Day 6,The Summer Palace

Today we travelled to the summer palace. Interesting fact, the dragon empress used the funds for the  Chinese navy one year to build this palace. She though that the navy will eventually be destroyed, but a palace will last forever.  The palace is laid out much like a bay. It is actually a man-made body of water, which is an astounding feet in itself. Someone asked the question “where did they put all the mud,” Ruby answered and said that it was used to build that small mountain, as she pointed to the humungous hill that the palace was on top off.  As we walked along the bank we travelled under a walkway that was completely hand painted with different motifs and images. This path stretched for I would guess much more than a mile. I am pretty sure that the paint is not original due to the Cultural Revolution when it was all painted over by the Red Guard. Since then it has been repainted. We finally reached the palace and as we looked up we were greeted by the fact that we had a long way to climb upward still. It was pretty foggy that day, however when we had reached the top I had one of the best views of my entire life. The hazy backdrop on an expansive lake dotted with ancient Chinese style housing was absolutely magnificent. Pictures will never do it justice. While we were up at the top we were able to make out perfectly a small island located in the center. Goa pointed out that we would walk there next by the bridge that connects it to the shoreline. We then knew we had a lot more walking to do that day. As we stopped by little buildings to see what was inside there were always dozens of figurines. There were beautiful carvings of jade and painted pottery. All the artifacts were incredible status symbols of power and wealth.  When we reached the island, we saw an even more artifacts along with a strategically placed gift shop. We then took a boat ride back from the island to the shoreline, which was loaded with tourists from a place which Ruby described as the “Wyoming” of China.  On our way out there was an area of the summer palace which reminded me a lot of Venice, with walkways directly adjacent to a small canal of water. Along this path were small artisan shops where people could purchase calligraphy or small paintings. That was pretty much our day.

I would like to take this time to mention small details of china that I might have failed to discuss or mention in previous blog posts. I would like to call this section things that China has done right. Firstly, eating has usually consisted of a hot pot located in the center where people just grab things place them in and then eat them. There is rarely any need for a plate or a personal serving. Secondly, people just spit anywhere and all the time. Thirdly, you will see some children wearing out fits with a whole around there crotch, which allows for them to stop and relieve themselves whenever, an pleasure I wish I had as a child. This leads me to the fourth thing, squatty potties; while difficult to master they are better for you. Another favorite cultural element of mine is a complete rejection of lines. Most crowded areas such as the forbidden city, zoo or summer palace there is more pushing and shoving than order. Haggling in general, if you want a good price you have to earn it with an argument.

Trip in Summary

 

Ethical Issues in My Profession:

The overwhelming difference between the U.S. and China is their economic plans. The U.S. is built off of a capitalist system and while China has adopted many capitalist ideals, it is still a plan economy. By a plan economy I mean one that allows for privatization and consumerism, however the government has a definite stake in the success in many major companies. All of the companies we visited were either started by the government to produce something for the nation or was heavily supported by the government. Being supported by the government gives companies an obvious funding boost, but also allows them to have a decent control of the market. Another major issue is how companies in these countries treat their workers. In one of our lessons we were taught about Foxcon, a Chinese company responsible for producing many apple products. Due to its low wages many workers have committed suicide. I think it is also important to note that these people are not factory workers but skilled educated engineers that are still being poorly paid. Wages in China are incredibly low, so low in fact that it is almost impossible to sustain a family without working incredible amounts of overtime.  Companies have been cutting wages to boost income this effect has created a rift between the upper class and the working class. The U.S. has the opposite problem with many unions it is becoming harder for American companies to be competitive.

 

Educational Breadth as Professional Development:

Business etiquette and culture in China is much like the U.S. A handshake is the most common greeting and suit and tie is the common outfit. I found that acting in a respectful way was normally the best way to go. During the business visits I never felt like I did not know enough customs or foreign knowledge in order to be courteous.  That being said there are a few important things to keep in mind. Chinese businesses like to meet with foreign ones by a mutual party. Giving gifts is a good practice but never the number four because the word for four sounds like the word for death in Chinese. Also it is a nice gesture to be interested in Chinese culture. Learning phrases and using them correctly is a polite thing to do, although most business will be carried out in English. Referencing a modern writer named Lu Xun would also be very nice, since he is a very important figure in modern Chinese writing. I think that is is general practice to show interest into a fellow colleagues culture. Learning basic history and knowing some of the language is a great way to show your respect and care for the other party.

