For the next two and a half weeks, our Cal Poly MBA students will keep this on-line blog highlighting some their travels and experiences in the People’s Republic of China. Below is their first blog entry as of the day we arrive in Guangzhou (soon!) and get settled. Be sure to scroll down and read about subsequent days and experiences on the trip. These MBA students are to be commended for making this investment in their education and professional future. — Professor Carr

Submitted By: Bonnie, Athena, Joe, and Danny

Our trip began with a 14 hour plane ride to Guangzhou. Everyone seemed excited to start the trip and equally excited to get some sleep on the red eye flight. In between Chinese movies and bathroom breaks, we were able to talk to a few Chinese passengers. In particular, one woman was looking forward to seeing her family in Guangzhou after living in California for some time. She will be attending UC Davis next fall and was very friendly and happy to chat with us.

After our surprisingly short wait through customs, we met our guides, Paula and Ken. Their warm personalities immediately made us feel welcome and in good hands. They helped us load up into our bus and we were off to The White Swan Hotel, arguably one of the most famous hotels in China. From the outside, the hotel did not have the same flashy exterior we are accustomed to seeing in an American 5 star hotel. However, the service, breakfast and beautiful art were beyond our expectations.  China and the service aspect of its economy seem to be developing nicely.

With time to kill before check-in, our class split up to explore Guangzhou on our own. Some people took a much needed nap in the hotel room, while the more adventurous ones decided to brave the heat to learn a little more about life in the city. Unlike America, the streets were full of people doing morning exercises and playing games like badminton and cards. Almost every block had a large group practicing Tai Chi to music playing from a nearby stereo. Wandering through a park by the Pearl River, we saw a choir of locals singing lyrics from a table-sized paper hanging between two trees. Although we could not tell what they were singing, they seemed to be really enjoying themselves. We were also amazed to see several people washing and swimming in the river. We realized they do not have the luxury, as we do, to be picky about water quality. On the way back to our hotel, we saw an old man painting Chinese characters on the sidewalk. Watching him slowly and methodically paint the characters was both relaxing and peaceful. While these experiences were not extraordinary on their own, together, they gave us a good idea of what life in China is like.

We were next escorted by several English speaking Zhongkai University students to an electronics market.   The point of this short excursion set up by Professor Carr was not for us to immediately get off the plane and make a bee-line for the first counterfeit shop we could find in China, but for us use some down time while waiting for hotel check in to get a feel for the sheer enormity of the counterfeiting problem in China and the role that it plays in their economy, despite Western press reports that things are often getting better on this important issue between our two countries.  We got the point — the size of this not so underground economy in China is massive.    And, it was here that we faced a real world ethical dilemma to test us that any Westerner faces who complains about the counterfeiting problem in China:  to himself/herself buy or not to buy the available knockoff merchandise they complain about that comes from China once THEY arrive in China. This market was also an interesting contrast to the massive shopping complex across the street, where prices are high and bargaining is not an option. With the guidance of Lonnie Hodge, an expat American professor who now lives in Guangzhou and previously taught at Zhongkai University, everyone got good advice about Guangzhou and its shopping.

After some fun in the pool and showers at our hotel after check-in, we got back on the bus toward Zhongkai University for a tour.  Riding the bus through Guangzhou showed a seemingly endless number of apartment complexes, lined with clothes drying in the sun. After later talking with Lisi, a Zhongkai English major, we found out that the limitless apartment skyrises are necessary to accommodate Guangzhou’s ten million residents. With ten thousand students, Zhongkai University actually has a small student population for a Chinese university.  However, expectations for increased growth and a government certification inspection have spurred the University to renovate their library and add some more landscaping touches. Visiting one of the classrooms where students spent thirty hours a week in stiff chairs and no air conditioning made us respect the drive and dedication of these students and appreciate the facilities we sometimes take for granted back in California and at Cal Poly.

Professor Hodge was gracious enough to take us for a walk-through tour of a middle class Chinese neighborhood and then show us his apartment and fantastic view of the Pearl River. He gave us a unique insight into what life might be like were we to live in China as an expat.  We bombarded him with questions as our curiousity was peeked.  He had nothing but wonderful things to say about the people he worked with and the Chinese culture. He explained that Southern China is the up and coming place for business opportunities and growth and that individuals with our background are in high demand. His comments reinforced the value of our China trip and may have caused a few of us to reconsider China as a possible career destination.

As we sat with stomachs full of Dim Sum during the evening dinner, everyone had an opportunity to reflect on the day and spend more time getting to know our new Chinese friends. Today was just a teaser of all we will see in China in the days to come. And yes, for all our family and friends who wondered about the weather, it is very humid and hot!

Professor Carr Addendum:  See this realted posted by Professor Hodge titled C-MBA Programs: Trans-Pacific Crossings. He makes some key points that relate to our visit and one of the reasons we have brought these students to China.