Pamela Quintero's Memories of China

Now that I have returned home and have had time to reflect on my many adventures in China, I realize the enormity of this experience. I am thankful to Purdue, Lori, Pat and ChinaSense for making this trip a success.

From a Business standpoint, it is clear that there is an enormous level of professionalism and pride in the accomplishments of the businesses we visited. I was impressed by their willingness to share their stories with our group and allow us to view operations. Most noteworthy for me, was the visit to the Lenovo plant. I was amazed by the efficiency of the plant’s production line and the transparency of the workers’ performance. There is a great emphasis on the impact of the individual on the plant’s total production goals. I also greatly enjoyed the candid and welcoming discussion at the Junhe Law Offices. I was impressed by the stature of women in the Chinese workforce and I was intrigued by the countries focus on the corporate and financial facets of law.

From a cultural standpoint, I found the people of China to be exceptionally gracious. There were several times when individuals would stop to ask where we were from and ask about Chicago. There seemed to be a genuine sense of interest in the visitors to their country. There were some occurrences that took some getting used to, like the mass exodus of employees at closing time in the shopping mall, the tendency for people to walk arm-to-arm in order to not get separated in large crowds, and the super-charged haggling when shopping. I appreciated the opportunity to experience a culture and a people not unlike the people of America. It is clear that the people of China are motivated, hard-working and share the same values and dreams. The food was surely different – although I found some dishes to be familiar and quite tasteful. I have returned to my fork and spoon but am happy that, with the chopsticks lessons from Lori, I was able to participate in this unique facet of the Chinese culture.

The strenuous excursion to the Great Wall was unlike any other adventure. The history of the Wall and the knowledge of how and why it was built are awe-inspiring. The tour of the Forbidden City and lovely Yu Garden provided a snapshot of how life must have been centuries ago. I will never forget my brief time in China and look forward to returning some day in order to experience the many places that I did not have a chance to visit – like the Peking Opera House.