 

The Social Environment of Professional Life:

When I was on the bus to the great wall I was able to talk to a man named Kevin. His English was ok but not great. He asked about President Obama’s upcoming election and what I thought about it. It seems that the Chinese public is well aware of the political issues going on in the U.S. So I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about the important Chinese political happenings. It is also interesting to note that politics is not a common topic in China. Many people do not like to discuss politics. A current issue is the rise of Xi Jingping as the next president of China and successor of Hu Jintao. This change should occur soon in late 2012. His undergraduate education is as a chemical engineer, which is an interesting difference from the U.S. leaders. Like many of the others holding his future position, he is a Tsinghua graduate. These changes are important to know because the play a huge role in the global economy. Because of China’s political and economic structure a political figure can have a larger and more direct impact on China’s and therefore the world’s economy.

 

Functioning on Multi-Disciplinary Teams:

I very much enjoyed working on a multi-disciplinary team. My group consisted of one engineer (me) and four other business students. Working on a team such as this was fun in that I was completely responsible for engineering sections. The group trusted me to come through on my section. And I , not knowing about the PEST or SWOT analysis, was relying on the group to bring their part. Working in a group like this requires a lot of self-policing. There was no one in the group checking over my work, which gave me more responsibility. These types of teams are how most businesses work, because they do not have the money to spend on having extra personnel around. When I did group work in my engineering classes work got done a lot differently. Because every person was bringing in the same skill set there was less responsibility. People all had their own idea on how to do things and therefore the process was a lot slower and less efficient. However, the product might have been better because of this discussion.  That being said having each person bringing in a different skill set and working with the group to produce a product is very effective and efficient.

 

Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development:

Obviously it is important to continue learning as work. This was well demonstrated in two of our company visits, it also should be noted that these were my favorite visits. In both cases our guides had an undergraduate major that did not to relate to the business positions they held currently. Our guide through capital bio started off as a biological engineer and PHD but then moved to global business. Our guide through Lenovo was an English major and now works in marketing and global business. This is not very surprising to me because similar things occur in the U.S. The average worker will hold six different professions. It is becoming more and more likely that the job you spend most of your life in is not one that has any connection to your major in college. Knowing this it is obvious that an overwhelming importance is placed on experience learning. Technology also plays a role in the changing job market. When we visited the distillery that produces Baijoh we were able to see the filling a labeling building. The bottles were filled and capped by an automated machine, but labeled by workers. It easy to see that originally the whole process was done by hand and eventually the whole process will probably be done by machine.

Day 14, Homeward Bound

And so the final day began. We were not meeting until 1:30 to leave for the airport, so most of the morning was spent packing and hanging out. I made a personal trek to get my favorite Chinese snacks for the plane ride back. I purchased some snack that resembles Funions but way better, as well as some type of moonpie. A lot of us spent the morning looking at funny pictures, or finishing up some blogs. I was able to see someone practicing tai chi in the park on my way to stuff my face with snacks. One of the things I wish I had a chance to do was practice some tai chi in a soothing park like the one at the temple of heaven. Anyway, at 1:30 we departed for the airport. Security was pretty easy except for Joe had purchased a quitar and that took forever to check into luggage. Our flight was not until six and after all of the security we had about an hour before we had to board. Our flight from China was a typical flight, long, boring and made even more fun by a dozen screaming children. I saw one lady stand in an aisle for more than an hour to let her child nap sprawled out over her seat. I asked Dan and John sitting next to me if we could pull the same rotation but to no avail. The flight was thirteen hours long and with the time change put us 12 hours back. After an hour wait in Toronto and an hour plane ride back I was back in Pittsburgh by 10:30.

