Purdue University Calumet - MBAE in China 2008

Final Thoughts from Shontrai Irving

2008-12-20T09:40:00.007+08:00

I have been back from China for almost a week but I can't stop thinking about my wonderful experience. It is quite hard for me to imagine that not so long ago that I and the other participants were on the other side of the world and participating in activities that we had never done before. One of the most memorable was climbing the Great Wall of China. I can not believe the size of the Great Wall and the amount of effort that it took to climb it. It was truly enjoyable watching Ozzie, Dr. Feldman, Stephanie and myself taking photos with our medals that stated we had climbed the Great Wall. I am sure for many of us, it is a crowning achievement.

I also think about our time at the Forbidden City and Yu Garden. The Forbidden City was incredible. I think it was over 2 million square feet. Pictures nor words can never truly describe the humbling experience of being in the Forbidden City nor the beauty of the Yu Garden. It was also momentous to be at Tiananmen Square which I have only seen and heard about on television.

Additionally, I learned so much from visiting businesses and organizations in China. One place that l will always remember besides JUN HE law offices is our visit to ZPark. That place is so amazing and it it so impressive that competing businesses are able to work together so productively.

On another note, a special thanks to our host Jennifer for setting up an amazing experience. I truly can not wait to return to China as I totally enjoyed myself from not only a professional level, but a personal level as well.

I am indeed humbled and will never forget my experience.

Pamela Quintero's Memories of China

2008-12-19T03:35:00.002+08:00

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.

Watch for travellers' reports

2008-12-15T00:23:00.002+08:00

Don't leave us yet! Please come back and look for reports from our student immersion travellers about all of our business visits and you too can learn a bit of what we learned this week. The reports will be posted right above the update for the day we visited the relevant business.

Check back soon!

Day 8 - Adventures for those left behind

2008-12-14T22:20:00.035+08:00

Although most everyone headed back to the US today - and will try to recover enough to go to work on Monday - three of us stayed in Shanghai for one extra day. Pat and I are leaving tomorrow, Monday, and Tricia is leaving on Tuesday.

This morning before breakfast, I heard some calm, soothing music coming from outside and went out to Nanjing street to see tai chi being practiced. It was most interesting! There were several groups, each with their own leader. Some were slow and deliberate, some were more athletic, and yet others were quite artistic. This tai chi exercise was taking place on Nanjing Street which is a pedestrian only shopping street. Here is a picture of it during the daytime - but it is really quite amazing at night with LOTS of neon lights; it rivals Times Square in NYC. By the way, that tall building in the background, with the flying saucer-like object at the top, is the bar that I mentioned in the post for last night.

Our hotel is only one block from Nanjing Street. Along with great shopping and quick access to the Bund, Nanjing offered some familiar food for those of our travellers craving KFC ("ken de ji" in Chinese) and Pizza Hut. That's a picture of our hotel to the right.

After breakfast Tricia and I headed out for a day trip to the Venice of the Orient - the 900 year old water town of Zhouzhuang in the province of Suzhou. Zhouzhuang is typical of what Shanghai was like 300 years ago. This is considered the most beautiful of China's water towns and is visited by many Chinese tourists, but not as many foreign tourists. Tricia and I would urge you to go if you have the chance. It was great to get out of the big city and see a different side of China. Earlier in the week someone mentioned their surprise at seeing so many signs in both Mandarin and English. Well, when we got out to Zhouzhuang we saw very little English - very little. But, it was great. It was a charming town as you'll see in the pictures below. Our trip started out at 9:00 am and we got back at 5:00 pm. While it took us only about an hour to get there in the morning, it took us 2 hours to get back in the afternoon. We got a good taste of Shanghai rush hour traffic!

Built during the Northern Song dynasty in the 11th century and with a history of more than 900 years, Zhouzhuang showcases the architecture of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The many different styles are reflected in its ancient mansions and houses built on both sides of rivers, bridges, canals, and narrow streets which are actually more like alleys. This small town of 22,000 inhabitants (in both the newer and ancient sections) is situatiated in the city of Kunshan between Shanghai and Suzhou and surrounded by five lakes which makes boats the most important means of transportation. The town (name means Zhou's village) is named for Zhou Digong a devoted Buddist who donated 200 acres of land to the Quanfu Buddist Temple.

The town was a modest fishing village until the 1400's when it was transformed into a bustling trade hub, creating many rich and famous merchants along the way, most notably Shen Wansan. Mr. Shen was the first millionaire south of the Yangtze River. He made his fortune by trading good such as silk, silk embroidery, rice, and find China within China and then expanding his trade area to most of South Asia. His 200 sq. metere home, with 100 rooms is a major site to visit in the town. His home contains many of the treasures he collected during his travels as well as showcasing what life was like for the "Bill Gates" of the time. One of the interesting sights was the kitchen with its beautiful painted cabinetry.

Zhouzhuang is particularly known for its waterways - thus the name "Venice of the Orient" - and its many bridges. The town is built in the shape of the Chinese character # which means water well and befittingly it is adorned with many bridges - 14 in all - connecting the narrow streets and residents. Each bridge is personalized with names such as Taiping (Peaceful), Fu'an(Wealth and Security) - built in 1355, but the most distinct ones are the Twin Bridges build in the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty.

Source: Zhouzhuang tourist brouchure

Tricia and I also enjoyed the Quanfu Buddhist Temple and the Chenxu Taoist Temple. Our guide, Nick, explained gave us a very quick understanding of the two religions. I will attempt to present you with the simplified version he presented us with, but any errors or omissions are mine alone. Nick told us that one of the key Taoist philosophies is "let it go" and one of the key Buddhist philosophies is "control your desires". Both temples were very peaceful and Tricia lit candles and burned incense at the Taoist temple.

Zhouzhuang has some very nice shopping for "small things" as Nick called them. The town is particularly known for its identifiable blue fabric with a white pattern. We had a good time exercising our bargaining skills and came away with some very fine purchases. One of the first shops we purchased goods wrapped our items in a Chinese newspaper with a picture of Obama on the front page. The Chinese all seemed very interested in the election of Obama, noting that he is an excellent example of the best of America - one can rise to be even the president, no matter your background. One other interesting thing we saw on our walk was portraits of Chairman Mao posted in several restaurants.

After a lovely long walk through the town we were more than ready for lunch. Nick took us to a restaurant "upstairs" at which we had a table with a great view of the canal and all its activities. He helped us order and then headed out for a some local snacks - particularly chicken feet. Our meal was somewhat more tame. We had delicious sauted greens, a braised fish with a GREAT sauce, and tofu with clams. It was a very relaxing lunch and a great view.

After our lunch we continued our walk and then headed for home. On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the main lake in the area for a view of one of the local delicacies - hairy crabs. Hairy crabs? Yes, hairy! Take a look at the picture below. It shows a male hairy crab. Take a look at the big pinchers - see how they look furry? The famales are not adorned with the fur. SO interesting!

Tomorrow we will go see the Shanghai Museum which Tricia says is on the list of 1000 Places to See Before You Die.

Day 8 - Last day in China and Maglev Ride

2008-12-14T19:13:00.004+08:00

Our last day in China.....

Few went for breakfast. Why? Because there were last minute bargain shopping to do! Eventually at 1:30pm, it was time to leave the hotel for the airport...although some 6 minutes before then, Chin wanted to hop out to KFC at Nanjing Street for a bite to eat!!! But I ever so gently discouraged that as the bus was about to leave :-)

Jenny - from ChinaSense - said a few kind words to the group in the bus and bid everybody farewell. I also wished everybody well (I leave tomorrow, Monday, with Lori). Someone yelled in a funny joking voice "we love you Obi." I ditto-ed that and added "I'll see y'all on the other side of the Pacific!"

