Shanghai

Day 6 – Ding Ding Hao!

September 10, 2010

This morning we went to a lecture at the University of Shanghai Science & Technology. The main topic was China and the changes they have and will continue to make to become and maintain a top position in the global economic market. One of the issues discussed was China’s 30 year reform plan which lasted from 1978 to 2008. The 30 years were broken down into six 5 year periods with the main theme being a shift from a plain market economy, where the government allocates resources to a market economy which allows the market (supply & demand) to determine the allocation of resources.  

After lunch we went to visit Omron Corporation which manufactures automatic control system devices such as sensors, terminal, controllers, etc. The focus of the presentation and company tour was on streamlined and efficient processes. One of the goals when it comes to supply chain management is to reduce inventory down to a zero inventory system with a three tier pull system which can be accomplished in one day. Another interesting component of their assembly line is the utilization of a small cell assembly line. During this process “person one” starts an assembly and it is passed through the line and ends back with “person one”. Therefore, the same person is responsible for starting and completing a project. This responsibility is reflected in their position as a team lead. Overall I thought Omron had a very complete presentation for us and we were exposed to many parts of their business structure.

On the bus ride to dinner our tour guide Miranda decided to teach us some more basic Chinese. Things like “how are you” and different responses. My favorite had to be “ding ding hao” which means very good, or literally top top good! According to one of the guys on the trip from China, Joe, they never use that term but I loved it and decided to use it regularly – here’s hoping it will catch on!

We then headed to dinner (yes, Chinese food) and then to an acrobatics show which was so cool. These performers are so impressive although Dr. Kim may have one-upped them with his summersault. The thing that’s so amazing is how does one even figure out that they can do these things? I mean there were 6 motorcycles inside a ball at one point – how do they practice that? 

The rest of the night was spent exploring the area around our hotel. I was so excited to find a little whole in the wall liquor store that had COLD bottled water (a luxury item here!) and more tiger statues – because they are freaking everywhere!!!

 

Day 7 – I LOVE SHANGHAI!

September 11, 2010

Today was a really fun day of sightseeing and hanging out with a lot of local people. We went to the Yu Yuan Garden which is a beautiful place with lots of plants, statues and rivers. It rained on us while we were there but luckily I’ve been carrying around an umbrella in my purse for the last week so I was prepared! In the same area as the garden was an outdoor market where we had some time to do some shopping. It was so crowded but there were a lot of good deals to be found, that is if you’re OK haggling and buying knock-offs, which I am!

We were supposed to go to another shopping area (more of an outdoor shopping mall) but due to the rain and general lack of enthusiasm for high end shopping we went back to the hotel and had the afternoon to ourselves. It was so nice! I got to take a nap, shower and relax for a while!! Seeing as though we had so much time we decided it was great night to go out. Everyone got dressed up (which wasn’t the easiest of tasks since most of us didn’t bring ‘going out’ clothes but we made it work) and took the subway (which turned into a taxi ride once we realized the transfer train was closed!) to go dancing. The club was packed and the same Chinese practices applied – just keep moving and push your way through. It was a very long night but we had a total blast! 

Day 8 – Long Day = Burger King & Massages

September 12, 2010

After a long night last night it was hard to get moving this morning but after a couple cups of coffee and some food (thank you continental breakfast!) I was excited to see what the World Expo had in store. 

To be honest, I wasn't really sure what the Expo was but we were told it would be very cool (this may have been an over sell or perhaps we just didn't have the best of days). The theme of the expo was Better City, better Life. Unfortunately it was pouring today and walking to the first pavilion we were all pretty drenched. Granted they were selling ponchos and umbrellas but with this much rain they didn't help a ton. I decided today would be a great day to wear sandals :) - I guess wet feet may have been better than wet shoes and socks. We started at the China pavilion which seeing as though the expo was in Shanghai was the biggest attraction and even with group admission we still had to wait a long time to get in. Once inside there were so many people and there was a lot going on. It was disappointing to get rushed through and to spend so much time waiting around for those who lagged behind. The parts we saw were very neat and you can tell China is pushing towards a more green country and improving the quality of life for all of its citizens. After the China pavilion the weather cleared a little but my spirit was a little dimmed (obviously something was wrong since I was wishing I had a pair of Crocs). We had a bite to eat and then headed over to the Saudi Arabia pavilion. One of the guys from our group, Freddy, is an international student from Saudi so with a few phone calls we were able to get in through the VIP entrance. Saudi Arabia spent a lot of money to promote their country and to show that they are ripe to become a key player in the world market. From there I opted out and was happy to head home. 