The experiences I had in China were like no other I have ever had. Traveling to a foreign place with 15 friends is definitely the way to go. I saw some of the most beautiful things I will ever see. I also smelled some of the worst things, but that is beside the point. Our trip could not have been led by a better group of people. Our professor Dr. Gao made the whole trip by setting the tone. Vanessa was a wealth of information and quick to teach us something important about Chinese culture. And our trusty guides Vanessa and Ruby were pivotal in making sure we had a lot of fun, but also lived. There were also two other guides with our group, however I do not know their names or what they did for the group. They never really spoke much. Anyway it was a great trip and I am more than glad I went to China.

Day 13, Red wedding dresses and big Buddhas

Today started off with a lesson consisting of a continuation of the last one. Our instructor went over mostly social issues such as marital customs, gender roles etc. Our instructor was married during the social revolution and showed us her certificate of marriage. An interesting difference is that a chines woman does not take the name of her husband. This I think plays a key role in the continuation of a family’s name. In the west having a boy means the family name will be continued on. This difference you think would eliminate any preference in boy vs. girl. Our instructor also did not have a ring so there is not really much to distinguish her as a married woman. Typically younger couples in china do have a ring however.

After our lesson we broke into our group presentations. My group talked about a product that is an enhanced version of mobile maps, which would allow for an in-depth comparison of different transportation techniques. The product would also learn from the users input and become even more efficient for the user. Other groups’ ideas were also very interesting. There was a t-bottle which worked almost like a Brita filter, however it also boiled the water and made tea. There was an air filter for solving the smog problem. As well as a database that allows rural communities to report corruption.

After the presentations I made a personal trek to the llama temple. In my journey I was able to learn and master the subway system. It is actually incredibly easy. I took line 13 from Wudowko to Xzingmen and then line 2 to youngemen. The llama is directly outside the youngemen station. It was an incredibly experience to be inside the llama temple. The easiest thing to notice when you are there is that everyone is burning incense. In most cases people stand in specific places scattered all through the temple and begin to bow holding 3 incenses to their head. Most outdoor cases people would burn the incense but for places where there was a Buddha inside the temple people would kneel and then proceed to lay their incense on the alter. Personally I walked through with Buddhist payer beads in my hand I do no recall their formal name. Vanessa told me before I went that I should hold them in my left hand and stroke through the beads in order to take in all of the luck. The buildings at the temple were incredibly ornate and the Buddha statues were incredible. The 18 foot Buddha towards the end of the temple was awe-inspiring. I like many others sat in amazement in order to take the room in.

Day 12, Laptops and Peking Duck

Today we went on our last company visit to a major computer company headquartered in Beijing called Lenovo. It was pretty cool being there because I am currently writing this post on a Lenovo laptop. It was incredibly busy there with a ton of tours going on. We were directed into a room where they brought up a theme of a paper airplane, which is their current marketing tool. The guide then went through the history and development of company and how it is not completely owned by the government. It is still supported by the government for supplying the country with computer technology instead to importing computers from the US. As the company began it focused on the desktop model but has now evolved into a laptop focused company. An interesting note about Lenovo is their target market. In the U.S. very few of my friends own lenovos, but a large number of businesses use Lenovo laptops for their employees. However, there is a change occurring in the area of personal computers. And this change is that individuals are using their own computer instead of one given to them by their company.  So now Levovo is beginning to drift away from a commercial product and focus on the consumer. They are also creating more customizable smartphones that are not as robust as iPhones, but good at specific tasks like music or internet use, cutting cost. It felt that the tour was almost a sales pitch, because for them we (college students) are their target market.

After our company visit we went to restaurant to have Peyking duck. Peyking is actually and old name used for the city of Beijing. The food was the best meal I have had here so far. They served several plates that had slices of duck on it. There was also a basket of crepe like pieces that you would wrap the duck in along with lettuce cucumber. There were also plates of chicken, fried rice, a duck soup. I also got to try duck brain which wasn’t to bad.

In our lesson today we learned about the governmental change that has gone on in china since its beginning. Throughout the dynasties each had pretty much the same governmental system, which was extremely consolidated. This matches the communist, single party, model used today.