All in all, it was a warm and somewhat emotional farewell to our hosts in China and to the wonderful people of this great nation. The food was great although some of the entrees take a little gettting used to. It certainly was an "immersion" in Chinese culture, as the program promised :-) Chopsticks are foolhardy, although it seemed that I was the only one struggling with them at the dinner table. Most importantly, the learning experience at all the business visits more than met our expectations. We will surely remember the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, ZPark, Orion, Audrey's law firm in Beijing, Lenovo, US Consulate, Acrobatic Show in Shanghai, Yu Yuan Garden, Old Shanghai, among many memories.

And so now, everybody is homebound. Along the way to Shanghai airport (Pudong), most would get off the bus to take the maglev to the airport. Maglev? It's a magnetic levitation train that runs at a top speed of about 425 km per hour! That's what's up!!! An exciting way to cap an exciting Study-Abroad visit to Bejing and Shanghai by MBAE-10.

Day 7 - Farewell Banquet and Sky Dome Bar

2008-12-14T17:18:00.006+08:00

Why, oh why, must all good things come to an end? It seems like we have just arrived and we are getting ready to leave tomorrow. There is SO much to see and do. This trip has only whet our appetites for this huge, wonderful country.

Tonight we had our farewell banquet at the lovely Xian Qiang Fang restaurant in the Chengning District. The building has was once a factory and has been renovated into a beautiful facility. You can see some of the architecture in the picture on the right.

After yet another wonderful meal with more food than we could imagine, we thanked our hostess Jenny for the wonderful trip she has arranged - nicely balancing business immersion with cultural immersion - and for all that she has done for us. A number of travellers also shared their thoughts, reflections, and comments with the group.

For the final night, all were invited to the Radisson Hotel Shanghi New World's Sky Dome Bar. This bar is at the top of the hotel and offers 360 degree views of the entire city at night. Some say this is when Shanghai is the prettiest.

A last night to reflect. A last night to remember. A last night to think about the question that Jenny posed to us on the first day, "Is China a communist country or a capitalistic one?"

Raquel Park's continued reflections

2008-12-14T17:14:00.002+08:00

I would like to say that I am very happy to have been able to come on this trip. It has been very enlightening - spiritually, personally and professionally. I truly enjoyed all of the wonderful business presentations as well as the company plant facility tours.

I have come to learn and appreciate the following:

Shoving is OK (In China) – shoving is a way to get through a crowd and is not personal on any level.

Chinese driving – IF YOU CAN DRIVE IN CHINA, YOU CAN DRIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! Taxi’s, bicyclists and motorists are all aggressive drivers. Cutting other drivers off on the road, coming close to collision with another car, bus and/or pedestrian is a part of life. However, road rage is not. Again, just as shoving in crowds is a means to get through the crowd, so is aggressive driving a way to get through traffic. No angry retaliation is sought over this.

Saving face – What an interesting phenomenon! When you are out haggling for the best price on an item in the market, it is impossible to walk away without hearing, “You’re mean! You’re so tough! I lose money because of you!” I believe this response is to save face. The seller comes down to a price that may be embarrassing if the other vendors or other prospective buyers witness the transaction. So in order to “save face,” the seller has to “act” upset about the deal so as to not lead on that they have “been had.”

Tipping and/or covering another’s costs else is frowned upon – While out dining in Beijing, the bill arrived at the end of the meal, and as a gift to my Chinese friends for showing me around, I attempted to pay for their meals. I quickly learned that this form of gratitude was inappropriate. It was explained to me that tipping and/or paying for another’s costs implies a form of superiority, misconstrued as if the other person could not afford the purchase. Also, tipping is again viewed as a derogatory gesture – the people take pride in their work; extra money implies superiority and excess.

Chopstick usage – Oh My! My biggest struggle! However, even though I believe it is very important to embrace the local culture, I was happy to see how patiently hospitable the Chinese have been by handing out forks with the meals without having to be prompted.

Day 7 - Afternoon Update - Yu Yuan Garden and shopping

2008-12-13T15:36:00.027+08:00

Today we visited the incredible Yu Yuan Garden. At the left is our group in one of the areas of the Garden and at the right is Felix, our wonderful Shanghai guide. Felix has been so helpful in arranging side excurions and helping us find the best shopping. It was a very nice bookend to our first day in China at the Great Wall.

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age. In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden had undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War of the 19th century, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September, 1961. Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres). However, the small size is not a representative of the attractions of the garden. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics. There are six main scenic areas in the garden: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area features several scenic spots within its borders.

Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/yuyuan_garden.htm

This was an incredibly beautiful home with amazing architecture, stone paved walkways, decorative arches, and koi ponds. One of the highlights was having all of us clap to bring the fish to our area. When they hear the sound, they believe they will be fed. Luckely Tom had some peanut butter crackers with him that we crumbled up and fed to the fish. Pat and Stephanie were luckey enough to actually put the food directly into the fish's mouth.

Another highlight was having Prof. Obi pull out his financial calculator when we were at the ATM to calculate exactly how much we had withdrawn.

The Yu Yuan Garden is surrounded by a fantastic market with architecture typical of the old Shanghai. The scenes and smells were amazing! We saw one child eating a fried frog. There was also something that looked like Chinese matzo ball soup that also looked delicious. It was a spectacular place to shop and people watch. There were even TWO Starbucks in this area.

It is particularly true that in this case a picture is worth a thousand words, so please view for yourself the wonderful scenes we saw today. I believe I took more than 100 pictures during this outing and it is SO hard to choose which ones best represent our journey. These are only a very FEW of the fantastic scenes. We hope it gives you a sense of what we've seen. Please remember that you can double click any image to enlarge it and see more detail!

After this exciting excursion, many travellers are resting up for our evening activities. Tonight is our farewell banquet and we will post more after that.

Report on Lenovo by Raquel Park, Chin Park, and Patrick Kirkwood

2008-12-12T22:26:00.002+08:00

Our visit to Lenovo was very informative and comprehensive. We were hosted by Christina Wang, the production operations director. She has been with Lenovo for ten years and was gracious enough to be present even though she was not feeling well. The overall visit began with several presentations and ended with an intriguing tour through the production plant.

As a company, Lenovo is a global leader in personal computer technology. It was founded in 1984 by 11 researchers with a $25,000 initial investment. As of March 31, 2008, Lenovo has 23,000 employees. Revenue generated in 2007 was approximately $16.4 billion. In Lenovo’s quest for global authority, they purchased the IBM personal computing division, including ThinkPad.

Currently, Lenovo has three international design plants – Yamato, Japan; Beijing, China; Raleigh, North Carolina. These plants are designed to encourage and foster new ideas, embracing many cultures to gain a competitive advantage in the international market place. Lenovo has 46 premium labs to create the best-in-class products. For example, the Yamato plant houses the ThinkPad destructive test lab, and the Beijing plant houses the design lab. Its success has also been attributed to the customer service that delivers stunning experience and efficient and responsive parts logistics.

Throughout the years, Lenovo has accomplished many noteworthy achievements. It has ranked # 1 in China for 11 years in PC market share (surpassing Compaq, HP and Dell). Market share in 2007 was approximately 28%. In March 2004, Lenovo was the first ever Chinese Olympic sponsor. In 2008, Lenovo’s corporate citizenship involved donating RMB 10 million ($1.47 million US) as well as holding a candlelight vigil for earthquake relief efforts.

Lenovo is in a position to continue growing and succeeding in the years to come. It has been very successful throughout the years with innovation, quality and value by providing customers around the world with smarter ways to be productive and competitive.

