March 17, 2012
Packed up all belongings and met the group in the lobby of the YMCA- Salisbury Hotel at 5 am. Bus takes us to Hong Kong airport. Saw the first sunrise of the day.
9:45 flight on Delta 777 back to Detroit. 14.5 hour flight. See second sunrise of the day from the plane.
Arrive in Detroit 12:25 pm local time. Layover until 6 pm when catch flight back to Greensboro.
Arrive in Greensboro at 7:30 pm on same day, Saturday, March 17 after over 20 hours of travel.
Like the movie Groundhog Day.
But, we made it!
Stop by my parents' house in Salisbury to pick up George our dog.
Back to Shelby for long winter's nap.
What an adventure!
I have much respect for China and Chinese people after visiting. I think many Americans are afraid of the Chinese and believe they are stealing all our jobs and will take over the world or something. After meeting Chinese people you see that they have no such intentions. Chinese people are submissive and polite. They simply want a better life. They look at Americans and think we have it all. They want a house, a car, a cellphone and clothes with American brand names on them. I wish we could have seen the country and farmland to see how the majority of the Chinese really live. We saw only city life and the wealthiest Chinese who all had cell phones and Ipads and cars. They are a small, but growing percentage of the entire population. I would have also liked to have seen the mountains to the west. Supposedly beautiful mountains that rival our Rocky mountains. Don't know if I will ever make it back to China. There are so many other places I would like to visit first- Japan and Tibet, for instance. So glad we went though.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
March 16, 2012- Hong Kong, Big Buddha
March 16, 2012
Free day in Hong Kong. Lex, Nirav, Shridhar and I decided to take a trip to see the Big Buddha at the Po Lin monastery on Lantau Island. This would require transport on the subway from Hong Kong island west to Lantau Island. Then we would take a bus to the top of the mountain to see the Buddha. Normally, a cable car would be available to take us up the mountain, but it is closed for repairs.
Free day in Hong Kong. Lex, Nirav, Shridhar and I decided to take a trip to see the Big Buddha at the Po Lin monastery on Lantau Island. This would require transport on the subway from Hong Kong island west to Lantau Island. Then we would take a bus to the top of the mountain to see the Buddha. Normally, a cable car would be available to take us up the mountain, but it is closed for repairs.
We start our day at 8 am and head to StarBucks for breakfast in Hong Kong. Then we head to the subway station. The subways are VERY nice and clean. Ticket purchase is very easy and all automated. You simply enter your final destination, it tells you how much it will cost, you add money, and out pops your subway ticket!
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| Lex purchasing subway ticket |
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| Nirav, Lex and Sridhar on subway. Mind the gap! |
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| Bus ride to Big Buddha |
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| The Big Buddha |
After about 1.5 hours traveling, we arrived at the Big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery. This is the largest Buddha in the world, made of bronze and weighing 250 tons. 260 steps up to the Buddha.
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| Bodhisattva statues |
Six Bodhisattva statues, saints who gave up their palace in heaven to help us mere mortals get a place ourselves, surround the Buddha with offerings. Spectacular view from the mountain top with the Buddha.
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| View of Po Lin monastery from Buddha |
On the way back we stopped at a large Chinese grocery store in to check it out. Lots of fresh vegetables and live fish.
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| Deep fried duck feet- hard to resist! |
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| Largest ginger and carrots in the world! |
Arrived back in Hong Kong and headed over to the Ladies Market to do some shopping. Shopping in Hong Kong is much more enjoyable than the markets in mainland China. All the products have prices and very little haggling is required. I bought several silk scarves and a silk table runner as cheap as in Beijing.
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| Ladies market in Hong Kong |
Back to the YMCA for a quick shower and then off with the group for our last group dinner and harbor cruise.
