Discovering China
We all remembered the day we received an email: “We gladly accept you doing this minor”. And months later, here we are.
The 1st Day – The moment is here
After a 10 hour flight full of fun and of course time to sleep. And it still seems surreal to arrive in Shanghai.
Our first transportation was the Maglev, a train that went 430 km/h. To see all the poverty, construction, grey sky, duck taped scooters and experiencing the bumpy roads and chaotic traffic, Shanghai has a different side than the colorful, modern pictures they always show.
The hotel Jinjiang Inn, part of a chain, wasn’t bad. We had everything we needed, including hard, flat beds.
To get the most beautiful view over Shanghai, we went in the Oriental Pearl Tower. Afterwards, we paid a visit to Mc Donalds (Màidangláo), were we only paid 2 Euros for a whole menu! To walk it off, we went shopping. We soon noticed all the shops looked alike and that “street sellers” are everywhere. Sales people attack you the second you walk into their area. The same goes for the homeless people.
That night two female students discovered the “ground toilets”, nothing but a toilet seat in the floor (so squad down and let it all out). During this trip, all female students will most likely experience this piece of the Chinese culture. And finally, a Chinese meal! Familiar and unfamiliar food like nasi and cooked pig’s ear passed us.
2nd Day – Gan Bei
A smaller, less comfortable bus was waiting for us. And we were all paying attention to the driving skills of our new chauffeur, going from left to right and honking like crazy. We arrived at the Shanghai Port, were we awaited by one of the directors. He showed us the site and told us their plans for the future. Xiè xiè, thank you and there we went, on the road again. That night we went out to dinner with Rienk from Hunter Douglas. We tried some unusual food again, such as pig and pork stomachs, which doesn’t really taste like anything. Rienk visited every table and taught us a Chinese habit, to drink “bottoms up” or as they call it in China: Gan Bei! So that’s what we did that night…and again…and again. The best way to learn is to keep practicingJ!
That night we went out to do what Chinese love to do: Karaoke! Every room had its own karaoke set and everybody went “on stage” and showed their best. Well, after a couple of beers your best becomes a funny performance.
Since the party mood and alcohol was present in everybody, it was logical to explore the nightlife in Shanghai. We noticed that the nightclubs are much more spectacular in China and that a beer costs €5,-.
3rd Day – Chinese Venice
Starting the day with a traffic jam of at least an hour, we got out of the bus and checked out the environment too. And since we looked so different, we were being checked out as well. Our destination that day was Zhou Zhuang, a water city. Some sort of Traditional Chinese Venice. We saw so many different things and people. This was the perfect place to practice our bargain skills. Some were better than others, but we all left with a satisfied feeling and a bag full of souvenirs.
4th Day – Time to study
We spent today at SIFT (Shanghai Institute for Foreign Trade) SIFT contains a 7 university campus. It’s funny that all students have a bicycle, since they often have to travel from one building to another. The place is huge, it was like walking into a city! Peter Steemers (a fellow travelers and professor at HAN University) gave a guest lecture about Problem Definition and Strategies. We had to implement the knowledge to solve a case together with Chinese students. Groups were made and our project began. We had to get used to working with Chinese students, since they have a different way of working than us. The other professors joined us and group after group presented their problem and solution. After the last group, the professors deliberated who was best. And the winner is….group 5! Applause and cheers filled the room, well done, Hĕn Hao. To show their appreciation, the students of SIFT organized a little party for us in a room on campus, where fun was waiting for us. We played games like and we also learned the bunny hop dance. An overnight bus took us to Wenzhou. Imagine 30 beds, 2 layered in one bus and you can imagine the sizes and narrow aisles separating the beds. Around two am we arrived in Wenzhou, a small town known for its export and trade and beautiful nature. This was our new “home” for the next couple of days.
5th Day – Car chase
Our first stop today was the low voltage laboratory of KEMA (of KEMA keurmerk, also located in Arnhem, The Netherlands). We had a quick tour through the laboratory. KEMA’s objective for the future is to set up a high voltage laboratory in Shanghai.
For dinner we had Chinese and bottles of beers were popped left and right. We saw life fish swimming around, just waiting to be picked out and be served for dinner. It’s interesting to experience more and more of the Chinese culture every day. Afterwards we explored the nightlife of Wenzhou. We had an address and collected 4 cabs. A pursuit followed, since only one cab knew the directions. It was like being in a car chase in an old action movie. We ended up in Bund 18, mingled with other Chinese and foreigners and had lots of fun!