Report on Shanghai GM by Barbara Thompson and Phillip Moore

2008-12-12T22:26:00.001+08:00

Company Overview
Shanghi GM was established in 1997 through a 50-50 joint venture with General Motors Corporation and Shanghi Automotive. This venture was a 1.5 billion dollar investment between the two companies. The total facility employs 6,000 and maintains six operating facilitates and an administrative building. There are two distinct plants, each maintaining three buildings. Each plant is responsible for producing three vehicle models. The North Plant produces the Park Avenue, LaCrosse and the HRV (a hybrid vehicle).

The company participates in global purchasing but vast amounts of steel are purchased from a government owned entity named Bao.

Manufacturing Facilities
Production facilities are designed for flexibility enabling easy alterations to the production line to adjust for various product orders. Of the three buildings within both plants only one is fully automated, it is predominately used for vehicle warehousing of both unpainted and painted vehicles. The Body shop is partially automated and employees 150 individuals for welding and operation of equipment.

Models
Shanghi GM has developed tailored vehicle models germane to the Chinese market and separate from offerings in the US. For instance, in the US the Regal is no-longer produced and the Excelle has not reached the domestic market. Vehicle offerings appear to be luxurious and environmentally friendly given their usage of the “ecotech” engine for the Buick Regal model a historic “gas guzzler” in the States.

Day 6 - Dragon's Eye, Lenovo, and Shanghai GM

2008-12-12T21:16:00.013+08:00

What is Dragon's Eye you may ask? Great question! Dwayne is holding one in the picture to the left. It is a very interesting Chinese fruit. It has a very tough skin that you have to pierce and then peel away. It has a very big, shiny, black pit in the center of an opaque white fruit. When peeled, it really does look like an eye. This fruit was part of the array provided at our breakfast. It seems somewhat tasteless, but as Dwayne said "I'm immersed!"

Our first business visit this morning was to the Lenovo plant where they make desktops, laptops, and handheld computers. We were hosted by Ms. Chrietina Hua, Director of Production Management at the plant. Lenovo is a 24 year old computer manufacturer which has been focused primarily on the Chinese domestic market. They do also focus on developing countries such as Russia, Brazil, and India. The company was founded in 1984 with 11 researchers and US$25,000. Today they have more than 23,000 employees and revenues of more than US$16 billion. Lenovo currently has the #1 computer market share in China with all other competitors coming in at less than 10% each. Ms. Hua noted that Lenovo has outpaced the market for the last 11 quarters. Lenovo was also the first ever Chinese Olympic Partner. They joined such world-class brands as VISA, Kodak, and McDonalds. The sponsorship was the kickoff of a multi-year marketing plan to promote the lenovo brand locally. The staff at Lenovo was kind enough to give us a tour of their factory. We put on our white coats, hats, and shoe covers and headed off to view assembly of computers, learn about part of their performance monitoring system, and their corporate social responsibility activities. By the way, we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the plant. The staff at Lenovo took these for us and put them on my laptop before we left the plant. Thank you!

Our second trip was to Shanghai GM, a 50/50 joint venture between GM and Shanghai automotive. The SGM staff first showed us a model of the plant and the we were allowed in their showroom. In the pictures below you can see Raquel, Patrick, Manvel, and Shontrai near one of the plant's products. In the second picture, you can see Prof. Obi pointing to the sticker price of that same vehicle. Note that the exchange rate is about 6.8 RMB to the dollar. Calculate that out in dollars!

Again, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the plant itself. Once inside the plant we were surprised to find that the assembly line was down - no employees and a still line. Our host said it was "between shifts" and that they would be back soon. We tried to walk slowly and ask a lot of questions but we left disappointed not to see the plant in action. In any case, at least it was relatively quiet and we could learn about their manufacturing process.

After a long bus ride back to the hotel in Shanghai rush hour, everyone went their own way. I am sure some took a nap, some worked out, and many went to explore Nanjing Street Pedestrian Walkway and also the Bund.

Here are a few other fun things that I learned from Jenny during our bus travels.

The Chinese characters that make up the word Coca Cola mean "Delicious taste, delicious smile".
According to Confucius, a wise man is "one who understands others."
In the whole thousands of years of Chinese history, there has only been one empress who was the leader of the dynasty (rather than just the wife of the emperor). Her name was Tzu Hsi. She was sometimes referred to as the Dragon Empress.
There is an office building in Shanghai called "The Opener" because at the top of this very tall building it looks like a bottle opener. It has that same rectangular shape cut out.

It is hard to believe that we've been here almost a week. Almost everyone is over their jet lag and we are all wishing the trip was longer. There is SO much to see and learn about in this facinating country

Tom Beyeler's thoughts on size and scale

2008-12-12T20:58:00.001+08:00

In Chicago, downtown is pretty much centered around Michigan Avenue. Manhattan is much the same as the center of New York City. Here in China the cities are so large it is hart to tell where “downtown” exists. Everywhere there are skyscrapers. Each day as we drove around Beijing on our way to visit our tour destinations we would see areas that were full of huge apartment buildings and office skyscrapers. Any of these areas could easily qualify as “downtown” in an American city. It is much the same here in Shanghai. As we drove in from the airport we saw a dazzling display of huge buildings. The size of these two cities is incredible. The skyscrapers in Chicago and New York are impressive. The sheer number of skyscrapers and the fact that they are spread throughout the cities make Chicago and New York seem small in comparison. Our host at the American Consulate described cities of four to five million people as second tier. He summed it up best when he said it’s all relative when compared to Beijing and Shanghai.

Day 6 Reflections - Barbara Thompaon

2008-12-12T16:51:00.003+08:00

Howdy everyone! Ok, I’ve been asked if I could follow-up with any other experiences tied back to my hair and elaborate on my hair’s attention grabbing status. So, let me paint a picture for all of you who asked. I’m an African American female with mid shoulder length “locs” also known as “dreads” or “dreadlocks”. Under normal circumstances I believe my ethnicity would grab a few looks but it really is my hair that people want to touch and talk about.

Our group attended a Chinese Acrobat performance where for the sixth or seventh time I heard similar verbal references to my hair but this time it was coupled with hand gestures that made it easier for me to understand that the topic of discussion was indeed my “mane”. The women that sat in the two rows behind me were ecstatic that I 1) understood there interest to engage and 2) there desire to touch and exam my hair. We held an entire conversation with hand gestures and at no point did either of our communication attempts become overwhelming frustrating because we treated it like a game of sorts….charades even.

At the end of the show about five women from the group approached me waved, gave me a thumbs-up and reach to my hair and conjured the word beautiful. The fact that they sought me out to share their one word expression was a moving and humbling experience. My Lesson: The action behind the sentiment can sometimes be stronger than the words used to express the thought... even in international waters.

Day 6 Reflections - Jennifer Benson

2008-12-12T16:51:00.002+08:00

Greetings from Shanghai! It’s been a very eventful and exciting trip so far. Climbing the Great Wall was one of the most challenging yet enjoyable experiences yet. I never would have guessed it would take so much out of me! I continued to get stopped on the wall to take pictures and shake hands with individuals for whom seeing someone with blonde hair was a rare occasion. The shopping in Beijing was like nothing I’ve seen before. Darin has become quite the negotiator. As one of the locals there said, he “is very stingy”.