It had been a long and exhausting day so Jenelle and I decided to go get massages and pedicures. It felt amazing and the price definitely can’t be beat. The place was very nice and the people warmed up to us after we finally made up our mind on what services we wanted. On the way home we ate at Burger King which surprisingly is exactly like Burger King back home. It may have been even better since it was so nice to have something other than sit down Chinese food. Once we got back to the hotel I headed downstairs to use the internet at the bar (it was free there but cost us money to use it in the room) to work on my blog and send some emails. Some of the guys from our group decided to join us and we spent the rest of the night in the hotel bar playing a Chinese dice game. It was a really relaxing way to end a very tough day of walking and rain. 

Day 9 – I’ll Go But I’m Not Singing

September 13, 2010

We headed back to the University of Shanghai for a morning lecture on how to avoid “cultural traps” in China. Chinese culture is very difficult to explain because it varies slightly from person to person and from region to region. However, there are some underlying attributes such as modesty, harmony, cohesion and the concept of “guan xi”. Guan xi is the status of interpersonal relationships. Associated with Guan xi is “face”. If one has been embarrassed or somehow been shamed or caused shame they would be considered to have lost face. One who holds themselves with dignity would win face. Guan xi is very important in Chinese culture because it could mean a lot of opportunities if you can gain and maintain good favor with those they come in contact with. Guan xi also extends from the individual to their family. Some ways to improve Guan xi is to do personal favors in advance for people. Also, gift giving is a major way to gain favor from those you wish to have or maintain relationships with. 

After our lecture we visited the Volkswagen Shanghai manufacturing plant. Yes, they do make Volkswagens in China. In 1984 the Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Company was established as a partner company to produce and sell Volkswagens inside of China. It was one of the first partner groups within the China Automotive Group and has been very successful since its inception. At the factory we toured they make several types of Volkswagens: Passat, Lavida, Touran, Polo, and Santana. As well as a secondary brand called Skoda which includes:  Octavia, Fabia, and Superb. We were able to go through the plant while cars were actually being assembled and it was a very neat experience to watch cars being built. The partnership between Volkswagen and China is such a good example of the business diversification that China is trying achieve. (The picture below of the inside of the plant is not one that I took because we were not allowed to take photos inside but I found this online to show how cool it was.)

 Back at the hotel we had a couple of hours before dinner so Jenelle, Mauricio and myself went to get massages. This time we opted for a leg and foot massage which when you’ve been walking for 9 days is so nice. It was a really funny experience because it reminded of going to the nail salon back home where you know the people working on you are talking about you – oh well, it was still nice. Plus, we got a chance to watch some Chinese soap operas which are very intense (and quite comical)! 

We had dinner down by the Bund which is an area that runs along the Huangpu River. The view is beautiful and the food was good. After we finished eating some of us decided to go on a boat ride which lasted about an hour and takes you up and down the river. It was a really nice night and a lot of fun. 


I guess we figured our night hadn’t been long enough so off to karaoke we went. I’ve never been a super big fan of karaoke and as you can tell from the title of this post I had no intention to participate in the singing festivities – I was wrong!!! The karaoke place we went to (much like many in China) was so cool. Your group has its own room with full karaoke set up, comfy couches, and “room service” for lack of better term. As soon as we got there Lady Gaga was on and I was singing - it’s so infectious being there and I believe everyone took a turn at the mic. It was so much fun and a big part of Chinese culture and I’m glad I not only decided to go but to participate. A big thank you to all of the Chinese international students for setting it up and taking such great care of us!!

