Kogod in China II

Last Post, Back in the States

2009-08-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Back in the States! I had a fantastic time - I made life-changing relationships (hopefully visiting the Baylor folks in Texas in November!), learned a lot, and gained amazing work experience with business plans and technology entrepreneurial ventures. Message to prospective i5-ers: GO TO CHINA WITH I5! It'll be an life-altering experience, and these blogs and videos can only serve as a small taste of what you'll encounter!

Traveling yet again!

2009-07-20T22:44:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach on our last full day in Hong Kong. While some went to Disney Hong Kong, some to Ocean Park, and others back to Macau, we went to Repulse Bay, on the other side of Hong Kong Island. Despite the name, it was gorgeous! A beautiful, sunny, cloudless day on a white grainy beach surrounded by looming jade mountains and resorts meant for only the wealthiest of travelers. The bay was crystal compared to the Yangtze, and resembled the grains of salt that accumulated on our skin due to its abundance. Laying on the floats about 50 m from the shore was the relaxing day we needed, a perfect end to our stay in HK.

And now we’re in Shanghai! The city is gigantic – we spent the entire first day traveling, shopping, and trying to get our computers fixed (warning for i5 2010 – virus protection!). Hopefully Geek Squad at Best Buy can work some magic and fix my laptop!

Running both days this week was interesting…we were told by some of the interns that we’ll get a lot of stares in Shanghai, and we didn’t believe them until Shanghai. Here we are, my friend Kim and I, running at 7 in the morning (which is as bright and as hot/humid and as crowded as it is at 11 am), two blonde Americans (Kim is short and I am pretty tall), running around all the street vendors and crowds walking and getting run over by the hundreds of bikes and mopeds…all the while being stared at by every single person we cross. Welcome to Shanghai!

We’ve been taking classes at USST (University of Shanghai Science & Technology), about a 10 minute cab ride from our hotel. Arriving at the campus, we were instructed to put on shoe covers so as to not get the floor dirty. One problem: slippery material + polished stairs and floors = crashing to the floor. It may be dangerous, but certainly entertaining.

On the work side, we’re finally getting all of our market research together. We’ve gotten a lot of HK, but less on Shanghai. However, Jason, one of our team members from USST, has gotten some great numbers. All of our Chinese team members, Jason, Gail & Cherry, have astonished us with their research capabilities and willingness to work a lot for a long time. Their research skills (as well as their ability to read Chinese sources!) have proven to be vital assets.

Well, lots of work to get done. We’re going to dinner tonight (1/2 off burgers at Blue Frog), Harry Potter in IMAX on Tuesday, and Xi'an Thursday evening until Sunday morning, so there’s lots to get done before then!

Peace

Video Updates

2009-07-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Video #1 - Yangtze River Cruise, the Three Gorges Dam, and the Ghost City

Video #2 - Chengdu (pandas!) and Hong Kong

Down to work...

2009-07-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

After spending a beautiful week in Shanghai, on a river boat on the Yangtze, and seeing all the pandas in Chengdu, we are starting the work. Escaping the scorching heat of the Eastern sun, we sit in a lecture room under the A/C. At least we can see the blue sky in Hong Kong. We started with the Supercoach lecture, as well as a lecture of strategic management and process management. Today’s lecture on Intellectual Property Management will also help us in our deliverable to our sponsor. I can already see how this will be useful in our project!

We’ve also had 3 corporate visits, one to New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, another to Hong Kong Trade Development Center (where we will be able to do research!), and lastly to Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute. Our lunch with one of the Directors of Disney Asia was pretty awesome (California Pizza Kitchen! Western food!); we learned a lot about Hong Kong Disney that I’m sure many of us didn’t know before.

However, there have been plenty of hurdles; working with the Chinese students can be difficult at times. Although Professor Heng-Blackburn’s China, Japan & the U.S. class has prepared me very well, I was still surprised about the effects of the One Child Policy on China’s young adults. As many of our tour guides have affirmed, many children have been spoiled from birth. They say the average child has five caregivers: 2 parents and an average of 3 grandparents, all at the beck and call of one child. Overcoming these challenges will certainly be an experience!

The city, however, is absolutely breathtaking. Coming from New York, I am not used to the heat, and really wouldn’t consider living in China after this. At least, until I came to Hong Kong. With the stentorian skyscrapers looming in front of Victoria Peak, the view from across the river is amazing. Can’t wait to go back into the city!

Hello from China!

2009-07-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Traveling all across China has been amazing. We flew into Shanghai and spent a day in the city, walking along the shops and seeing People's Square, the buildings looming above us - not the China I had imagined! After a day in Shanghai, we flew to the start of our river cruise and went up the Yangzte for 5 days. Although the river was the tan-brown colour of silt and filled with garbage, including cans, wrappers, and so many shoes we eventually lost count, the mountains were breathtaking. We weren't sure if it's because of the pollution or just the way China is, but we barely saw the sun; instead the sky was covered with haze that spread down the peaks of the mountaintops.

At night, we could barely see the front of the boat, let alone 50 feet in front. Despite all that, the misty mountains were still magnificent, reminiscent of ancient Chinese art. Visting the Three Gorges Dam, sitting on the deck of the boat for 4 hours while going through the locks, and exploring the countryside on our daily excursions has made me encounter a China I had never anticipated. This country is magnificent.