail salons - the kitty that’s perpetually waiving to all the come by.  So we were off again to find the perfect waiving mau which I procured for few paltry dollars.
• As we walked around continuing to look (after about 15 minutes) we noticed we had a tail… the same woman had followed us - we thought we were done, but she was shadowing us in the street watching closely for anything we might be the slightest big interested in so she could pounce and take us on another adventure, but alas we were done.
• We walked down through a little garden and out to the Bund to take some pictures in daylight before heading off in another taxi back to the hotel.
• We met our professor and headed of to an amazing Italian dinner right by the Hilton - Casanova’s in case you ever go it’s totally worth it!  A little pricey by China standards, but great atmosphere, food and service.  Then we hit the House of Blues and Jazz to listen to some live music and have a few last beers in China to toast our good fortune for being able to travel half way around the world and enjoy a new culture.
• China was great fun, we made many new friends that we hope we stay in touch with, and we learned a lot in our classes and from the companies we consulted with.  One last bit of work to finish our consulting reports and present them July 16 - then we are done with our MBA’s!  Hallajulah!!!!!

All-

In this episode, we will wrap things up……

This scribe is back home in
Portland after a great flight. While long compared to domestic flights, it went well. The good old USA has plenty of things that we take for granted but a person really realizes how great it is here after being gone a while……..But now it’s time to work on my consulting project (the basic reason for going) and try to get that finished before next weekend.

As for the overall trip experience, it has been great. While it’s nice to be back, one could get used to the hospitality and lack of crime in
China….the smog and heavy traffic, not so much. But then again, no place is perfect. For anyone considering the trip next year, my thoughts are to start saving now and if there is any way to make the trip happen, you have to do it.

In reflecting back over the last 3 weeks, there are many memories that come to mind. With that said, the question I have been getting the most since I landed is “what is it like compared to the
US…..??” So….politically correct or not, here goes…..

In some ways, China is already ahead of the US…….to save energy, the newer hotels require a room key to operate everything…..so when you walk out the door with the key, everything shuts down. Granted a person can get 2 keys and cheat the system, but it’s a great idea. Also, in airports, if nobody is on the escalator, the thing shuts down. The sensor turns it back on when a person walks up to it……another great idea.

On education…..while the Chinese school systems are not up to the
US (hence everyone wants to come here) it is interesting to note the different emphasis and approaches many of the young students are taking. Granted, there are always exceptions to the rule, but whenever this writer talks about carrier paths with younger students, it appears to be a huge contrast. In the
US, many of the country’s brightest minds are going into the Psychology field or trying to become a lawyer. (Big money in lawsuits) In
China, they are going after degrees in engineering, finance/economics or something in the medical arena. In some “Majors” it is pretty normal for students over there to put in mass amounts of studying each day (12-15 hours) So, it will be interesting to see which country is better off in 20 years…………….

The gap in technology also appears to be closing fast. What was once a 30-50 year gap appears to be within 5 years now. From what we heard, the Chinese government is really pushing US businesses to bring research and development over to their country through tax incentives, etc. So, while the US is expanding social programs and will ultimately be forced to raise taxes to pay for them,
China is reducing taxes and enticing a lot of foreign investment. Again, in 20 years we will see how this plays out……

On the other side of things, the gap between the haves and have not’s seems to be getting bigger. There are large groups of Chinese people making a lot of money… (They have big shopping malls just like here)……but there are still hundreds of thousands who are very poor. While not actually going into any houses, one can easily see looking inside (from the street with doors left open) they are just a little better than our “dirt floor” days…..In fact, some of the very poor “shop keepers” appear to be living in the store’s back room…..and it’s not very big. And many of these same people are open for business from early AM until 10 or 11 at night……7 days a week. You have just got to feel sorry for them because it sure appears to be a miserable life… (At least by our standards)…..but then again, maybe they are happy.

So, as stated earlier, I could write a book…..but there is no reason to. Anyone considering the trip next year (of anytime on their own for that matter) needs to make it happen. My recommendation to everyone would be…..don’t wonder about my experiences .… go to
China and experience all these things yourself…. and then write your own book !!

For the last time…….over and out !!!!!!!!

Gary

All-

After saying good bye to everyone at Soochow University, we headed back to Shanghai. Lots of fun there…. from riding the bullet train (over 250 MPH with banked curves) to testing the subway underneath the city. A few of us went to “The Bund” and took pictures of the buildings all lit up. To top it off, we listened to some music and talked to the band (which just flew in from Boston, MA.) So, all and all another great trip segment.
Now it’s time to head home……….