We arrived in Shanghai yesterday afternoon and it was apparent from the moment we stepped off the plane that we were in a whole other city. I have heard some compare Beijing to Chicago and Shanghai to New York. There are so many tall buildings here and the view from the room is incredible. We went to presentations from Orion China and the U.S. Consulate. I found these presentations to be the most interesting yet. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese Acrobat Show where I saw people doing things that I did not think were humanly possible. After the show (and some during the show) almost everyone went directly to sleep and Selena and I took that opportunity to check out the café in our new hotel where we were able to enjoy some coffee, tea, and desserts and converse about the trip thus far.

For the first morning since I left the U.S. I finally feel rested and I am looking forward to many more exciting experiences during the remainder of the trip!

Look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Report on Orion China by Patricia Siwajak and Manvel Robinson

2008-12-12T06:09:00.011+08:00

Orion China
A talent sourcing firm in Shanghai

Anyone who has ever thought about working overseas, as a contractor, full-time employee, or intern, would have benefited greatly from Brian and Patrick’s presentation. The two gentlemen spent more than 80% of their careers in the Asian and European markets and were able to give first hand information about their experience from both sides of the coin, previously as employees and now as recruiters. One of the primary points that stood out was from a statement made by Brian, “when thinking about working overseas you must define if your reasons are one of the three: cultural experience, exposure or compensation.” In addition, you should also consider opportunities within in your company that will allow international exposure; chances may be greater with your current company.

Working overseas requires similar characteristics that are needed for the everyday national workforce, but they may differ slightly. The first attribute Brian mentioned was being opened minded, which would allow one to grow, maneuver through small issues and is needed to refrain from petty hang-ups. The next trait for success was adaptability, when moving to another country there may be a drastic change from your everyday meals and language, both which can be tested or practiced in your homeland to identify such barriers. Humility and flexibility are additional qualities international employees need to uphold in their everyday workforce. This will allow you to establish a comfortable livelihood within your international work environment and the area in which you reside. Often, foreign employees are met with challenges to think longer before they react, vigorous assessment of the risk can avoid unforeseen culture clashes. The last personal trait considered necessary is relationship building, it is needed in any market, but starting or continuing a career in a new country it is essential more than ever to establish creditability and to obtain resources to continuously grow within the company.

Looking to become an expatriate? See below information to ponder.

Common characteristics of successful leaders in international business

Possess a multicultural foundation; born, grew up and or schooling in different countries
Diverse background
Able to adapt to different cultures, this is necessary to be able to successfully manage, for example: the management style in the US is more direct whereas in China the management style is less direct but more complex.
Coming from a developed country to work in a less developed country is tricky and provides a huge cultural shock. You need to look beyond yourself and look at the community you are joining. In some countries such as Japan a foreigner will always be a foreigner, it is tough to be accepted.

Issues for an expatriate explained by “The Iceberg Principle"

1. Rationale- visible

Career achievement
Expatriate benefits

2. Emotional challenge

Prejudice
Culture
Time
Tolerance
Politics
Ego
Tolerance
Family
Language

3. Critical Success factors

Technical and management experience (function specialist)
International experience
Multicultural mindset (means constant adjusting and measuring yourself and self awareness)
Commitment to learn
IQ- EQ and culture
Willing to learn new language
Willing to get yourself out there for possible "raw" exposure
Patience and speed
Guanxi building (relationship building is important everywhere it is overplayed in China) can be a time water- you need to approach the personal within business objectives within long term perspective
There is a completely different way of looking at ethics in China though China is moving more towards corporate governance
You don't need to take on 100% of the new culture though you might need to change the way you work. For example: in Hong Kong, the work day ends at 9pm.

Before sending your resume

Understand why you want to work in China
Is there an international opportunity within your current company?
You can't go to China with the expectation of finding a job, you need to have the job before going there. There is too much local competition
Be prepared for setbacks
Realize you could possibly be spending time internationally without career advancement or benefits.

Day 5 Update - Transfer to Shanghai, Orion China, US Consulate General, and Chinese Acrobat Show

2008-12-12T06:09:00.009+08:00

Today was a VERY long but interesting day in so many ways. We all got up very early, and got on the bus at 6:30 am for a ride to the Beijing airport for our domestic flight to Shanghai. Check-in was smooth and efficient. However, weight limits are different for flights within China and we were over our limit - as a group - by 80 kg. You can tell that we had a good time shopping in Beijing!

Our flight on China East airlines took off on time and even thought it was only a two hour flight, we were served a very nice breakfast including congee, vegetable salad with 1000 year old egg, yogurt, and a pork sandwich. Pretty different from the drink and peanuts we've grown accustomed to in the US!

All of our luggage arrived without delay and met our Shanghai tour guide, Felix. On the ride to the hotel he told us about Shanghai - did you know this is a city of approximately 19 million residents? Our own Chicago has a population of just about 3,000,000 residents. In China that would be considered a third, and possibly fourth, class city. Just think about that for a minute. The scale of everything here in China is different! If Shanghai were a country, it would have approximately the world's 40th largest economy! Shanghai is a gorgeous, cosmopolitan world class city. And yes, driving in Chinese cities is very interesting. There are busses, cars, bikes, and pedestrians all believing they have the right of way! From even our short exposure to the city, it seems to be living up to its reputation as the "New York" of China. Continuing the analogy, Beijing would be the Washington, DC of China.

After arriving at the beautiful Shanghai Central Hotel at about 1:00 pm, we unpacked, grabbed a quick lunch and headed out for our business visits for the day.

Quick aside - both of the hotels we have seen have a very interesting energy saving
feature in the rooms. When you enter the room there is a slot for your key card on the
wall. When you insert your slot, power begins to flow to the room. When you remove
the key, say when you are leaving, the room goes into a "power save" mode and lights
and appliances will not work until the key card is re-inserted.

Our first business visit was with Mr. Brian Sun (Founder and Managing Partner) and Mr. Partick Courtois (Principal Consultant) of Orion China. Orion China is an executive search firm. Mr. Sun talked to us about "Common Characteristics of business leaders who can seamlessly navigate across borders, and how you can develop them." Some of those common characteristics included being a functional or domain specialist, exportable academic credentials, sound communication skills, sound decision making, multicultural sensitivity, and the ability/willingness to be mobile (that is, move across the world). He also noted that two very critical success factors for managing in a foreign country are EQ and the ability to manage remotely. Brian and Patrick answered many, many questions from our group. Perhaps one of them - or one of you - will consider a foreign posting some day! If you would like to learn more about Orion China please visit http://www.orionchina.net/.

Following our conversation with our hosts from Orion, we met with Mr. Francis (Chip) Peters who is a Commercial Officer with the US Commercial Service - part of the US Department of Commerce and with the US Consulate General Shanghai. Mr. Peters is a career diplomat with the Commercial Service, has been in China about 3 years, and will be heading to Thailand at the end of year. The US Commercial Service counsels US companies wanting to do business in China, conducts trade promotion encouraging companies to do business in China and advocates for US firms. He shared with us why Shanghai is an attractive commercial target for foreign companies - it has an ideal geographic location, a high concentration of multi-national companies, a more transparent business environment (good relations with the government), an educated workforce, and excellent infrastructure. He also noted some challenes to doing business in China - high workforce turnover (about 14% in 2005), intellectual property rights protection issues, transparency issues, predictability of regulation changes, inconsistent implementation of standards, and a fragmented logistics industry. You can learn more about the US Commercial Service at www.buyusa.gov/china . Chip also referred us to an important website for companies considering doing business here. You can find the "Are you China ready" quiz at www.export.gov/china. Mr. Peters' presentation provided us with critical background and framework for our other visits.

Following this visit, we again had time for only a very quick meal. A few of us went to KFC - one of the first fast food providers to do business in China. The concensus was that it was different from the US, and possibly better. I had a wrap with fried chicken pieces, hoisin sauce, and cucumbers. Because we wer so hungry the salty and greasy fries were just delicious!