Day 10 – Beijing Bound

Tuesday

September 14, 2010

Woke up feeling pretty crappy today with a sore throat and headache but had to get up and get moving. Had to pack my bag which was more difficult than I anticipated since the weight limit on domestic flights drops to 44 lbs. from 50 lbs. Considering my bag barely made weight on the flight over I knew I had some maneuvering to do.

After we packed and got our stuff downstairs we headed to the Shanghai museum for a quick visit. There was an exhibit on Ancient Chinese Sculptures that was pretty amazing. I had to go by the gift shop where I bought my name written in Chinese (well, technically it’s the male equivalent of my name because the female one was sold out). We made it to the airport with just a little time to spare some of which was eaten up by my jam-packed carry on being completely emptied out an scrutinized by security. I have a curling iron and some necklaces - what was she looking for? Drugs perhaps? At least she neatly packed it back up for me. Another weird thing happened at the airport. As we waited in line to board the plane there was a little kid in front of me, maybe five or six years old. We’re standing there and out of nowhere he just falls backwards. We just stared it was so bizarre. Narcolepsy? As we gain our bearing over what happened one of the guys in the group, AJ, asks loudly if I pulled him over by his backpack. I didn’t want to laugh but it was really hard to control. The kid was fine and we all boarded the plane. So weird! 

After we arrived in Beijing we checked into our hotel and got ready for dinner of peking duck which is a very traditional Chinese dish. It was good but I didn’t love it like some people did. Once we were done it was time to check out the new hotel which was just as nice as our place in Shanghai By check out I mean go swimming and use the sauna. Afterward I hung out with some people from the group at the hotel and called it a somewhat early night.  

Taiwan

Day 1 - Spider Reservoir

September 5, 2010

After a long 13 hour flight from LA to Beijing a 3 hour layover and another 3 hour flight we arrived in Taipei. Customs and baggage claim were surprisingly uneventful and we made our way to the pick up area where we were greeted by our hosts from Nation Chung Cheng University. It was our first time outside of an airport since we left LA and although we all knew it would be hot and muggy what we were met by was nothing short of a wet inferno. It’s true when people say you can’t prepare for that type of weather. 

We stopped at our first destination which was a Chinese buffet and we had our first taste of the local food. I had ostrich and a heart of some sort but the most unusual thing had to be the maple syrup juice (fondly referred to as Aunt Jamima juice). 

After lunch we made our way to the Cihu Sculpture Memorial Park and Mausoleum. The park is an honor to the late Taiwanese leader Jiang Jie-shi and features hundreds of statues of him. The park is beautiful no doubt due to the climate in the area. 

At the Mausoleum we witnessed the changing of the guards which is a highly honored and respected position for those serving in Taiwan. 

While at the park I had a very interesting experience.... squatter toilets. It’s a strange occurrence because they have plumbing, a built in fixture and they’re inside a stall... so why not just have a toilet? All the parts are similar but in this situation I had to worry about peeing on my own shoes. Also, don’t wear long necklaces... they will hit the “toilet” and/or floor!

We also visited the Shimen Reservoir which is one of the larges dams in Asia and is “the most important water supply channel in north Taiwan.” In addition to the sheer magnitude of the reservoir the views are amazing. Plus, I saw the biggest spider I’ve ever seen before which was a good reminder to keep the windows and doors closed.

We had a wonderful first dinner in Taiwan and the food just kept coming (I think they served us about 8 dishes). This time around there was octopus, sweet and sour fish, black chicken (which is not the same as blackened chicken), whole tiny fish, sashimi, crab and so much more. 

Needless to say we were stuffed from dinner and after 2 days without a bed or shower we were more than ready to head over to the university and get our rooms. I got to room with Jenelle which is super exciting since we’ve gotten along so well since the classes started. Relaxing and showering felt so good and although the beds were mainly just box springs it still felt good to lie down. I’m pretty sure I was asleep as soon as my wet head hit the pillow. 

All in all a very successful first day in Taiwan. I can’t wait to see what other adventures are in store.