Gary

• Well, the trip has almost come to it’s natural end.  We arrived in Shanghai from Suzhou yesterday - took about one hour, forty five minutes to drive to the hotel (Hilton) and then the rest of the crew drove to their hotels.  I can’t tell you how good a “real” firm bed and “real” pillows feel after two weeks in a college dorm room; needless to say, the bathroom and super hot shower were also a total treat  - so good I took two today! lol….
• Shanghai is an exceptional city - 16 million plus strong and it’s easy to see it’s size looking out a 35th floor window…. far bigger than NYC and it appears to have no end - as far as the eye can see … sky scrapers tall and small and lights galore - an amazing sight at night.
• We attended the World Expo last night - we were lucky…. it was pouring down rain all day and considering we waited until 8:00 p.m. to arrive at the Expo, the lines were short and flowing or non existent altogether which was a treat considering 480K people a day flow through the Expo and the average wait in line for a popular country exhibit is five to eight hours - insane!  We toured Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and tried to get into Taiwan, but it had just closed.  We took many pictures of the China pavilion which was incredible - they definitely spent multi millions on it and a lot of time and it shows.
  • The main structure of the China Pavilion, “The Crown of the East,” has a distinctive roof, made of traditional dougong or brackets, which date back more than 2,000 years. The dougong style features wooden brackets fixed layer upon layer between the top of a column and a crossbeam. This unique structural component of interlocking wooden brackets is one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture. Dougong was widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-467 BC).
• Considering it was pouring down rain while we were at the Expo, we were quite happy to head out.  We then went to the Bund - an incredible sight at night - not to be missed if you are ever in Shanghai - here’s the lowdown:

The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain, a newspaper, the Shanghai Club and the Masonic Club. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. This was initially a British settlement; later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. The former French Bund, east of the walled city was formerly more a working harbourside.By the 1940s the Bund housed the headquarters of many, if not most, of the major financial institutions operating in China, including the “big four” national banks in the Republic of China era. However, with the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, many of the financial institutions were moved out gradually in the 1950s, and the hotels and clubs closed or converted to other uses. The statues of colonial figures and foreign worthies which had dotted the riverside were also removed.In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the thawing of economic policy in the People’s Republic of China, buildings on the Bund were gradually returned to their former uses. Government institutions were moved out in favour of financial institutions, while hotels resumed trading as such. Also during this period, a series of floods caused by typhoons motivated the municipal government to construct a tall levee along the riverfront, with the result that the embankment now stands some 10 metres higher than street level. This has dramatically changed the streetscape of the Bund. In the 1990s, Zhongshan Road (named after Sun Yat-sen), the road on which the Bund is centred, was widened to ten lanes. As a result, most of the parkland which had existed along the road disappeared. Also in this period, the ferry wharves connecting the Bund and Pudong, which had served the area’s original purpose, were removed. A number of pleasure cruises still operate from some nearby wharves.In the 1990s the Shanghai government attempted to promote an extended concept of the Bund to boost tourism and land value in nearby values, as well as to reconcile the promotion of “colonial relics” with the Socialist ideology. In its expanded form, the term “Bund” (as “New Bund” or “Northern Bund”) was used to refer to areas south of the Yan’an Road, and a stretch of riverfront north of the Suzhou River (Zhabei). Such use of the term, however, remains rare outside of the tourism literature.The Bund was re-opened to the public on Sunday 28 March 2010 after restoration.^[1]

[edit]Layout

The China Merchant BankThe Bund stretches one mile along the bank of the Huangpu River. Traditionally, the Bund begins at Yan’an Road (formerly Edward VII Avenue) in the south and ends at Waibaidu Bridge (formerly Garden Bridge) in the north, which crosses Suzhou Creek.The Bund centres on a stretch of the Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat-sen. Zhongshan Road is a largely circular road which formed the traditional conceptual boundary of Shanghai city “proper”. To the west of this stretch of the road stands some 52 buildings of various Western classical and modern styles which is the main feature of the Bund (see Architecture and buildings below). To the east of the road was formerly a stretch of parkland culminating at Huangpu Park. This area is now much reduced due to the expansion of Zhongshan Road. Further east is a tall levee, constructed in the 1990s to ward off flood waters. The construction of this high wall has dramatically changed the appearance of the Bund.Near the Nanjing Road intersection stands what is currently the only bronze statue along the Bund. It is a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, in which is situated the Monument to the People’s Heroes - a tall, abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.