Day11, Drinking Baijo and Climbing Fragrant Hills

Today we went on two company visits. The first we drove pretty far out to an area that seemed like a suburb/rural area. The factory that is located there produces Baijo which is a traditional form of Chinese liquor. They showed us through a lot of the historic artifacts of ancient Chinese distilleries. We passed by many stone carvings of ancient Chinese men during the Qing dynasty making and drinking Baijo. Towards the end we took tastes of two levels of the alcohol. The first alcohol was the 35^th degree. It had a distinct taste, but it did not have much bite to it. We then tried the 65^th degree, this stuff was literally eating away at the Dixie cup we were given. It had a similar taste, but a significant amount of burn. It was not the worst thing ever. I don’t know how someone could consistently drink the stuff though.

Our next visit was fairly close to the distillery. It was a company called Jangho, which is a producer of something called a double curtain wall. This material is the cutting edge for walls in skyscrapers. If you have ever seen a sky scraper that just looked like it was a straight sheet of glass. It is most likely built with a technique similar to this one. The usefulness of this material is twofold. First the double layer of glass allows for a extremely efficient insulator that allows for air circulation. Because both layers are class it also allows for natural light to light the building reducing the need of fluorescent light. Jangho is an extremely fast growing company winning major projects all around the world. We were able to visit their factory. I was surprised to see it laid out almost entirely of manual labor. However, this manual labor was something I would call semi-skilled. All of the workers were working in specific stations. In these stations each worker was doing a number of different tasks instead of just one task, seen most in the Fordism model. I felt this company visit was important in two ways. Firstly the company we saw is producing a product which will become more and more present in the future. It was also important to see how a Chinese factory is set up in comparison to one in the U.S.

After our company visits we went back to our hotel to change into comfortable clothing because our next stop was Fragrant Hill. This is a very large hill around 1827 feet high. It took us around 40 minutes to climb and was pretty challenging. When we reached the top we saw an absolutely great view of Beijing city. It was a very nice day out with minimal smog, but it was still hazy. We were able to see the city pretty clearly. It travelled seemingly forever in almost every direction in front of us. It was crazy to see the expanse of the city we have been living in for the past week and a half.

Day 9, Capitalistic Communism and Solar Power

Today we started off with a class. Our teacher was an economist who is a Chinese native and Boston University graduate. He discussed relevant facts such as 50% of the population live in cities. Also that 38% of the economy is still agriculture. He then discussed historical economic issues and the development of the communist economy and the growth of the Chinese economy through the years.  A major point the development of china is in 1978 when the country took a more capitalistic view, through the guidance of Deng Xiaoping. Now the county sits as the second largest economy in the world, with the likelihood hood of becoming the largest in a few years.  Some repercussions of this rapid growth are the major issues holding china back from having a stable, developed economy. China has a high reliability on foreign investments and foreign purchases, which is not very good for an economy. Also the pollution is beginning to be  a big issue especially with the city. He briefly discussed foxconn which is a major producer of apple products are a good example of how low and unlivable the wages are.

After our lesson we travelled to Tsinghua solar, which is company who is partnered with Tsinghua University and are a major producer of solar water heaters. The water heaters consist of a very large basin attached to several tubes meant to take in solar energy and convert that energy into heat. These types of water heaters are not a big thing in the U.S. and probably never will be however they devices in china are incredibly practical. The tubes work by natural circulation of hot and cold water so the water is onctiualy heated through the evacuated tubes. They are also developing another thype of technology that uses a special fluid that will not receive. The tsinguha company seemed very small, but with loads of potential, with solar energy becoming a major thing in china. The company seems as if they will be moving towards rapid growth.

Day 10, Bio Olympics

Today we travelled to see the Olympic sites of the birds nest and water cube. The architecture of the birds nest is amazing. Built for the 2008 summer Olympic games, it housed one of the most amazing opening ceremonies I have ever seen. While we were there we actually got to see one of the drums used. Inside the birds nest is just amazing as the outside. There is an expansive amount of seating. While inside the birds nest we were able to ride Segway’s around the track, which was incredibly fun. It was nice to be able to go around a track where so many great Olympians had been. Along the walkways there were a lot of pictures of Olympians competing in the birds nest. Outside the birds nest we were able to see the giant torch used as well as a tower where the media was able to broadcast from.

