Day 6, Beijing-Suzhou (Team 8: Palmer, Kvilhaug, White, Michael)

June 18th, 2008

Today we checked out of the Grand Hotel Beijing at 10:00 am; this would be our last day in Beijing.

We began the day with a fascinating presentation at a nearby conference room from an expat and executive from Ogilvy, a marketing consulting firm. He began his speech by discussing the internet in China and the latest issues surrounding it. Topics included the demographics of China’s “netizens”, the internet’s major uses, and marketing tactics. He mentioned that the Chinese use the internet mainly for entertainment purposes and prefer instant messaging over email. He also discussed the misconceptions concerning the “Great Firewall of China.” This term is really a misnomer and its myths mirror those of the Great Wall of China (it cannot be seen from space and it can be penetrated). There are relatively easy ways around these restrictions for those who are computer savvy and 99% of internet users don’t care much about said firewall restrictions. In addition, he noted there are only 30,000 “internet cops” policing the entire population of China’s internet users. It is a challenge for this enforcement group to control the country’s netizens. He also provided insightful, honest and enjoyable information about his business experiences in China. It was an excellent and informative presentation.

Our second visit of the day was to Beijing United Family Hospital where many of the doctors are expats. The operations manager of United Foundation for Chinese Orphans (UFCO), talked to us about her efforts in helping orphans find medical treatment. For several years sge has been enlisting young volunteers to help be caregivers to orphaned children, and often abandoned infants. Her stories were remarkable and touching, and at some points seemed overwhelming. She is a very strong individual to be able to deal with such emotionally charged cases. She talked about different sources of funding for her non-profit organization including fund raisers, and talked about the interaction with international adoptees and the financial incentives ($3,000 per adopted child) for the orphanage.

Before boarding the night train for Suzhou we visited Carre Four, a French retailer equivalent to Wal- Mart. Our goal on this visit was twofold — first, to load up on snack and dinner for the beckoning 11 hour train ride, and second, to compare and contrast with the Wal-Mart business model. Upon entering we noticed that we were in a small mall which eventually turned into Carre Four. We went up flat escalator ramps to the second and third floors. The floor was huge and the layout was similar to familiar isles back home, the products however, were very foreign. There were isles dedicated to rice wines, and isles dedicated to instant noodle bowls. Familiar products were also available, from red wines to deodorants, but these came at a steep premium. The perimeter of the store was like that of a grocery store back home it had delis, butchers, bakeries and fresh produce. The amount of seafood was comparable to the amount of other meats and most of the seafood was live or very fresh on ice. A lot of the meat products and cuts seem to be oddities to people from the west, but it is important to understand that many people who came from rural areas or poor families grew up on these more affordable food items, but have grown accustomed to them and enjoy eating them even once they move into big cities and earn higher incomes.

The train station at Beijing was incredibly packed; many people in China seem to have no reservations about pushing and shoving. It is difficult to imagine a similar scene at a U.S. train station. It just shows that public transportation is still the main form of transportation for many Chinese residents. We were fortunate to avoid much of the afternoon rain and we finally boarded the sleeper cars at 7:30 pm on our way to Suzhou.

Entry Filed under: Beijing, China, Suzhou