• The bund is amazing and we got many great pictures even with a low hanging fog after the rain cleared.  Then we were off the the house of blues and jazz just a few blocks off the Bund - a great place that I hope we go back to - awesome music!  A band from Boston, MA had just arrived Tuesday and has a four month contract to play six nights a week - Mike Null & The Soulcasters.  They are a newly formed band and have a great lead singer chick from LA - wonderful!
• Today I hung on my own and toured Nanjing Road - the famous shopping street that was recently reported on in the “How We Live” section of the Oregonian.  The article didn’t do it justice - a mass of stores and people hawking white and black market goods.  I went down into an “underground” black market area that was openly advertised on the street with masses of people heading in, but once you went downstairs and started walking the aisles in the back all of a sudden secret doors would open with  - “hey lady hey lady - I got purses, purses, purses, etc. etc.” - a trip. Needless to say I high-tailed it out of there, it was a bit overwhelming even though there were plenty of people down there shopping.  I took so many great pictures - I just hope they come out considering it rained all day and  by late afternoon the wind had picked up to 30 mph.  
• It will be soooooooo good to get home to Portland.  Just two more days!
• Take care!

• Hello again
• Just got back from dinner and a game of pool with the guys.
• I rolled my right foot this afternoon so it’s pretty sore.  Too funny…..I went to the campus store to see if they had ice (I know better than that) and of course after a few minutes of charades about ice a girl came in that spoke a little english and she then directed them to the ice cream bin/containter - like is in a 7eleven I guess - I then did more charades  about freezing and my hurt foot and they finally got the message.  Of course, they don’t have ice here in stores like the campus store so they began cutting ice off the sides of the ice cream bin for me - it was quite funny and sweet at the same time - they packed it in a small plastic bag for me and I went on my way.
• There are some things that are priceless and playing charades for everyday neccessities is one of them.  It’s amazing for how advanced the world is, just how much we can get done with simple body language and sounds like brrrrr…… cold!  :0 lol
• Enjoy your day - hope you get to play charades at least once today!

• Hello again, another busy day in Suzhou.  We toured the Wuzhong Group’s new planned community development that will house one million people once it’s complete - high rises, low rises, and “villas” which were very nice; Wuzhong also has what China defines as a five star hotel  -  it was very beautiful, but considering it’s China, it was not your “typical” five star hotel.  The guys hit some balls at the driving range for a few minutes as they have a huge driving range at the resort, then they treated us to a Chinese lunch (another big one) which was terrific. Everyone at the companies we are visiting has been so nice and many of them are interested in coming to Portland/Bend to see the area and perhaps do business.
• Last night NOV FiberGlass Systems treated us to a grand Chinese dinner - I finally broke down and tried the jellyfish - not my favorite - and a wonderful meat dish with short, chopped pieces of meat covered in some wonderful baked on crust with a yummy dip, as well as a few other new dishes that were pretty good.  We toasted many toasts and the team at FGS was a great bunch to hang out with.  We head back tomorrow for our last meetings and lunch and then say goodbye to them.
• Today we toured Black & Decker’s plant which was very interesting.  We will never look at power tools the same way…lol!  Their biggest product produced for the U.S. market is a grinder tool - they make about 11o0 per day. Working conditions were very good.
• Some additional items that may be of interest:
  • Ice Cream Cone - $.29 cents U.S.
  • Two bananas - $.29 cents U.S.
  • 1 Gallon of Gas - $6 - 7.00 U.S.
  • Starbucks Venti Mocha/Blueberry Muffin - $7.04 U.S.
• The air pollution is much worse today then it has been the past few days - like a heavy fog over the city and outlying areas.  We head to Shanghai day after tomorrow and are looking forward to seeing that city and all it has to offer.  Off to dinner with the guys and then working on our consulting reports.  I hope everyone back home is well and summer weather arrives by the time we get home Sunday.

All-

In this episode, we will cover the weekend in
Suzhou and and also Monday the 21^st…….