On Sunday were already saw the inside of the water cube so instead we just took pictures outside of the birds nest and water cube. After our tour of the Olympic park we headed back to the hotel to get dressed for our next company visit to capital bio. I thought this company visit was incredibly interesting. When first entered capital bio we were greeted by our guide of the company who showed us there lobby wall full of patents. Their company ideal is a business innovation. They wish to avoid direct competition by developing newer and newer technologies. Capital Bio is a medium sized company first started by the Chinese government through Tsinghua University in order to supply the country with micro imaging technologies. We were able to see the devices they have invented and now sell worldwide. The technology is used for what they call bio diagnostics now used heavily research. It will soon be used in many hospitals and capital bio’s new flagship project hopes to create a device that can be used by the consumer.  We were able to walk around and tour through their labs as well as see there storage for their bone marrow project funded and pushed heavily by the government.

Day 8, Temple of heaven and market of pearls

Today was our scheduled free day. It was incredibly hard to make it through the whole day. We were all still pretty tired from yesterday’s great wall trip. Our first adventure of the day was the Beijing subway. Just imagine a New York subway, just a little cleaner and a lot more crowded. Most of the way you were body to body with the person next to you. The trip also put the size of Beijing into perspective. To get from our hotel to the pearl market we had to take a subway for 2 stops transfer, and then take another subway for 10 stops and then transfer again and take another subway for one more stop. When we got to the pearl market we were pleasantly greeted by the brute force of haggling, which is a contact sport to say the least. When we would walk through there would be tables set up on either side with the person behind the counter berating you for your attention. If we would so much as look at an item on their counter they would yell, wave, chase and hold onto your arm. I was able to buy a few things that interested me, but a majority of what was being sold were fake name-brand items such as rolex watches, nike shoes, polo shirts and channel bags. (I don’t know how to spell channel.) The store consisted of 6 huge floors packed with salesmen and women. I would say there were more women than men selling. Their English was impressive and their haggling was smart and brutal. Most people got deals that they were very pleased with.

After the pearl market we ate at KFC which was a fun experience. It was relatively easy because all I had to do was point to a number kind of like a Denny’s in the U.S.  Once we had lunch, we went to the temple of heaven. It consisted of similar architecture that was used for the Forbidden City and the summer palace. Ornately painted wood with towered levels and paneled roofing.  The temple of heaven is a major  temple where the emperor prayed and is stilled a major spot during a spring time festival. There are expansive lawns where people are picnicking doing tai chi, dancing or singing. I am really interested in tai chi and plan on trying it sometime during the trip.

When we were done at the temple of heaven we took a similar subway root back to our hotel. We then changed and took a taxi ride to the water cube. The water cube, which was the site where Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals during the 2008 Olympics, is now home to a pretty cool water park. It cost us each 65 R.M.B., roughly 10 dollars. As water parks go it was small, but well-built and cool looking. The slides were also a ton of fun. The speed slide started off with you climbing into a pod, where the floor dropped out into a 90 degree drop. After a few hours there we took a taxi ride back to the hotel and slept like babies.

Day 7, Sliding down the wall

Today was awe inspiring. The great wall is a whole different experience when you see it firsthand. It is incredibly hard to describe in words what it was like. It was a challenge to climb, but with each step the view was that much rewarding. By the looks of the sun, I think we travelled east, but I could be entirely wrong. The entire wall stretches across a mountain pass; its name escapes me at the moment. If my history is correct it was built during the Ming dynasty to protect itself from the northern invaders. The section we walked on is called Badaling, one of the major sites of the great wall. A lot of the other sections are incredibly hard to climb or, due to decay, are completely impassable.  The view from this wall is mind boggling and cannot be described in words. There was a specific section which is the highest of Badaling. Climbing it is incredibly difficult, but well worth it. Pictures will hardly do it justice. The climb to reach the wall was pretty steep and long, however the toboggan ride down from the wall was incredible. For 65 R.M.B. you could ride a toboggan slide down the hill from the Great Wall. It was a lot of fun.

As we walked back to the bus there were several shops along the sidewalk, which allowed us to buy some souvenirs and brush up on our haggling skills. We finished the day with a meal at a “American” style buffet. It was a nice change of pace from Chinese food, but the food was not that good or “American” for that matter.