The last full day in Shanghai 12/22

For the last full day in Shanghai, our group actually left the city to visit the region of Suzhou which was approximately three hours outside the city by bus. Our first stop in Suzhou was the Suzhou Museum where the group had some different experiences as I described in the earlier post for this day. The two photos below attempt to illustrate the magnificence of the museum that only three of us were able to find outside the traditional part of the museum. What these photos fail to portray is the mood created by the rainy and cloudy day that added to the serene feel of the complex surrounding the museum. I truly enjoyed roaming the area around the museum, and it's a shame that a large portion of the group was unable to experience these sites. I should probably mention, however, that the trip to the museum was not planned, and was an adjustment to the itinerary based upon the weather. This helps to explain why this area of the museum went unnoticed by many, but for those of us who found it we were certainly glad to visit the Suzhou Museum. My enjoyment of this experience rivaled that of the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai.



After visiting the Suzhou Museum, the group then toured the number one silk manufacturer in Shanghai. The two pictures below portray just how close we were able to get to the manufacturing process of producing silk from start to finish. This portion of the plant was also very welcoming of visitors which is echoed by the fact that we were allowed to take photos of the manufacturing process unlike our experience at other companies. I'd also like to say that the silk bedding in the store following the tour of the plant would probably provide the best quality sleep of my life, and I was tempted to take a quick nap right there.



The picture below is a view from the boat ride our group went on in a local water village, or more specifically a view from the boat I was on. While the water may have been a little (very) murky, the weather was not that great, and the sun was setting, I think that the boat ride was definitely worth the effort. I enjoyed experiencing a smaller village in China, and felt it was important to witness a different region outside of the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, while I have yet to go to Venice, I can now say that I've been to the Venice of China so deemed by the locals.



A delicious farewell dinner then concluded our last full day in Shanghai, and ultimately China. We then endured the long flight home to return in time for Christmas. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, I'll never forget this trip as it was an amazing opportunity to experience the world.

12/21 in Shanghai

Friday in Shanghai began with a business visit to the Shanghai Foreign Investment Service Center where we learned all about investment opportunities and the economy of Shanghai. Again, look to the earlier post of this day to read more about our experience at the SFISC. The first picture below is from our tour of an exhibit of the SFISC that gave a large overview of the economic structure in Shanghai, and the second photo is where we were given the business presentation of what the SFISC does as an institution in Shanghai.



After our visit to the investment center and a quick lunch, the group then went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum. As illustrated below, this museum was home to a large model of a portion of the city in years to come. It was impossible to capture an image of the model in its entirety due to its size, but I think you get the idea.



The two pictures below depict what it was like to be surprised by a visit by the military to the museum. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the group of military personnel seemed to be regular soldiers, but there was certainly a lot of them, and they all entered the area swiftly with an air of importance. The scene definitely caught our group off guard, but it did make for some interesting pictures. I was going to ask for a picture with a few of the soldiers, but I didn't want to push my luck.

Day Two in Shanghai 12/20

Our second day in Shanghai started with a business trip to Kuehne & Nagel where we were given a very good presentation of the company. Look to the earlier post to find out what K&N is all about, but this presentation seemed to particularly grab the interest of the majority of the group because of its focus on the logistics of conducting business in China. Here we were also first introduced to the importance of the new deep sea water port being constructed in the southeast region of Shanghai. As seen below, the room where the presentation was held was also quite impressive. Sitting in the room gave the feel that our group was composed of important executives within the company which always helps to gain our respect in listening.



After visiting Kuehne & Nagel the group had a good lunch near the site of a Coca Cola bottling plant in Shanghai which we visited once we had finished eating. The picture below is what the group first saw when exiting the elevator on the floor of our business presentation. As we stepped into this room we were instantly exposed to a different world, the world of Coke. The presentation was given by a Chinese woman from Coke University, and we were then guided through a level of the building to view the bottling plant floor. Like other manufacturing floors, we were not allowed to take photos of this process.



After our two business visits of the day, there was a group of four of us who went to the Bund area of Shanghai at night to check out some of the sights because the night was so clear. The first picture below is a shot of what will be the tallest building in the world once it is completed. The second photo is of the tallest hotel building in the world which is what our group of four decided to ascend to the top. Once we reached the top of this building we were able to take in the beauty of the Bund at night in Shanghai. The last picture depicts our view of the TV tower in Shanghai from our high perch in the hotel. This is another circumstance where the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the area, but where the experience was breathtaking.