The weekend went well. The weather was very hot on Saturday night and the group decided to go to a local tourist attraction. Since we arrived a bit early, we had time to walk around and scope out some great values from the local vendors. (Nothing purchased since we didn’t want to carry things around…….) We then proceeded to watch several little performances. After that, then it was time to go back and hammer those vendors and try to land “more stuff” at low prices.

When the purchases were made, it was time to get down to some serious fun. Since this scribe had a birthday this weekend, Saturday night was the night to celebrate. Some of us were in good shape on Sunday morning and made it to the work-out track, others were a bit……..aahhh…….. “sluggish…..” 

Sunday afternoon the group went to a museum and then out to a great meal. It was all Chinese food and at a really nice place. Sunday night was pretty low key and lights out early……(read above paragraph for details…..)

Today (Monday) it was language class in the morning and meetings with our customer this afternoon. After another tough day at the office, 12 of us went out to another nice meal (and beers.) There must have been over 15 different dishes…..and yours truly tried a bit of everything. Most were pretty tasty, but the Jellyfish was not a big success……

Well, it’s time for this guy to call it a wrap on another episode. It’s “spring into action” at the work out track, then off to more meetings and meals. Later the afternoon consists of a plant tour at Black and Decker. I’m sure Tim the Tool Man will be proud……!!!!

Later,

Gary

• Ni Hao! Today is Monday in China, but its still father’s day back in the states so Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.
• Just us students went out on Saturday night and tied one on - celebrating Gary’s birthday at the stroke of midnight.  We expereinced the true night life of Suzhou including a few beers and kareoke (we didn’t actually sing…except to each other…lol) - but a mother/daughter Phillipino duo sang and they were excellent!  Needless to say we missed curfew and had to take measure into our own hands.  Enough said - what happens in Suzhou….stays in Suzhou!
• We just finished with our Mandarin lessons - here are a few choice phrases:
  • Wo ai mau - I love cats
  • Wo ai gou - I love dogs
  • Wa da xia za Oregon szou Portland Shur - I am from Portland Oregon.
  • Wu tzaio Julie - My name is Julie
  • Ni hau - yi yao qu (pronounced why yao choo) Starbucks! - I want to go to Starbucks. lol….
  • Ni  hui shuo yingyu ma? - Do you speak English?
  • Wo zihuan chi Zhong guo cai - I like Chinese food
• We are heading out to meet with the companies we are consulting with today and then they are taking us out to dinner
• Yesterday we toured the Suzhou museum which was fascinating with artifacts from all over China and covered China’s history back to B.C. times.  Items sush as scrolls, painting, pottery, ivory carvings, gold statues and so much more - we could have stayed much longer.  Some artifacts were up to 7,000 year old  amazing that they stayed in such great condition. The museum then led us outside into the Humble Administrator’s Garden which was filled with many buildings and individual gardens that were breathtaking.  The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest of all classical garden in Suzhou - you can Google for more details and pictures.

• We then toured the streets outside of the garden where you can pick up items from Chinese silk to teapots and handmade flutes, embroidery and bamboo carvings - all very beautiful.
• We were then treated to an extremely fancy Chinese dinner with our host, Hongyu who works for Wushong Group and with Concordia University’s exchange program.  We had approximately 15 different dishes from squirrel fish, silver fish, and jelly fish to spicy cabbage, Chinese pancakes, edemame and a raddish dish and make your own tofu soup which was excellent.  I think my favorites weres the squirrel fish and the tofu soup.  We celebrated another birthday on the trip - Gary turned 50!  Happy birthday Gary!
• Just as we’re getting used to Suzhou we only have three more nights here and then we’re off to Shanghai.  We’ll miss this place and the experiences we’ve had, but we’ll always have the memories.

Blow-up air mattress - 80 RMB

Hand pump to blow up air mattress - 23 RMB

Total cost - 103 RMB or roughly $15 U.S.

A good nights sleep - priceless.

