Days 1 and 2, Fly Out Of San Francisco (Left at 1:20 am!) To Hong Kong And Then On To Beijing (Arrived at 11:30 am) (Team 1: Michel, Malloy, Windham, Jencks and Team 2: Wong, Banks-Orosco, Marlin, and Fencl)

June 18th, 2008

Team One:

The group met fairly promptly at 10:15 pm in the international wing of the SFO airport. There was a lot of excitement in the air as the group prepared to depart. Those who managed to pack the lightest were given bragging rights while those with large suitcases were lovingly ridiculed. Most students browsed the duty free shop while we awaited departure. The flight from SFO to Hong Kong was fairly uneventful with most students managing to get some sleep. The Cathay Airline flight attendants were extremely welcoming and the TV selection was excellent. Once the 14 hour flight was completed, we finally touched down in Hong Kong. The journey was far from over, however, as we needed to figure out how to get our next set of boarding passes and find our final departure gate. Justine, of the the students in our program from Hong Kong, came to the rescue and was able to ask airport personnel where we should be heading. Airport security requirements for going into China were almost exactly the same as in the US. We all made the connection and finally arrived in Beijing. The Beijing airport, Terminal Three (brand new), was magnificent. The architecture was amazing with an extremely high industrial style ceiling. There was ton of light let into the building and we traveled to customs on a brand new monorail. We breezed through customs and met Paula our China tour coordinator. Finally, we got our first glimpse of Beijing and checked into our Hotel.

We arrived at the hotel at approximately 1:30 pm and had the rest of the day to explore. A small group of students rode the subway to the Temple of Heaven. While there, we noticed a great example of price discrimination. There was a student admittance fee as well as a regular admission fee. We attempted to pay the student rate but were informed that the rate was for Chinese students only. We noticed many older people playing cards and board games inside the garden surrounding the temple. Since admission seemed fairly expensive to purchase every day, we also felt that there was most likely free admission for senior citizens as well. We also noticed major price fluctuations in water and green tea from Y2-Y5 depending on how close you were to a major tourist attraction. We made our way back to the hotel area and explored the Wangfajing district before finding a place to eat dinner.

Other notable observations for the day included the open minds of our group of MBA students. We observed several students trying new things simply for the experience. It was encouraging to see fellow students embracing the purpose of our trip and getting involved in the local experience. We observed several transactions involving negotiations and took notes for our eventual experience in purchasing items for ourselves.

We were surprised at the amount of smog in the city considering that the Chinese government has been taking actions to reduce emissions for the past year, but we also noticed that Beijing was very clean. There was no trash to be found on the ground and recycle bins were located on practically every corner. Traffic appeared light and many commuters were seen traveling by bicycle. Crossing the street as a pedestrian is tricky and it seems best to move in a crowd. Entrepreneurial Chinese were seen everywhere performing jobs such as barber, tour guide, gardener, chef, and street sweeper. The city is obviously gearing up for the Olympics and great progress has been made.

Team Two:

Our trip began Tuesday night in San Francisco. Everyone was excited to finally be leaving. Some worried if they had brought everything, others wondered if they should sleep right away or try to stay up for a while. The group was scattered throughout the plane. This gave us the opportunity to meet people from all over the world that were on their way to Hong Kong. Looking back at our brief time in Hong Kong, we’ve realized how American our group is. We tended to block pathways and not be aware of those trying to pass around us. We speak loudly, and it was noticeable here in Asia. During the transfer, the customer agent placed two of our people on the wrong flight. Luckily, the mistake was caught quickly and resolved. It was a good reminder that we need to do our due diligence to confirm the details of our own plans. The flight from Hong Kong to Beijing went very quickly. The dome structure of the Beijing airport was amazing and let us have our first feel of the humidity. The train to baggage pick up was crowded and reminded us of the youtube videos we watched. Our tour guide Paula met us at the airport and helped us get checked in to our hotel.

As we drove into the city, the contrast between old and new was everywhere. History has been preserved and at the same time, progress is evident all around us. Old apartment buildings are placed next to fancy office buildings. The smog was thicker than any of us expected. Newly planted trees dot the highways. Olympic ads, toys and souvenirs are everywhere, and there are also pictures and ads to raise funds and awareness for the Sichuan earthquake. Bicycles ride alongside cars in some places. Once we checked in to the hotel, we were free to explore the city. Some of us went shopping, some went for massages, and some went sightseeing. We found the city is full of hidden surprises. Walking down a couple stairs, we found a food court full of traditional Chinese food.

Having the remainder of the day to get settled after we arrived and checked-in allowed some of us to see the Temple of Heaven. It is a beautiful tribute to a time that passed many year ago. The Olympics start in only 50 days, and we wonder if the city is ready. The streets and subways are incredibly clean. Olympic stores are everywhere. However, we had a hard time finding people that spoke English and the subway would be difficult without speaking the language. Traffic is still scary. Cars don’t stop for pedestrians, so it’s important to pay attention when crossing the street. China is a place that continually surprises us, and it’s only the first day!! Will explore more of the faces of China in the coming days.

Professor Carr note: Today we arrived, stabilized, got cleaned up and have started to get our China legs under us. Tomorrow, company visits and the the heavy lifting of experiential learning begins. Stay tuned.

Entry Filed under: Beijing, China