First Day in Shanghai 12/19

As I said before, when we first arrived in Shanghai we did not immediately check into our hotel because it wasn't ready for us. Instead, we began with a trip to a Buddha temple in Shanghai well known for its possession of two large jade Buddha sculptures. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures of these statues, and so you'll have to settle for a picture taken near the entrance seen below. After that is a photo of our tour guide in Shanghai whose English name is Rainy. The name is in fact like the adjective for weather, and is not spelled Raine as written earlier.





After checking out the Buddha temple in Shanghai, the group was then able to check into the hotel to regroup from the train ride from Beijing, and then we took off for the Yuyuan Gardens. The first picture below is actually in front of the entrance of the gardens which is clearly a site to behold all in itself. I took this picture standing on what was called the zig-zag bridge because it had many different right angle turns you needed to make as you crossed. The reason for these turns was so that the person crossing could view the surroundings through many different angles. I thought this was an interesting architectural technique.



The next two photos are from inside the Yuyuan Gardens. While these pictures can't possibly do the beauty of the gardens justice, they do illustrate the general architecture present throughout and the fact that there was a lot of water within the garden. The last photo also portrays that fact that there was no shortage of coy present in the waters of the garden. As you might remember, I found the Yuyuan Gardens to be very relaxing and beautiful, and it was likely among one of my favorite locations.



Later that night the group took in an amazing acrobat show which we were not allowed to take photos of, but I will definitely never forget what I saw because it was simply outstanding.

As Promised

As you may expect, I'm now writing from the US well rested with the trip behind us, but the memories still vividly intact. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and for those of you who were able to see your loved ones that went on the trip that the reunion was worth the temporary separation.

Now that I have access to a computer that allows me to post pictures I will recap our last day in Beijing and our days in Shanghai through photos as promised. I'll break up the posts by day because as I've mentioned before I can only post five pictures per post, and it makes sense to go day by day.

Without further explanation, here are some pictures from our last day in Beijing on December 18th. The day began with a business visit to Lenovo where we were given a presentation and tour of the manufacturing floor. The first picture below is from the product showcase room at Lenovo which we were brought to after the tour of the manufacturing floor, and the next picture is shot of the group in the lobby of Lenovo. The gentleman in the first row all the way on the right was our presenter and tour guide for our visit to Lenovo, and he managed to keep us all engaged through a good sense of humor.



After the business visit to Lenovo we then went to the Silk Market in Beijing known for its fake goods where the group was able to test their negotiation skills yet again. It appears that I was so engaged in this process that I didn't take any photos. At the end of the day we then went to the train station in Beijing to embark on a twelve hour journey to Shanghai. The photo below illustrates the size of our cabins that I referenced in a previous post. As you can see, there were four beds per cabin, and not a lot of room, but we made due.



The train ride then brought us to our first day in Shanghai.

Our last full day in Shanghai and China

Well, the end of our trip finally came today, and for the first time the weather was a little questionable. The periods of rain did change our plans a little, but we definitely made the most out of the day and did the majority of what we set out to do. We started today early because we had to make a long trip out of Shanghai to the Suzhou Province.

As our guide stated, the Suzhou Province is a small area of China, with only around 6 million to 8 million people. Clearly size is a relative matter when speaking about population in China. Our first stop in Suzhou was the Suzhou Museum. The visit was an incredible time for a few of us, or at least the few who were able to discover the full extent of the museum. What ended up happening was that the majority of the group walked through an area that would be a typical museum in the US, in the sense that it had displays of art and historical objects. However, many did not find another area that allowed you to walk through a site of stunning old buildings. Constructed in the classic Chinese architectural style, these buildings included an opera hall, a chapel, residences, and peaceful gardens. The rain even helped to give the area a unique mood of calmness. I found the area to be even more calming and enjoyable than the Yuyuan Gardens that we visited earlier in the week.

Our group then went to the number one silk manufacturing company in Shanghai. This experience was unique from other company visits because we were actually allowed to walk through the manufacturing floor and witness how the process of silk production was conducted from start to finish. We were allowed to take pictures and stand right next to the workers as they did their jobs. A few students even were allowed to help out in the manufacturing process. With the tour completed, we then were allowed to shop in a large store of all silk goods that were actually real and of high quality which was a nice change from our experience with fake markets.