Day 2 - Even Pizza in Taiwan is an Adventure

September 6, 2010

Today was a full day of lectures and a company visit but the morning started out with a breakfast sandwich - but not just any breakfast sandwich. This breakfast sandwich had a fish patty, hash-brown, egg, and secret sauce on it.  It seems so unusual to eat fish patty for breakfast but it was amazing! 

The first class was a on Taiwan’s position to be a major player in the global economic future. The class was taught by professor, Dr. Ming Chang aka Dr. Mike. from National Chung Cheng University. Taiwan is considered to have a very stable economic position in the world. However, Taiwan is not content with only consistently and is relying heavily on research and development to surge higher in the global business community. Taiwan used to be seen as only a county which assembled products for other countries they have switched their priorities to both design and produce their own products. Even with the economic tsunami of 2008-2009, Taiwan is rebounding quite well and is in position to have a growth year in 2010.  

We then took a short break for a Pizza Hut lunch. It’s funny how something we have at home can still be so different in other countries. This pizza had shrimp, fish, corn, and some unidentifiable sauces but still super good. 

After lunch we had a lesson on formal tea tasting and drinking. I always knew there were a lot of steps but never knew how complicated it was. From heating, to pouring, tossing, smelling and finally drinking it was a long process. There are three components to making the perfect tea: 1) heat of the water 2) amount of tea used and 3) time of tea submersion. We were able to try several teas and it was a very neat experience. 

In the afternoon we went on our first company tour of AVG products. AVG is a packaged food company specializing in healthy foods and drinks. We were fortunate that we were able to tour their bottling plant. I was amazed at the little piece of plastic that is heated to make a full size beverage container. AVG has a very specific and determined business and marketing plan to become the number one cold beverage company and with new markets in North America and Canada this goal is certainly within reach. 

Once the lecture and tour were over we went to Nice Matsuya department store which reminded me of Bloomingdales but with an upper floor of more reasonable priced woman’s clothes/items. The strangest part had to be that one floor was the equivalent of a ninety-nine cent store or dollar tree but with way more awesome stuff. I looked around for a little while but was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff and the way the employees follow and watch you while you attempt to shop. 

The night ended with a welcome dinner in Chiayi at a really nice restaurant. The food was really good and everyone had a really good time. We’ve had a couple together and it was fun to have dinner as a group and spend time chatting and getting to know each other better. The night ended up with karaoke and even Dr. Lin and Dr. Kim got in on the actioin. 

Day 3 - Is This Practical?

September 7, 2010

We started the morning at Promise Technology which is a computer storage and backup company specializing in “cloud” computing and storage. The basic idea of Promise os to be able to store, protect, and share computer information in a simple and streamlined way. I’m sure there is a much more complex and thorough definition as to what this company does as well as the services it provides but I felt ridiculous asking them to explain how this process works as though they were describing it to a five year old but I think I’ve explained the gist. What I really focused on is the business model used in their international company. Each branch is locally employed and managed and works as a semi-independent company. This strategy ensures that employees at all levels are familiar with their community and customer base. Promise has also made a point in making sure they are seen as a reputable and trusted company and partner. They do this by teaming with major companies such as Apple. They have also made a point to not compete with their customers and instead focus on their core competencies such as storage and security. I really enjoyed the portions of the discussion that focused on their business structure the techno conversation was a little over my head.

We also visited Eco City which I wrongly assumed was a green technology company. Eco City is focused on making technology to aide the elderly and disabled to more easily perform day to day tasks. Many of the products we saw included sensors which would turn the lights on  or off when passed by. There were also motion sensors that with a swipe of the hand the television channel could be changed and the volume adjusted.  We also got to see a tiny car that could transport those less abled on short trips. I got a chance to drive it for a minute but there’s definitely a learning curve involved. As cool as some of the products were and as much impact as some of them may have on the future there were some things that seemed impractical. One of those things was a book lamp that moved as you moved the book which had a sensor in it. I can’t imagine how they would price and market something like that for it to really be competitive in the market. All in all Eco City was great to see some of the ideas and innovations that will undoubtedly be part of our future. 