Our evening event was a sight never to be forgotten! We went to a Chinese acrobat show called ERA: Intersection of Time. Their website http://www.era-shanghai.com/ notes that "ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. ERA is a love story, yet it is also a contemplation across the millennia, a fascination with that other dimension man has yet to conquer: time. ERA's acrobats are on a quest to find that tenuous point of balance, the intersection between X, Y and Z. Not only will the audience be amazed by the acrobats' control and precision, they will be enchanted by the world that is created through the use of multimedia, technology, lighting and sound effects, elaborate costumes, original live music and a lot more. As such, ERA can remain universal, without language or cultural barriers. A thousand-year-old gesture is worth a thousand emotions, a thousand images, a thousand words ……". Frankly you have to see it to believe it. We were stunned and amazed at the amazing feats they performed. Since we could not take pictures during the show, here are some from their website. The picture to the above left shows motorcycles, driving at high speed, inside a steel ball. At one time there were more than 7 in the ball at one time. Amazing, just amazing. Finally, here is one picture we were allowed to take after the show - Patrick with some of the wonderful performers.

Z-Park: China's Silicon Valley - Business Week Article

2008-12-11T22:46:00.002+08:00

Darin found this great article about Z-Park which features our host Jenny Pan of ChinaSense who has worked at Z-Park.

To access the article, you can click on the title of this post or visit http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2007/id20070605_039465.htm. The reference to Jenny is on page 2.

Report on Z-Park by Darin Clark and Tom Beyeler

2008-12-11T22:45:00.000+08:00

The Zhongguancun Software Park is known simply as”Z Park”. The area designated “Z Park” is a greenfield development initiated by the government to be the leader of all the software parks in the Beijing area. Currently there are 170 companies located in the park employing approximately 20,000 people. Future plans call for adding another thirty plus companies, and growing the employment to over 30,000 people. The impressive growth has occurred over the past seven years. The park is known as the pearl in the Chinese software industry crown.

The area selected for the software park is strategically located on the outskirts of Beijing but more importantly it is located close to several Beijing universities including Peking University. The park has all the most up to date infrastructure to support the high tech industry. It is also strategically managed to be economically friendly and green. The site has solar power facilities to provide power. There are no manufacturing facilities in the park. The park is primarily for research and development in addition to an “incubation lab” for new ideas. IBM is the largest employer in the park with approximately 3,000 employees engaged in research and development activities.

Z Park is funded by the revenue generated from selling or renting buildings to software firms. 99% of all the employees employed by the various firms are from the local market. Z Park does not advertise for firms to come into the park. They sponsor user panels, meetings, conferences and forums to raise awareness of the Z Park.

The great success of Z Park lies within the vision of its leaders. This was apparent after the meeting with the chairman of Z Park, Ms. Zhou Fang. Ms. Fang’s engineering background coupled with knowledge of real estate has helped her make Z Park one of the most successful areas in the Chinese computer industry. During and extensive Q&A session, Ms. Fang explained in detail the green initiatives within the park, the reasons for the outstanding growth, and the future plans for Z Park. Her personal goal is to make Z Park one of the top 10 industrial focused parks in the world.

An interesting note about the park relates to employment competition as there is a mutual agreement between HR managers to not take people between companies.

Raquel Park's impression of China - so far!

2008-12-10T23:41:00.002+08:00

My experience in China has been very fulfilling. Upon my transfer to Shanghai via Chicago, I was warmly welcomed by the World AIDS Day banner and logo, “Stop AIDS. Keep The Promise.” It was pretty impressive to me that China supports AIDS prevention initiatives. HOW WONDERFUL! On our first day, we visited the China Association for NGO Cooperation (CANGO), and it was great to see that one of their traditional project fields is HIV/AIDS prevention. It was fascinating proof to see that the fight for AIDS prevention does not end at terminal 2 of the Shanghai airport.

A fabulous highlight of the China trip has been the visit to the Great Wall and the visit to the Forbidden City, which sounds like the album title to Britney Spears next CD. Both the Great Wall and the Forbidden City are wonderful sites to gain insight into the life, culture and customs of the Chinese people.

The Chinese have embraced me thus far with smiles, friendliness and hospitality. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend this trip. As a non traditional, full time employed student, this type of study abroad opportunity has been very feasible. I do not have to resign from my current position to move to a foreign land for 3 months to one year in order to study abroad. Instead, I can go for a very fulfilling 2 weeks, meet and develop relationships with international business executives, do some light paper writing/homework (no free lunch!), and sing karaoke – with the great pleasure of receiving 3 credits and priceless memories.

Report on iSoftStone by Pamela Quintero & Selena Steffy-Fuoss

2008-12-10T22:45:00.000+08:00

On our final day in the city of Beijing, we had the opportunity to visit Zhong Guan Cun Software Park (also known as ZPARK). That visit provided an excellent platform for our afternoon meeting with one of the companies that operates its IT outsourcing business at the ZPark facilities.

In preparation for our visit with iSoftStone, we learned that the founder, Mr. Liu, also co-founded AsiaEC.com in 1999. With the help of Mr. Liu, that company became China’s largest on-line office supply and services provider. Later, the company was acquired by Office Depot, the largest office supply provider in USA. Mr. Liu, founded iSoftStone in 2001 and since then it has continued to grow market share in a highly competitive sector.

The host for our visit was Seth Pinegar, the Head of Corporate Development. Seth stated that the company currently employs 4000 people and by the end of 2008 expects to grow that number to 4400. He mentioned that 80% of the company’s employees are located in China, mainly due to the lower costs.

In terms of the financial progression of the company, Seth stated that they expect revenue to increase from 45 million (in 2007) to 90 million by year end (2008). He conveyed that in general, the company has a positive outlook on their future growth and by 2011, plans to employ 15,000 and increase revenues to $500 million. He suggested that it is anticipated that this growth will be a result of a successful merger and acquisition strategy as well as the continual growth of global outsourcing needs. Seth stated that while Gartner shows that the outsourcing sector growth rate is at 35% per year, iSoftStone plans to grow by more than 50% per year - that higher than average growth will be attributed in part, to the company’s planned mergers and acquisitions.

As we learned throughout our studies at Purdue, companies are wise to continually analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It was apparent that iSoftStone had examined their company in the context of SWOT and our discussion with Seth revealed the following about his company:

Strengths

Access to Government Incentives (Tax Breaks and Land grants)

Government Support of clean and green businesses

Ability to borrow money at low rates

Weaknesses

The service business is dependent on other markets

The service business can be impacted by global influences

Opportunities

The economic downturn could result in companies looking for cost cutting measures – leading to growth opportunities in outsourcing

When dealing with the growing Asian markets, there are fewer cultural barriers compared to firms in India.

Threats

India's existing labor force

Vietnam's growing labor force

Our visit with iSoftStone was quite informative and provided a first-hand view of a successful company with an aggressive strategy and global perspective.

Day 4 Update - ZPark, iSoftstone, and the Olympic sites!

2008-12-10T22:40:00.019+08:00

We had a very interesting last day in Bejing. Our visit just seems to get better and better.

This morning our first visit was with the Chairman of ZPark, Ms. Zhou Fang. ZPark (Zhongguancun Software Park) is an industrial park and a business incubator for software companies. The park produces one quarter of China's software GDP and more than 20,000 people work at the park each day in all of the member companies. The Park's mission is to unify the enterprises, integrate resources, and promote the development of the software industry. The park houses many international companies such as IBM, Oracle, Reuters, Neusoft, China's Unionpay, Hanwant Technology and Ark Technology as well as close to 100 emerging software companies. The park, as you can see above, sits on more than 130 hectares and is environmentaly friendly. Ms. Zhou kindly answered many questions from our travellers. She shared that her long term strategic goal for the park is to become one of the top ten industry focused parks in the world. If you would like to learn more about ZPark, please visit their website at http://www.zpark.com.ca/ .