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| Hong Kong harbor cruise |
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| Andy- HA |
We had an extended river cruise in order to enjoy the light show in downtown Hong Kong. Ate dinner at a seafood restaurant on neighboring island. Then back to dock in Hong Kong where bus met us to take us back to the YMCA. This concluded our last day of the China adventure. Amazing what we did in just a single week!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
March 15, 2012- Hong Kong
March 15, 2012
Breakfast early in the hotel and then board bus to transit to Hong Kong.
Entry to Hong Kong was very confusing. We exited the bus and were officially processed out of mainland China. Then we boarded the bus again for entry into Hong Kong. Waited in a very crowded line for about an hour, in order to get through Hong Kong customs. Many Chinese vacation to Hong Kong for just one day and are in a hurry. We got to see first hand the fact that Chinese do not hold any regard for lines or queues. We had a hard time keeping our group together in line as the Chinese would move into any gap available. This situation was pretty funny really. We managed to keep the group roughly together until we got to customs. Shew!
Back on a new bus with our new guide, Andy- ha! He said that a lot. Driving around Hong Kong reminded me a lot of New York. Luxury buildings, brands, cars, etc. by the water. Stopped for Dim Sum lunch with many Chinese tourists.
Stopped for a bit to see Hong Kong harbor. Weather was a bit cloudy, but still very impressive. Water was emerald green.
Lecture at Hong Kong University by Doug Vogel, professor of Information Systems.
Breakfast early in the hotel and then board bus to transit to Hong Kong.
Entry to Hong Kong was very confusing. We exited the bus and were officially processed out of mainland China. Then we boarded the bus again for entry into Hong Kong. Waited in a very crowded line for about an hour, in order to get through Hong Kong customs. Many Chinese vacation to Hong Kong for just one day and are in a hurry. We got to see first hand the fact that Chinese do not hold any regard for lines or queues. We had a hard time keeping our group together in line as the Chinese would move into any gap available. This situation was pretty funny really. We managed to keep the group roughly together until we got to customs. Shew!
Back on a new bus with our new guide, Andy- ha! He said that a lot. Driving around Hong Kong reminded me a lot of New York. Luxury buildings, brands, cars, etc. by the water. Stopped for Dim Sum lunch with many Chinese tourists.
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| Dim Sum lunch in Hong Kong |
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| Dim Sum lunch |
Dim Sum lunch was very good. The difference between other meals we had was the dumplings- many trays of dumplings of all types. All were delicious.
Lecture at Hong Kong University by Doug Vogel, professor of Information Systems.
He began with this slide, Chinese view of GDP, purchasing power parity. China's PPP is the red line, Europe is blue, Japan is violet and the US is green. This chart starts in the year 0 AD. Until around 1840, China dominated world trade, controlling over 25% of the world GDP. China's decline in the world economy began with the Industrial Revolution, to which they were very late to the party. The point is that the decline in the Chinese economy since the mid-1800's is just a blip in Chinese history. The Chinese see the world through their rich history which is 5,000 years old. They see their very recent rise in prosperity (during the past few decades) not as a new "emerging" economy, but as a return to the norm. Interesting perspective which we must recognize in order to understand their culture, I believe. The Chinese see the US as newcomers to the world stage.
Here are some notes from the lecture:
Doing business in China is relationship driven- Guanxi is the Chinese word for relationships between business people. The concept is that guanxi is a tit-for-tat relationship between two people and the idea is that of establishing relationships with people that could be beneficial down the line. This definitely happens in US buisness, but we don't really have a word for it. We might refer to someone as "connected" which means the same thing.
Doing business in China is relationship driven- Guanxi is the Chinese word for relationships between business people. The concept is that guanxi is a tit-for-tat relationship between two people and the idea is that of establishing relationships with people that could be beneficial down the line. This definitely happens in US buisness, but we don't really have a word for it. We might refer to someone as "connected" which means the same thing.
