Today we took the day off from learning in the classroom and toured two Chinese companies: Ban Bao and Sirio Pharma. Shantou is located in the Guazhong province, which specializes in you production. 70% of the worlds toys are produced and China and 70% of the toys produced in China are made in this province! So we were inevitably going to tour a toy factory: Ban Bao. As a North American, I think of Ban Bao as the Chinese Lego. Although they look like Legos, Ban Bao as a deeper motivation of education and cultural learning through their toys. It was interesting to learn how they build models to assist in the development of youth while also exposing them to different aspects of Chinese culture. What I found most interesting was the continuous emphasis on quality of materials over low cost. Ban Bao try's hard to emphasize the quality of the products especially compared to Lego, their biggest competitor. We enjoyed getting an inside look at how toys are developing and where companies are looking next to target a new market.
In the afternoon we visited Sirio Pharma, the number one supplement manufacturer in China. The Sirio staff were extremely welcoming and provided us with samples of some of their products! We had a short presentation about the current situation of the company and an overview of its history. We are then able to tour through the quality control section of the factory and R&D. It was incredible how much goes into the production of supplements; an eye opening for a business student to see the exact science behind the production. We all appreciate the opportunity to tour these companies and have a look inside Chinese businesses. Having discussions with the business people provide insight and knowledge about doing business in China and where these businesses are looking to go in the next few days.
0 Comments
Today was our second day of classes and Shantou University. We started the day off at 9:30 am with a brief session with Professor Polushin about our individual export plans which will be due after the end of the program. This was followed by our second Business in China class with Professor Dennis Lee, about "The Modern Chinese Consumer." We discussed a bit of Chinese history, in order to better understand the events which have shaped the country into what it is today. We learned about Confucianism, and other values which shape Chinese consumer preferences, such as the importance of public consumption, saving tendencies, and the conflict between projecting and protecting when promoting products or services in China. Professor Lee then went on to teach us about urbanization in China, before the end of our morning class.
After lunch, we returned to the classroom to be greeted by Betty Jin, just like yesterday afternoon, to learn about the Peking Opera, or "Jingju." She taught us the four main categories of characters who appear in the Jingju, and their names in Mandarin. She showed us a few videos to familiarize us with the costumes, make-up, and music. After learning about the significance of different colors in the Peking Opera, which when included on face make-up represents the nature of the characters, we spent the rest of the afternoon painting face masks using images of Peking Opera makeup as templates. After our Chinese culture class, we were free to go off on our owns for the evening. First day of class in Shantou!
Today, we met in front of our dorms at 8:00 and made our way to a Shantou University cafeteria to have a local Chinese breakfast. We had our first class at 9:30 with professor Dennis Lee about how to do business in China. He taught us a lot about the modern economic history of China, its political history and the Chinese business mindset. We also learned a lot about the Pearl River Delta and its weight in the Chinese economy. At 12:30 we took a break and ate lunch at a cafeteria At 2:30 we had a Chinese tea culture class with professor Betty Jin. We learned a great deal about the History of tea in China, its cultural significance and the different types of Chinese tea. This was followed by a tea tasting and a discussion about tea. We then took a short break. From 7 to 9 pm we did team building activities on Shantou university’s artificial lawn. The first activity consisted in constructing a team strategy to catch name tags on the backs of the members of the other team. We then did a team game reliant on trust and and accuracy, in which we had to throw eggs to team members from the largest possible distance. In the third game we had to build the highest stable tower using just straws. The fourth and final game was a ball game which tested our ability to communicate with our team and execute our strategy. The rest of the evening was free. First day in Shantou!
We woke up early at 6:30 and had our last breakfast in Hong Kong. We then left and took a bus headed towards the Hong Kong international airport. After a short flight we landed in Shantou towards noon and were welcomed by shantou university students. We took a bus and went through the city of Jieyang before we arrived to Shantou University. We then dropped our suitcases in our rooms and headed to a reception room where we ate a delicious local meal with Shantou University students. After a short break which gave us time to settle in our rooms, we headed back downstairs at 4:00 pm. We were given a campus tour by university students. We walked around the university, we visited the beautifully designed Shantou University library and took photos in front of the Bell Tower before taking some time to discover the university’s supermarkets and shops. We took another short break and dressed up. To end an already packed day, we made our way across campus and reached the official reception venue where we were treated to a welcome dinner. This was probably one of our finest meals to date. The rest of the night was free. Yet another exciting day in Hong-Kong!
This morning we woke up at 8:15 and met in the lobby at 9:30 after yet another great breakfast. We then left Kowloon to take a walking guided tour of the southern part of Hong-Kong island, with our guide Grace. We stopped to visit the Man Mo Chinese temple in the district of Sheung Wan with its giant hanging incense coils, before we were photographed by a television crew in the street. We then headed to Garden road to take the cable car to Victoria peak, Hong Kong island’s highest mountain. Upon arrival we ate at a traditional dumpling restaurant on the peak, before admiring Hong Kong from the peak, with a unique view from above of the central island and the Victoria harbour. The bus picked us up at the peak and dropped us at the Aberdeen fishing village, known for its contrasts between traditional sampans and modern yachts. There, we took a sampan ride which gave us the opportunity to explore the mix of modernity and tradition, as the boat went through high rise buildings and floating restaurants. At 4:30 we headed towards the McGill alumni reception from 5 to 7 pm held at a bar for expatriates. There, we were able to meet McGill graduates who gave us some insight about integrating the east asian job market and shared their personal experiences. The rest of the evening was free. This is already our last day in Hong-Kong, tomorrow we are heading towards Shantou to start in class learning. Today was our first full day in Hong-Kong, and with so much to do, we met in the lobby at 8:15 after a substantial breakfast. From there we left Kowloon and took the ferry headed to Hong-Kong island. Upon arrival, we visited the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a government body in charge of promoting Hong-Kong as the key business destination for investors across the world. This visit made us realize that Hong-Kong was really a gateway to the mainland, and thus, a major place to do business in the world. After a presentation of the organization from the marketing officer, about how the HKTDC organized trade fairs to promote Hong-Kong and operated an online marketplace of more than 1.5 million customers spanning over more than 30 industries, we had a guided tour of the research center. We then visited a gallery of local creators before making our way to the charming Lee Tung avenue where the group split. The rest of the afternoon was free.
We reunited at 7:00 pm at Causeway bay to eat a traditional Cantonese dinner at the Jade Garden restaurant, with Desautels alumnus Mathias Liu. Early morning on Wednesday, May 3rd, Montreal time, marked the start of our adventure. A majority of the group met at the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International airport a bit after 6 AM, for our 8:40 AM flight to Vancouver. Most of us were exhausted, due to the early departure and last-minute preparations the night before leaving little time for sleep, but luckily were able to get some rest on the plane
Five hours later, we landed in Vancouver, where we had a short layover before our flight to Hong Kong. There, we met up with the three students of the group who had flown in from Toronto. The flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong was thirteen hours long. We left an hour late because luggage of absent passengers needed to be removed from the plane, and had some turbulence towards the end. Due to the twelve hour difference, we landed in Hong Kong on Thursday, May 4th around 6 PM local time. There, we met with Dominique, who flew straight to Hong Kong from her semester abroad in Singapore, and our tour guide, Grace. She led us to our bus which had been arranged to take us to our hotel, Grace pointed out some Hong Kong sites, gave us the names of different islands and explained the geopolitical situation with the "one country, two systems" arrangement with China. Once at the hotel, we went to our rooms then met again in the lobby with Professor Polushin to discuss logistics for the following day's activities. Then, the group was free to go eat dinner, explore the area, or just go to sleep after the long day of travelling. |