After yet another delicious lunch at which Pamela only used chopsticks (even for peas) - hooray! - we visited one of ZPark's client companies - iSoftStone (http://www.isoftstone.com/). The company is a global IT services provider focusing on capabilities in Financial Services, Telecomunications, and hi-tech industries. We were hosted by Mr. Seth Pinegar, Head of Corporate Development for the company. Prior to joining iSoftStone, Seth was an investment banker for nine years, most recently at UBS Investment Bank, based in New York and Tokyo, where he led the firm's technology outsourcing sector practice in China, Mexico and Brazil. He also worked on transactions involving well-known India-based outsourcing companies. Seth was also with JPMorgan's technology investment banking group, based initially in San Francisco and later in Hong Kong. He came to China, not as an ex-patriot, but as an independent citizen after having been offered this position by the Chairman whom he met on a business visit earlier. You never know were networking will take you! My favorite quote of the trip so far came from this former investment banker. He said "Investment banking is very much a marketing job." So, you see.... Marketing really is EVERYTHING! (smile, Hugh!). In the picture to the left, you can see Prof. Obi and myself along with our indefatigable hostess Jenny Pan. She is the consumate professional and has made our trip a pleasure.

Our trip back to the hotel included a stop for pictures at two Olympic venues - the Birds Nest (where the opening ceremonies were held) and the Water Cube.

We want to take a moment to thank Steven, our tour guide in Beijing. Steven has been so very helpful to us in many many ways. On our bus rides he has given us a lot of interesting information about the city, he lead us through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and helped many of us to arrange special tours. He also played an important role in helping us determine what was in each dish at our special meals. Throughout it all, Steven has been kind, patient, and efficient. He has been a very important addition to our trip. This picture shows Steven leading our group during our tour of the Forbidden City. We will miss him very much!

Tomorrow morning we are headed for an in-country airline trip to Shanghai. As we have afternoon business visits, we are taking a VERY early flight. Jenny wants us checked our and ready to board the bus at 6:00 AM - yes, you did read that right!

Pat's Obi's Pearls of Wisdom

2008-12-10T18:04:00.000+08:00

Everybody who can should be here someday, really. What I like the most about here…is being here myself to learn about the aggressiveness with which businesses of all types and sizes – supported by the Chinese government – are competing globally and growing by leaps and bounds.

Day 4 Reflections - Chin Park

2008-12-10T17:47:00.007+08:00

This China trip has been a great experience so far. It’s very interesting to see the blend of modern and traditional architecture, as well as the expanse of Chinese businesses with a few American businesses mingled throughout (i.e. KFC, McDonalds, Starbucks). The people have been very gracious, and it is amazing to see a major city such as Beijing to be so clean (no litter anywhere). One amusing personal aspect for me is how that almost all of the Chinese people here have assumed I was Chinese as well (I am Korean), and they automatically speak to me in Chinese. I keep having to say, “English. I speak English.”

Day 4 Reflections - Phil Moore

2008-12-10T17:47:00.006+08:00

I must say that I have gained an extreme respect for the Chinese culture. The pride that they take in their city’s appearance and the importance placed on the cleanliness of it is a far cry from what I have experienced in the states. Everyone is so gracious and polite that I almost feel like I’m home and with family for the holidays. For anyone that anticipates shopping in one of their many “markets” in Beijing, be aware that you have to anticipate an extreme level of friendliness. Everyone is your friend in the attempt to close the deal but beware the minute that deal is or isn’t closed your friendship is fleeting….so don’t take it personal and be ready to make your next BFF at the next shop.

Day 4 Reflections - Selena Steffy-Fuoss and Pamela Quintero

2008-12-10T17:47:00.005+08:00

Day 1:
Well it is day 4 and we (Pamela and Salena) have lots of catching up to do! Our invigorating hike of the great wall was hampered by my (Pam’s) 50 pound purse and my (Salena’s) celebrity photo shoot. We believe if we could do this hike every day for the next 4 years we can be ready for the next Olympics. I (Salena) decided to go to the restroom without my partner in crime and she thought I was kidnapped in the Forbidden City.

Day 2/3: Sorry Rick and Jack we have confirmed our passion for attending Law School after talking to Audrey Chen at the Junhe Law Offices. We were impressed by her vast knowledge of the American and Chinese Law as well as both cultures. I (Salena) was so impressed that asked how I could practice law in China and she responded by asking if I could speak Chinese. Unfortunately I only know how to say boiling water (kai shui). I learned the word the other day when Pam, Darin, Jennifer and I went for tea. I (Pam) tried to be helpful and ensure our tea was made with boiling water. I quickly my used my resources and limited language skills and as a result we received shot cups of boiling water.

Unfortunately, I (Pam) got a migraine headache that got worst throughout the day. However, I learn an ancient Chinese secret that the boiling water from the café would have helped m headache.

Well I (Salena) learned a lot of about everybody’s dancing skills in the class. I, also learned that if my MBA degree doesn’t help my career I continue my lessons with Manvel and have a future as a pool shark.

This is Pam and Salena signing out and we will tell you of the adventures in Shanghai when we get there later this week.

Report on CANGO by Ozzie Rivero and Stephanie Guzik

2008-12-09T21:43:00.001+08:00

China Association for NGO (Non-Government Organization) Cooperation is a non-profit, voluntary, membership organization operating nationwide. CANGO was founded in 1992 and registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 1993. The current executive director is Haoming Huang, who received a Master of Public Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.

As stated on their website, CANGO’s vision is: “To empower citizens and civil society to create an environment that offers fair chances to everybody for sustainable development.” Their stated mission is: “To create a strong, empowered network of Chinese NGOs to address poverty alleviation, environmental protection and social development, particularly in China's poor, remote, and minority-inhabited areas.” An interesting fact learned during our visit is how CANGO’s definition of poverty differs from the official Chinese policy. According to the Chinese government there are 14 million people with income under $100 USD/year. However, CANGO measures the poverty level at $1 USD dollar a day per person. By using this standard the number of people living in poverty balloons to 114 million, a substantial difference.

The challenges are many, starting with the fact that there are 700 million people in rural areas and approximately 200 million move in and out of the urban areas on a yearly basis looking for temporary work. CANGO has been trying to empower the local citizens to make decisions on their own. This has been a difficult transition because of the many years of centralized government and the many levels of bureaucracy. Even the name Non-Government Organization can be a term of conflict and some areas prefer to use the term societal organizations in order to keep within the party line.

Currently, CANGO has 100 member organizations across China and keeps cooperative relationships with governmental agencies on various levels. They also partner with colleges and universities as well as over 150 international NGOs. Current projects include increasing potable water, prevention of HIV/AIDS and disaster relief. CANGO is also very involved in the Sichuan Earthquake relief project. CANGO is also leading a movement to increase Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The work of CANGO’s research department has added credibility to the organization and has also given them the opportunity to spearhead other projects such as environmental protection and tree planting. In order to ensure continued success, CANGO offers workshops on NGOs, project management, strategic planning, fund raising and resource mobilization. It appears the CANGO has laid a strong foundation for all NGOs throughout China.