54 different cultures in China- as complex as Europe
Need a license to do business in each province in China
Environmental problems:
electricity produced mostly by coal, high sulfur coal
Hong Kong/ China relations- 2 systems
July 1997 transition
British had 100 year lease on HK mainland
One country now with 2 legal systems and seperate legislature
Question as to who had the right to live in Hong Kong after the transition- children born in HK have right to Hong Kong identity card. Pregnant women from Chinese mainland enter Hong Kong to have their children so they will have HK citizenship
Hong Kong has prospered after the handover even though it had been predicted that it would not
Hong Kong is dependent on mainland China for water
Taxes ar 15% maximum in HK
Hong Kong taxes companies and government owns the land- has torn down many buildings and rebuilt
Housing costs very high in HK
60% of HK is parks and is land protected
Taxis in HK run on natural gas
HK converting cars to low sulfur diesel
Recycling is a new idea in China and HK
Lots of jobs available for educated Americans in HK
Industries in HK:
-previously an industrial base, during the cultural revolution industry moved from China to HK
-manufacturing has now moved back across the border into China mainland
-HK is now the financial center for China
-shipping and transport was centered in HK, ports are now declining in HK, HK port is very shallow- 36 ft.
-HK airport- largest freight airport in the world
Labor shortage on the mainland
FoxConn has 900,000 employees!
One child policy is adding to labor shortage problems
Labor is becoming expensive
Manufacturers are moving to Vietnam because of rising labor costs
Chinese realize they are living on success of exporting which will not last forever. They realize they must learn to innovate and create to compete long-term with rising labor costs
Very interesting lecture with Dr. Vogel
Checked into the YMCA- Salisbury right in the heart of downtown Hong Kong. Very nice hotel. I was exhausted and headed straight for bed. Lex went to Indian restaurant with Nirav and Shridar.
Question as to who had the right to live in Hong Kong after the transition- children born in HK have right to Hong Kong identity card. Pregnant women from Chinese mainland enter Hong Kong to have their children so they will have HK citizenship
Hong Kong has prospered after the handover even though it had been predicted that it would not
Hong Kong is dependent on mainland China for water
Taxes ar 15% maximum in HK
Hong Kong taxes companies and government owns the land- has torn down many buildings and rebuilt
Housing costs very high in HK
60% of HK is parks and is land protected
Taxis in HK run on natural gas
HK converting cars to low sulfur diesel
Recycling is a new idea in China and HK
Lots of jobs available for educated Americans in HK
Industries in HK:
-previously an industrial base, during the cultural revolution industry moved from China to HK
-manufacturing has now moved back across the border into China mainland
-HK is now the financial center for China
-shipping and transport was centered in HK, ports are now declining in HK, HK port is very shallow- 36 ft.
-HK airport- largest freight airport in the world
Labor shortage on the mainland
FoxConn has 900,000 employees!
One child policy is adding to labor shortage problems
Labor is becoming expensive
Manufacturers are moving to Vietnam because of rising labor costs
Chinese realize they are living on success of exporting which will not last forever. They realize they must learn to innovate and create to compete long-term with rising labor costs
Very interesting lecture with Dr. Vogel
Checked into the YMCA- Salisbury right in the heart of downtown Hong Kong. Very nice hotel. I was exhausted and headed straight for bed. Lex went to Indian restaurant with Nirav and Shridar.
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| YMCA Salisbury lobby in Hong Kong |
March 14, 2012- Dongguan, Bernhardt tour
March 14, 2012-
Breakfast at the hotel which was delux. Met at the Bernhardt Chinese headquarters in the hotel. Amazing that only 5 employees are responsible for co-ordinating the manufacture and shipment of Berhardt furniture in China. Toured Mike and Steve's offices.
Cathy took over as our tourguide. Headed off to Lacquer Craft furniture manufacturing facility on Dongguan. Dongguan is an amazing NEW city of 12 million people that has popped up in only the past 15 years. This is manufacturing outsourcing mecca. Passed many manufacturing facilities and apartment buildings. Arrived at Lacquer Craft, a Taiwanese company which produces Bernhardt furniture. This is an enormous plant which produces furniture from raw lumber to finished product. Employees live in barracks at the plant.