After Eco City we were headed to Taipei. After the long drive we checked into our hotel and had dinner down at water front. For our first night in Taipei a group of us decided to check out the city. We went to the down town area called the “Red House” which is a strip of bars and hung out for the night. The taxi ride home saw more karaoke and a small fear of dying from crazy driving!

Day 4 - I Do What I Want

September 8, 2010

Today we visited the National Palace Museum. The National Palace Museum was constructed after a number of Chinese artifacts were removed from China in the 1940’s so they could be preserved and protected. During our visit we were able to see many different exhibits including the Jade exhibit and Chinese bronze exhibit. At the National Palace Museum I had my first encounter with the “personal space” difference between Americans and Taiwanese when a man got so close to me while looking at a carving that his face literally rested on my cheek. Needless to say it freaked me out a bit but was also a very funny moment – I’m sure there will be many more to come. 

After the museum we headed to Taipei 101, the world’s second tallest building after the Burj Khalifa in Duabi. Taipei 101 (also known as Taipei Financial Center) has company offices, a shopping mall, food court and many other buildings. We started with lunch downstairs in the food court and after ordering our food started the battle for a table. It was in the middle of lunch so seats were at a premium but Jenelle and I managed to find a place to seat. After we at we tried to throw away our trash but there was a woman changing the bags. We attempted to ask her where to put our trays but had a hard time understanding what she was saying. She pointed and we left our trays only to be yelled at in Chinese. (She obviously wasn’t telling us to leave our trash where we thought).  We just gave her a confused look and walked away. As we left we saw a Coldstone and decided that a little bit of home sounded good. After our ice cream we headed over to the tower and took the elevator to the top. The view was amazing and from way up there you could really appreciate the height of the building. We also went down a couple of floors to the outside observation deck. The wind that high was a nice break from the hot humid weather we’d been experiencing and it made a whistling noise as it came through the barrier bars. The view was great but we had to go.

The itinerary was switched up a little and we went to a technology shopping center that had floors of all things electronic: cameras, phones, computers, parts & pieces, etc. Honestly, I wasn’t really looking forward to going here but in the end it was a cool place if for nothing else than to get our first look at bargaining and deal hunting. I did end up buying a panda bear flash drive for a super good price so the trip wasn’t a total bust.

We had dinner at an amazing restaurant. The food was good and we had a really good night eating, chatting and enjoying the architecture and design of the restaurant.

The rest of the night was spent at one of Taiwan’s Night Market’s. It was great and I could have spent hours there. I didn’t buy much since the suitcase weight limit had to be taken into consideration but it was fun all the same.

Day 5 - Goodbye Taipei... Hello Shanghai

September 9, 2010

Today was our last day in Taiwan (so sad) and we spent the morning at the National Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall, like many other places in Taiwan, is a tribute to the leader’s important role in Taiwan’ history and independence. The site includes the Memorial Hall, Opera House, Concert Hall and numerous gardens. 

Next we were headed out of Taiwan and on to Shanghai, China. We had dinner and then checked into our hotel. We also got new roommates for our time in Shanghai so now I’m staying with Salam who is a total sweetheart and I’m sure will be a great roomy.  Our hotel is  super nice - I hate to burst everyone’s idea that I’m backpacking and roughing it through China but the reality is we’re staying in really nice hotels and the Swissotel in Shanghai is no exception. While I was settling into the room I got a phone call and jokingly answered it “Ni Hao” (which is hello in Chinese) assuming it was Jenelle or someone from our group. Note to self: do not answer the phone in Chinese again! It was not one of my friends but the hotel concierge who spoke to me in Chinese for a straight minute before I was able to tell her I do not actually speak Chinese. I had no clue what she wanted so luckily someone else called back. They just wanted to make sure our bags made it to our rooms. 

Jenelle and I decided to go down to the pool and jacuzzi. It felt great to cool off and relax for the evening and also fun for people watching!!! I also had a chance to use the internet and talk to some friends back home which helped me from missing them so much.