6th Day – The poor and the rich
Our first stop was a shipyard, which operates both domestically as internationally and contributes a great deal to the worlds shipping industry. The company builds 10 ships a year, made to transfer goods. The director feels that their comparative advantage lies in a lower amount of raw materials and lower costs. We continued by visiting a factory that belonged to the same company. The work that was being done was routine work. The rooms were big, grey and had a sad atmosphere. The day continued with our assignment: The poor & the rich in Wenzhou, which really displayed the huge gap. I can say for all of us that this left the biggest impression on us and left us thinking about our own lives. The families told us they accepted the situation and were fine with it. They moved to Wenzhou for the better employment. Just a couple of hundred meters further, the rich lived. It is weird that these groups live so close together, but have the total opposite life. The rich live in big apartments. Most of them told us that they too work hard and it is likely their kids will have the same life. They think the poor came for a better life, for a new life and that it’s hard to start from scratch, but it is possible.
7th Day – Finally a piece of Nature
Today we went on our way to Yandang Mountain. The surroundings were beautiful and it was so peaceful, although we changed that from time to time. We all enjoyed the beautiful mountains, waterfalls, every bit of nature. The sun was even shining that day and the sky was blue. It was totally different than the city life we see here on a daily base. We also went over a couple of bridges, where fears were put aside by some to get across. After all the hiking, it was time to reboot with some dinner. This time the food was 90% meat and 10% fish. The plates were pretty much all empty and refills were requested. Boy oh Boy, did we love that meal! That night most of the students and teachers were treated to a lovely massage, only paying 70 Yuan (about 7 Euros).
8th Day – Away from nature and off to the big city again
Off we went again, it was kind of weird. Beijing was the last city to visit and we started to realize that our adventure was almost over. We noticed from the start that Beijing was different. First up was sightseeing, where we saw the Olympic stadium. It’s amazing how much was being build and renovated in Beijing, all to make it picture perfect for the Olympics. Buildings popped up left and right and streets were almost spotless. The shopping afterwards was fun, known brands were everywhere and we also came across a supermarket that pretty much sold everything we missed, it was like walking into paradise! After all that shopping, we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the Chinese culture with the whole group.
9th day – Mind stands over Body
Another beautiful day in China started, although there is a lot of smog in Beijing. Today’s first stop was the Dutch Embassy, where we learned about the Developing Corporation. The matchmaking program is about finding the right Chinese partner for a durable corporation for a Dutch company. To minimize problems in working with China, it is very important for a Dutch company to do its research, hire a legal person and to find a Chinese partner with a good relationship with the government. We were told that the west of china was developing rapidly and advised to learn Chinese. China is booming and is coming more and more to Europe.
After the informative morning, it was time for a cultural activity: climb the Great Wall! And so the challenge began! Some walked, some ran, some didn’t make it, some did J and luckily nobody fell! The view was beautiful, being able to see the path that lied behind and in front of us. And that feeling when you finally make it is indescribable. Once again we proved mind stands over body. To celebrate this great accomplishment we went out with the whole class, including the professors. We walked into a small bar and ended up on stage, doing the bunny hop dance we learned at the SIFT. We also did a polonaise and sang some Dutch songs and showed them a Dutch party (although it looked more like Carnaval).
10th Day – On our way home!
And so our last day beganL. Enjoying our last hours of smog, we went on our way to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was once the home of emperors and their household. Nowadays it is open to public. Afterwards we went to Zhangguang 101, a company that produces hair regrowth products, now being sold in 65 countries. After a tour and presentation, we went to one of their clinics nearby. We continued with our last chance to spend our Yuan money during our last shopping spree. And then went out to our last dinner and our last pí jiŭ (beer). On the menu was Beijing’s famous Duck. So for one last time, we all sat around the table and enjoyed. Unfortunately one of our classmates was unable to attend our dinner. He flew over to Shanghai for a graduation assignment with China, which he successfully wheeled in! The professors gave their thanks and after, the students told their highlights of the trip. We could all agree that this trip was a success! We had our last Gan Bei, the best way to say goodbye to China!
And now here we are, on our way home, enjoying the last couple of hours of this great experience. And an experience it was, a new, interesting, awesome, not always pleasant experience. But most of all an experience we will always remember! We all learned a lot, not only about China, but also about ourselves and each other.
I would hereby like to thank everybody of MAS 2008 again for the awesome time we had in China! Xiè xiè, Thank you to MAS 2008: Arno, Jan, Peter S., Jelmer, Sylvie, Reggy, Imar, Mark, Jan Dirk, Rik, Laura, Ilse, Christel, Elsbeth, Johan, Anita, Peter, Harm, Robin, Dong Hao and Linhe!
I hope you got an idea what we and what China has to offer!
Zaí Jián,
Talitha!