Ni hao from China once again.We are getting ready to watch the USA in their first World Cup game playing Slovenia.  The World Cup is crazy here in China and everywhere you go the world cup is playing and it’s on 24/7 on several channels here - it’s quite entertaining just to have on in the background in the room and listen to the Chinese announcers.  Of course, some of you may know that the horns they are are allowing in South Africa are totally annoying - it’s like the buzz of a hive of bees.Anywhoo, We have been busy the past few days with school and our consulting gigs.  Yesterday we had our second Chinese culture and how it affects the Chinese economy which was totally educational, then we had Mandarin - we’re beginning to get the hang of the basics like numbers and kindergarten level stuff like my name is Julie! lol… and how are you? … perhaps by the time we leave we’ll be able to put a few sentences together!We also had our first consulting meetings yesterday - we met with NOV Fiberglass Systems and their management team and learned the basics about their business - they use a low-tech process to make fiberglass wrapped pipings that goes inside of ships and oil rigs.  We toured their plant today for about 90 minutes and thought we were going to melt away in the heat.  It’s amazing how hard the Chinese workers work in such hot, dirty and chemical laden conditions using epoxies, resins, and glues that are not exactly the best of conditions and they do it all for not much money compared to U.S. standards.  We were surprised at the lack of vapors or smells in the plant which was due to the fact that it’s summer and they had the plant very open to the outside so they could take advantage of the breeze that blew through and they had several fan systems and vacuum systems set up to suck out materials.  The team at NOV/FGS have been very gracious with their time and sharing of information and we’re looking forward to working with them.We all have it so lucky in the U.S. - we should thank our lucky stars for the lives we lead.  So often we forget the luxuries we have on a daily basis.  Additional observations that I have been making that may interest you are as follows:

• Most toilets outside of the dorm rooms and fancy restaurants are not english style - they are typically tiled holes in the floor that you squat over and there is never toilet paper provided so you have to be mindful to always travel with TP - just think of it as camping in the city!  This of course is more difficult for the ladies - men… you have it easy!
• Bugs/ants are present - at least at ground level - our “friends” have been visiting in the dorm bathrooms.
• Water is a luxury and again, we are lucky that we are in the foreign dorms; the normal dorms here only allow a certain water usage - same with electricity kilowat hours - anything over a very small maximum, the students have to pay a tidy sum for which is not exactly easy for the typical student or their family.
• We have been experimenting with food in the grocery store - everything is apparently 2/3 scale vs. the U.S. - what I mean is, everything appears to be a little off, or different than we are used to.  Take for example, Oreo’s - they are not nearly as sweet here; China’s version of Pringle’s or potato chips in general - they are not nearly as salty and don’t have the same texture as the chips we are used to.  Produce is a luxury for sure - fresh greens are hard to come by as most food is meats/seafoods/noodles/starches, etc. and there is always the worry of eating fresh vegetables that have been washed in local water.  You just have to be careful - we have not had any issues at all - perhaps we have been lucky or…. there is nothing to worry about.
• Average prices for misc. items -
  • a bottle of beer (which is always warm here) costs approximately $.50/each.
  • a typical taxi ride costs $1 to go quite a long distance - several miles
  • the average meal has been around $6 - and that’s for quite a lot of food
  • there is no tipping whatsoever in China (however, we have noticed that they will take a tip if you really want to give them one)
  • Mosquitos are a daily nuisance and daily application of bug repellant usually does a good job, however, each of us has been attacked a few times.
  • Landfills in China must be filling up with PET (plastic) water bottles as so many people drink only bottled water.
  • As mentioned before, pollution is a big problem, and that has not changed in six days.
  • We saw the moon for the first time tonight.
  • Music crosses all boundries and now that school is back in session after the Dragon Boat Festival (the Chinese get three additional national holiday days tacked on to the weekend) they are blasting music from around the world (Even the U.S.) on the loudspeakers around the campus in between their announcements - we, of course, have no idea what they are saying. lol
  • Basketball is huge here and every night the basketball courts at the university are packed; same for the track in the evening - full of walkers - no one runs in the evening - it’s too hot.
  • Did I mention how lucky we all are and that we should kiss the ground in Oregon - we truly live in a very beautiful place.
  • The SIP - Suzhou Industrial Park is a joint venture between China and Singapore - modeled after the Singapore industrial park(s) and we think they will copy this model in other parts of China in the interior if they are not already.  The global recession has hit the SIP just like everywhere else, but they will bounce back.  There is a labor shortage going on in China; it’s very hard for companies to keep good laborers because they are always looking for more money and better working conditions and now they have choices, unlike the past.

Well, I am off to watch the World Cup with the guys - Solvenia just scored the first goal of the game so I’m sure there are some sad faces out there; let’s hope they make a comeback!Tomorrow we are Skypeing with an eMBA class at Concordia then off to tour another company’s plant - then who knows!I hope everyone is happy and well.  More updates to come….check out Flickr.com for pictures.Jules