Cathy and Bernhardt Furniture treated us to lunch at hunan style restaurant. Food was much spicier than what we had had before. Some was too spicy. Sat next to Cathy at lunch and learned some interesting things about manufacturing in China. Most interesting was that workers are hard to keep. In Dongguan, there are lots of choices for employment. Workers are free to change jobs and do so for small increases in wages. This is becoming a problem in China as it is causing wage inflation. Most interesting to me was the fact that all Bernhardt furniture is produced by Lacquer Craft and if Bernhardt wants to move production to Vietnam, for instance, it would not be too hard to do. They have very little invested directly in Dongguan.
On the way back to the hotel, we did a quick stop in downtown Dongguan. Amazing skyscrapers, gardens and municipal buildings. This whole town is brand-new.
Got back to the hotel early with afternoon off. I took a quick nap then met up with Atul, Bryan, Brittany and Nirav to hike over to Buddhist monument on top of nearby hill. Sridhar was not feeling well. Walked around the lake close to hotel and then through an enchanting Buddhist garden up to monument on top with amazing view of Dongguan.
Breakfast at the hotel which was delux. Met at the Bernhardt Chinese headquarters in the hotel. Amazing that only 5 employees are responsible for co-ordinating the manufacture and shipment of Berhardt furniture in China. Toured Mike and Steve's offices.
Cathy took over as our tourguide. Headed off to Lacquer Craft furniture manufacturing facility on Dongguan. Dongguan is an amazing NEW city of 12 million people that has popped up in only the past 15 years. This is manufacturing outsourcing mecca. Passed many manufacturing facilities and apartment buildings. Arrived at Lacquer Craft, a Taiwanese company which produces Bernhardt furniture. This is an enormous plant which produces furniture from raw lumber to finished product. Employees live in barracks at the plant.
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| Host showing us the layout of Lacquer Craft plant in Dongguan |
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| Furniture production begins with treatment of raw wood |
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| Large warehouse for wood cutting |
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| Finished product |
Cathy and Bernhardt Furniture treated us to lunch at hunan style restaurant. Food was much spicier than what we had had before. Some was too spicy. Sat next to Cathy at lunch and learned some interesting things about manufacturing in China. Most interesting was that workers are hard to keep. In Dongguan, there are lots of choices for employment. Workers are free to change jobs and do so for small increases in wages. This is becoming a problem in China as it is causing wage inflation. Most interesting to me was the fact that all Bernhardt furniture is produced by Lacquer Craft and if Bernhardt wants to move production to Vietnam, for instance, it would not be too hard to do. They have very little invested directly in Dongguan.
On the way back to the hotel, we did a quick stop in downtown Dongguan. Amazing skyscrapers, gardens and municipal buildings. This whole town is brand-new.
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| Building shaped like a ship in Dongguan |
Got back to the hotel early with afternoon off. I took a quick nap then met up with Atul, Bryan, Brittany and Nirav to hike over to Buddhist monument on top of nearby hill. Sridhar was not feeling well. Walked around the lake close to hotel and then through an enchanting Buddhist garden up to monument on top with amazing view of Dongguan.
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| Path around lake to buddhist monument |
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| Nirav, Atul, Bryan, Brittany, Michelle and Lex at Buddhist monument |
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| View of Dongguan from monument |
Had sushi dinner at hotel and off to bed. Another eventful day!
March 13, 2012- Flight to Shenzhen, Huawei tour, Dongguan
March 13, 2012
Meet at 5 am in lobby of SunWorld hotel for check out and transfer to Beijing International airport.
Beijing International airport is one of the world's largest and we leave from the newest terminal built for the Olympics. Terminal looks literally like a city with a roof on it. It's huge! Ticket counter is amazingly efficient. We are able to pick our seats the day of the flight. Once on Shenzhen airliner, we are amazed at how nice the stewardesses are. Reminds me of air travel in the states 30 years ago. Dr. Cazier reminds me that flying is new to most Chinese who are ascending to the middle class. Food on the plane is very good and stewardesses perform a "hand" song at the end of the flight. Nice touch! Flight was about 3 hours to Shenzhen.