Report on Jun He Law Offices by Jennifer Benson and Shontrai Irving

2008-12-09T21:43:00.000+08:00

While there were many highlights of the China Immersion Program, one experience that was truly remarkable was visiting the JUN HE LAW office in Beijing, China and having the opportunity to speak with one of their dynamic and inspirational partners Audrey Chen. JUN HE “is widely recognized as a leading full service law firm in China, uniquely positioned to provide superior legal services in commercial transactions and disputes.” Moreover, it is well known as a pioneer in the re-establishment of the legal profession in China. This experience of visiting JUN HE was all the more meaningful because we recently completed our business law class in November 2008.

For an attorney and accountant in the MBAE program, there were several moments that broadened our minds about the practice of law in China. First of all, it was indeed a pleasure to visit the first private law firm in China. That is certainly a historic moment for both of us. More specifically, we learned that although the country of China has existed for thousands of years, the laws of the country are not so well developed. To learn that 3 of the 5 founding partners of the firm graduated from United States law schools provides a sense of pride in the educational opportunities available in our country. To also learn that Audrey Chen received her LL.M degree from the University of California Berkeley, School of Law demonstrates the unique endeavors that ambitious people can embark upon.

We both learned about the requirements and effort that it takes to become a partner in a large firm. The requirements are not so different in the United States but what is all the more interesting are the hurdles that women must endure in a male dominated profession. This is not uncommon in the legal profession nor the business world. This was all the more meaningful because we had a later conversation over this issue because as an African American corporate attorney and a white female accountant, we have only focused our beliefs on what we know in America, but learning about these issues from a global perspective is something that we will never forget and was quite astonishing .

There are often events that shape the world and to hear the number of United States companies that left China during the events at Tiananmen Square in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s was something that we both took to heart. We are unsure at this time whether the financial struggles that we currently have in the United States will affect China.
Additionally, to learn that lawyers are not as well respected in China as they are in the United States was indeed profound. We are hopeful that in the near future, the citizens of the Republic of China will have more appreciation of lawyers as the law in that country develops. More importantly, it is essential to remember the social responsibility that lawyers have in society. We appreciate Audrey Chen sharing with us how JUN HE is active in pro bono matters and have actively participated in legislative research initiatives by the Chinese government and other public interest activities.

We were indeed fortunate to visit JUN HE law office in Beijing and have a meaningful discussion with Audrey Chen. We wish the best to JUN HE as they will soon celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2009. More specifically, we wish the best to Audrey Chen and thank her for providing us a view of the legal profession in contemporary China. We may never have the opportunity to have this discourse and dialogue in our lives again and we are most appreciative of this experiential learning opportunity.

Day 3 Update - CANGO, Jun He Law Offices, Peking Duck, and Karaoke

2008-12-09T21:42:00.025+08:00

Ni hao from China on our third day in country. Today was our first "business" day. Everyone got to the bus on time and we all put on our Purdue University Calumet lapel pins and headed off to CANGO (China Association for NGO Cooperation) to meet Mr. Huang Haoming (Vice Chairman & Executive Director) and Mr. Zhao Daxing (Deputy Executive Director). CANGO was one of the first NGO organizations in China and serves social organizations and public works organizations. Their mission is to create a network of Chinese NGO's to address poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and social development particularly in poor, remote, and rural areas. Our hosts noted that they recently raised RMB 425 mikllion for project implementation with local matching funds received of RMB 250 million. Our hosts were very gracious with their time and answered many questions from the group. Learn more about CANGO's activities at http://www.cango.org/english/.

We had a wonderful family-style lunch in the building housing our next visit. We were seated at two large round tables near windows with a lovely view of the city. As the lazy susan went around we tried many dishes such as a delicious sweet and sour pork (NOTHING like the sweet & sour in America), spicy tofu, mushrooms and cabbage, and kung pao chicken. Check out the video and see how good Prof. Obi is getting with his chopsticks!

Guess what we found for an after lunch treat? STARBUCKS! Many of us were delighted to see this and got our caffeine fix.

After lunch we went into the beautiful offices of the Jun He Law Offices and met Ms. Audrey Z. Chen, attorney at law and partner in the firm. Ms. Chen charmed us with her stories and wit. We learned that Jun He was China's first private law firm, founded in 1989. They have five founders, three of which are US educated. The firm was set up originally to serve US clients. Now the firm is home to more than 70 partners and 350 associates. She proudly told us that her firm was named China law firm of the year for 2008. Did you know that the China Bar pass rate is 5%? Compare that with California at 50% and New York at 70% (both states in which Ms. Chen is a member of the bar). You can learn more about the Jun He Law Firm at http://www.junhe.com/en/index.asp.

After this visit we had a few hours until our Peking Duck dinner and karaoke. Many of us went shopping, some took a nap, and others went on an adventure. Tricia and Lori took a rickshaw tour of the Hutong. The Hutong is the traditional area of Beijing where people live. It is now a protected historical sight. We saw a very interesting neighborhood, had a wonderful guide named Pong, and were able to visit with a pensioner in his home. The main buildings in the hutong were almost all quadrangles--a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular courtyard. Many hutongs face south for better lighting and heating.

At 6:00 we were off for the traditional Beijing dinner of Peking Duck. We had our dinner at the Loushe Tea House - a very famous venue visited by many celebrities including Henry Kissenger, President Bush, and Purdue Calumet MBAE!! While there we were entertained by young ladies playing traditional Chinese instruments and a puppet shadow show. After dinner many travellers visited the tea shop upstairs.

Our next destination was KTV for an evening of karaoke. It did take some hunting to find songs that we wanted to sing along to, but we did find some. The videos accompanying the songs were hilarious! For those of you who lived through the 80's clothes and hair, you'd have been right at home..... One of the highlights was Shontrai's rendition of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" complete with his traditional flips (ask any of the MBAE 10 students about the flips). Also active participants were Ozzie, Tricia, Stepanie, Patrick, and Barbara. Prof. Obi got into it with a classic reggae song!

Day 3 - Barb Thompson's reflections

2008-12-09T21:40:00.003+08:00

Have you ever been in a crowd and felt like everyone was looking your way? Not like you walked in with that perfect suit on but more like they were surprised to see you in the first place and you weren’t invited. Well, it took me about a day to realize that it was more like everyone was glad to see me and was trying to figure out how to greet or approach me. Only after hearing a set of words repetitively did I had an epiphany it was my hair and I realized that my hair is different then anything that the Beijing citizens had seen up-close and personal. The glares were amazement and the body language was anxiousness. The mystery had been cracked and I immediately began to extend to anyone that appeared hesitant to engage their curiosity and approach me.

My lesson for the day: your imagination of what can be is probably worse than what is after all in my mind, my hair is average but across cultural bearers it’s like a lion’s mane.

Day 2 Update - Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square

2008-12-08T18:14:00.018+08:00

Wow, what a day! We began with a delicious breakfast buffet (you have never seen one like this in the US) and ended with the lowering of the Chinese flag in Tiananmen Square.

We started out on a bus ride to the Ju Yong Guan Pass - Great Wall. During the bus ride, Stephen, our guide, shared with us a lot of information about the city and about the great wall. At one point, our host Jenny told us that in only one other of her University groups had all the participants made it to the top. We were determined to be the second ones to do so! Jenny told us that we had to make it up many, many stairs and we would pass four towers on our way to the top. Her advice to us was "one step at a time, pace yourself, rest when you need to, and drink water." She also reminded us of Chairman Mao's dictate that no one is a hero who does not make it to the top of the pass. So, we were challenged and off we went. Above is a picture of us at the bottom of the pass, before we started our climb.

What a workout it was! As you can see from the picture, we were all bundled up as we expected it to be cold and get colder as we went up. There were many, many, many steps - most were steep and many were uneven. Some were only a few centimeters high and others as many as 30 centimeters high. We had to take many, many rests and used those to take pictures. This picture shows you only a PART of one of the sections we climbed.