After lunch at a nice restaurant that the group went to Zhu Jia Jiao village back in Shanghai. What is different about this village is that is considered to be a water village because of the vast network of canals, bridges, and waterways. For this reason, it is nicknamed the Venice of the Far East. We were able to squeeze in a boat ride around Zhu Jia Jiao before dark, and then we headed for the bus. With these experiences under our belts, we returned to the hotel before going to our farewell dinner. This last dinner was actually at a German restaurant on the water at the Bund. We knew we were still in China, however, and we shared or last moments together as a group for a full day in China.

Tomorrow we fly back to the US in time for Christmas. Wish us a safe journey, and I'll likely try to continue to blog for a bit until my thoughts are complete and pictures are posted. Be sure to check in periodically for any updates, and feel free to make comments or questions about anything you'd like to know.

This trip has proved to be an experience of a lifetime, and has been very successful in both expanding my understanding of a different culture and increasing my knowledge about how business is conducted in other countries. As I said in the beginning, I have had very limited travel experience, and this trip was a large accomplishment for me in expanding my horizons. I think the trip has also proven the success that can be achieved through taking students abroad. The experience gained on these trips can never be replicated in the classroom. I thank you for reading up on my perspective of the trip, and I hope I've been able to hold your interest throughout. We've certainly been busy, and to cover all my thoughts and experiences along the way was impossible, but I hope I've given you a big enough taste to keep you satisfied. I'll be in touch. I wish safe journeys for where ever life may take you, but don't pass up an opportunity to travel if you have one. Your eyes can always be opened wider.

Friday in Shanghai

Friday in Shanghai presented us with our last business visit of the trip, along with an excursion to the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum. The business visit was held at the Shanghai Foreign Investment Service Center, and consisted of a brief tour of an informative floor, followed by a presentation and discussion. The presentation highlighted the economic circumstances of Shanghai, including how the city was broken down into sectors similar to how Beijing was planned. Northern Shanghai is where the majority of steel is produced in the, the majority of chemical industries are located in the southern part, the east has many micro electronic manufacturers, and the west is home to the automobile manufacturing plants. The northeast island of Shanghai is also where the shipbuilding industries of the city are located. The presentation also discussed the importance of a new deep water port in the southeast area of Shanghai, which was also discussed in our Kuehne and Nagel presentation. The information we received at this presentation also highlighted the tremendous growth that Shanghai has experienced in the past years. Currently, Shanghai is the largest trade port in the world with an import export volume of over 165 billion, and is home to 191 R&D centers, 154 holding companies, and 149 regional headquarters for multinational corporations. It's no wonder that Shanghai has experienced 10 billion dollars in investment growth in the last three years. The presentation also addressed how Shanghai, and China as a whole, seeks to find a balance between foreign investment and local development.

It seems the current major source of development in Shanghai is the World Expo, which is coming to the city in 2010. This event seems to be as important to Shanghai as the coming Olympics are to Beijing. It's amazing how two such major events are coming to China in the coming 5 years that will attract a huge global spotlight. The conclusion of this business visit marked our last business site attendance, and I just want to comment on the high quality of these experiences. Not only were the presentations highly informative, but our group also always had questions that continued the discussion in a very productive and beneficial manner. In the majority of presentations our questions extended such business presentations by an average of half an hour, and it always remained interesting.

After our last business visit, our group then had lunch at a ethnic Muslim restaurant, and I found the food to be quite delicious--a good change from the food of Shanghai which I still have not become accustomed to. Luckily, the westernization of Shanghai has made it very easy to find fast food restaurants to satisfy a hungry stomach. With our stomachs full, the group then went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, which has a complete 3D model of the inner ring of the city of Shanghai. A ring is simply a circle of highway that encircles the city. Shanghai has three rings, while Beijing has six (just to give you a comparison). Aside from the model of the city, the museum also has many exhibits of each element of the development plan, such as the highway, subway, railway, seaport, and airport development projects that are underway. A surprise came when a large group of soldiers from the military rushed into the room, and viewed a presentation on the 3D model of Shanghai. I have some pictures of this experience, but as you can probably notice, I haven't been able to post them. I'm no longer writing from the miserable internet cafe, but something doesn't seem to working at the moment. Don't worry though, the pictures are saved, and eventually you will see them.

To wrap up, after the museum the group did some more shopping at a well known fake market in the area. This was likely our last experience with the intense bargaining that takes place in these markets, and I definitely made the largest negotiations I had for the trip at this time. What a way to end my shopping experience. Tomorrow will be our last full day in Shanghai, and then the next day we'll be leaving for the US. I can't believe the end has nearl come, but I'll be glad to get home after such a consuming experience, no matter how much I've enjoyed it. I'll see if I can get those pictures up.