Shenzhen is a new manufacturing city where most employers are in technology business. Everything is new and nice. We stop at a small mall to have lunch. Lex, Nirav, Shridhar and I go to hotpot restaurant which smells really weird. I am not that hungry.
Next, we head to Huawei for a tour. Huawei is China's AT&T and largest telecommunications company. The schedule has been changed and we get a very short tour. I didn't learn too much there.
Back on the bus to Dongguan. Arrive at Hotel Sofitel Dongguan Royal Lagoon. This is a VERY nice hotel! What a treat. Bernhardt employees picked us up for dinner in town at a Western Chinese- Muslim restaurant which was delicious. This was one of my favorite meals in China. Food had Indian/ Pakistan/ Afghanastan influence and was spicy. Main meat was lamb and kabobs which were delicious. We also had a sweet ice wine from China. Grapes are picked after the first freeze, making the wine sweet. Steve and Mike were our hosts and we sat at their table. Steve is from Lenoir and went to Gardner Webb in Boiling Springs. He now has a Chinese wife and 2 children in China. He also has a few children in US from a previous marriage. He doesn't think he will ever go back to the states. Mike is Chinese and from one of the southern provences. We were talking about the bijeo tradition and he pointed out that southern Chinese are much more civilized and don't expect you to get drunk to get to know them! He had worked previously for a Canadian company in supply chain management, getting shipments across the Pacific. He said that was a very difficult job and he is much happier working for Bernhardt. Bernhardt's office which is in the hotel, consists of 5 people who work directly with the manufacturers in China to make sure the designs are handled correctly. then they co-ordinate the shipments.
Mike and I got into a political discussion about American workers vs. Chinese workers. All in all, dinner was a great experience to have real discussions with the Chinese and experience wonderful cuisine. One of my favorite experiences of the entire trip for sure.
Meet at 5 am in lobby of SunWorld hotel for check out and transfer to Beijing International airport.
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| Beijing airport |
Shenzhen is a new manufacturing city where most employers are in technology business. Everything is new and nice. We stop at a small mall to have lunch. Lex, Nirav, Shridhar and I go to hotpot restaurant which smells really weird. I am not that hungry.
Next, we head to Huawei for a tour. Huawei is China's AT&T and largest telecommunications company. The schedule has been changed and we get a very short tour. I didn't learn too much there.
Back on the bus to Dongguan. Arrive at Hotel Sofitel Dongguan Royal Lagoon. This is a VERY nice hotel! What a treat. Bernhardt employees picked us up for dinner in town at a Western Chinese- Muslim restaurant which was delicious. This was one of my favorite meals in China. Food had Indian/ Pakistan/ Afghanastan influence and was spicy. Main meat was lamb and kabobs which were delicious. We also had a sweet ice wine from China. Grapes are picked after the first freeze, making the wine sweet. Steve and Mike were our hosts and we sat at their table. Steve is from Lenoir and went to Gardner Webb in Boiling Springs. He now has a Chinese wife and 2 children in China. He also has a few children in US from a previous marriage. He doesn't think he will ever go back to the states. Mike is Chinese and from one of the southern provences. We were talking about the bijeo tradition and he pointed out that southern Chinese are much more civilized and don't expect you to get drunk to get to know them! He had worked previously for a Canadian company in supply chain management, getting shipments across the Pacific. He said that was a very difficult job and he is much happier working for Bernhardt. Bernhardt's office which is in the hotel, consists of 5 people who work directly with the manufacturers in China to make sure the designs are handled correctly. then they co-ordinate the shipments.
Mike and I got into a political discussion about American workers vs. Chinese workers. All in all, dinner was a great experience to have real discussions with the Chinese and experience wonderful cuisine. One of my favorite experiences of the entire trip for sure.
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