Along the way we made many stops. In fact, we were getting such a good workout that we began to realize that we may have dressed too warmly and we began shedding layers. Gloves came off.... Jackets came off.... Hats came off.... We began to think that we might not make it, but we remembered Jenny's advice and took it one step at a time. We stopped offen to take pictures showing ourselves and the unbelievable scenary.

The great news is that we all did, at last, make it to the top of the pass! Yes, every last one of us! When we finally got to the last tower, we had one last surprise - a VERY narrow staircase leading up to the top. Here is a video clip from the top.

What goes up, must come down and so down we went. It was definitely easier than the way up, but by no means easy. On the way down, some of us stopped to purchase "medals" commemorating that we climbed the Great Wall. Now if we only had 7 more, we'd be just like Michael Phelps.....

After a bus ride back into the city and lunch, we headed off to the Forbidden City, home of Emperors, Empresses, eunuchs and concubines. Because it was getting late and because we wanted to be sure to get tickets, we went in from the back entrance. The Forbidden City is surrounded by a moat and a very high wall. The back entrance is the servants' entrance and leads into the main living space. We saw many courtyards, gorgeous buildings, statues, and many huge cauldrons that used to serve as resevoirs for water in case of fire. These two pictures are of one of the buildings that has been restored.

After we went through courtyard after courtyard, we finally came to the last one and saw Chinese Army soldiers conducting a drill. They were preparing for the flag lowering ceremony which takes place at sundown across the street in Tiananmen Square. A very nice site to learn more about the Forbidden City is at http://www.thebeijingguide.com/forbidden_city/index.html.

We crossed the street (underground) and went into Tiananmen Square. On either side of the square sits The Great Hall of the People and the Chinese National Museum. We were just in time for the lowering of the flag.

After a quick bus ride, we were back at the hotel. Jenny and Steve told the group about several excellent places to get a foot massage for our aching feet! We all went our own way will reconvene for our first business visit tomorrow.

Happy 80th Birthday Dad - From Tricia

2008-12-08T17:52:00.005+08:00

WOW! our first day was fantastic- we climbed the Great Wall and realize the MBA program has exercised our minds more than our bodies. Once the tour guide told us that only one other MBA class had the entire group make it to the top- We took on the challenge and every one summited. Lunch at the Brazilian BBQ was adventurous with squid, fish balls and beef tongue. I think many are headed to McDonalds for dinner tonight.

Thanks Dad for teaching me to be adventurous while taking on any physical and mental challenge, otherwise I would have missed this trip. Happy Birthday!

First Day Thoughts - Darin Clark

2008-12-08T02:52:00.022+08:00

Wrapping up the evening consisted of reviewing the day at our local in-house lounge “Purple” located in the hotel. As every 80’s song plays on the Karaoke display, everyone belts out a few bars inadvertently showing our age. We have actually driven everyone out of the bar. We are practicing for our Tuesday Karaoke debut. In the event that someone does not sing, they have to eat bugs-on-a –stick. Tuesday should be an interesting day.

First Day Thoughts - Patrick B. Kirkwood

2008-12-08T02:51:00.001+08:00

A bit tired, hoarse and extremely tired…I press on to enjoy wonderful conversations with my peers in the karaoke lounge of the hotel. From past experiences, I’ve not been able to sleep on a plane so I forced myself to stay up the night before my flight. With less than one hour of sleep, I look forward to experiencing every moment that Beijing and Shanghai has to offer. What a great experience to share with such a diverse group of individuals!Darin Clark - Wrapping up the evening consisted of reviewing the day at our local in-house lounge “Purple” located in the hotel. As every 80’s song plays on the Karaoke display, everyone belts out a few bars inadvertently showing our age. We have actually driven everyone out of the bar. We are practicing for our Tuesday Karaoke debut. In the event that someone does not sing, they have to eat bugs-on-a –stick. Tuesday should be an interesting day.

First Day Thoughts - Manvel Robinson

2008-12-08T02:50:00.000+08:00

The highlight of my day outside of the “strange things on a stick” was the flight attendant. While on the plane I noticed that my TV monitor was not working. I asked one of the flight attendants is there any way to resolve the issue and his response was that it was a wiring issue. He said water was dripping on the wiring for the monitors and it was causing a shortage in many of the monitors throughout the plan. My first thought was Final Destination! In this movie the airplane explodes because of a wire shortage! I kept his story to myself because I didn’t want to frighten my cohorts…needles to say I made!

First Day Thoughts - Stephanie Guzik

2008-12-08T02:49:00.004+08:00

Until today we experienced a situation “only in movies”. After visiting the Pearl Market and realizing how much money we are going to spend buying pearls, we decided to call it a night and get some din din. Using his best MBA (newly acquired) skills Ozzie tries to be fiscally sound and get the best quote from the taxi drivers. It’s always a good idea to negotiate safety… Finally we settle on $5 for all three of us (Barb, Phil, Ozzie and Me) from a surly Chinese man. We get in the taxi… squished like sardines and we are off! Suddenly we are swerving through traffic, near missing accidents and collisions with other vehicles. Just when we thought it was safe to look up, he takes a turn down the narrowest alley dodging his unsuspecting fellow Chinamen and their cars. We came to a grinding holt because someone needed to get out of a parking space. Instead of getting out of the way, our taxi ride from hell veers to the right and rides over the curb as we imagined the sparks that were emitted under the car as it drug on the concrete. We cross the street and magically appear at our hotel. We all yelled out it joy and relief that we had arrived in one piece. At that moment, we thought he was superman and not stupid!

Day 1 Update - We have arrived!

2008-12-08T02:40:00.000+08:00

Those of us who flew on Saturday, December 6th had a relatively uneventful day. Despite the snow in Chicago, we took off on time and had no flight delays. Some of us got upgraded to Business Class which was a joy - we wish it could have been all of us! Each seat had it's own video screen. One of the things we could watch was the flight path of the plane. In the two shots below, you can see that we flew directly north then west over Alaska and then south into Asia. NOTE: you can double - click on any picture to enlarge it.

After we arrived at the beautiful Beijing Airport and once we were all together we headed off for customs. Customs was efficient and fast and we were soon off to pick up our luggage. Thankfully, that also went well and we were met by Prof. Obi, Jenny Pan, Managing Director of China Sense and our host in China, and Steve our tour guide in Beijing. We boarded the bus and were off to our hotel. Pat and Jenny briefed us on what to expect - including how to bargain so as not to pay too much - hint, aim for 20% of the asking price.

Upon arrival, we met up with the the travellers from our group who had come earlier. Some of the Saturday travellers headed off to rest and others went out to dinner. Here's a picture of us at dinner. Everyone used chopsticks - even for the rice :) After dinner, we went across the street to the Donghaumen Night Market and what a sight it was to behold! It is an open air market with all kinds of delicacies for the adventurous eater. Here are some pictures - see if you can read the menu board (double click the picture to enlarge it)... None of us has been adventurous enough to sample any so far, but Ozzie insists that he will before we leave.

The menu board - which one will you try?

The tray right below the vendor is centipedes and the tray to the right is cockroaches.

Crickets on a stick!

Lamb testicles on the left and kidneys on the right.

Delicacies on dispay!

Tomorrow, Monday, we are off to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City.

See you tomorrow!

One day to go!

2008-12-05T15:34:00.000+08:00

MBAE-10 is leaving for our China trip in one day. Prof. Obi is flying out today and the rest of us are following tomorrow.

We will post as often as we can. Check back often!