Frank Cortez

Confused ending

So it’s my last night in China. I’m ending it in the capital and it has given me a few things to think about. One important thing that came up was a filling. Not of a pie but rather my tooth. Upon arriving in Beijing a filling of mine decided it had better things to do than stay in my mouth. So after a few days of research and thinking I was at my appointment with a dentist here in China. I was a bit nervous as anyone can understand but was advised it’s better to chose a dentist while it doesn’t hurt much than accept whichever is available when you can’t take the pain anymore. So there I was 9am filling out paperwork in a Beijing dental clinic. Jump forward to 9:35 and I was on my way to the street to catch a cab! The visit was fast, professional, and state of the art. The scariest part of the visit was not getting any anesthesia other than “raise your left hand if it hurts.” Luckily, I never had to raise my hand (Although the thought did cross my mind.) I say this only to say that this incident shed new light for me on China. It showed me how this country was advancing in ways other than copycat manufacturing. It was a great example of how China is adopting advancements for the betterment of the populace. It is a sincere and honest effort to raise the standards of the Chinese population and I recognize this. This made me rethink my position on the authoritarianism here.

The other time that stuck out to me was when I was speaking with a businessman here. He was telling me about his family and his two children. I complimented him and said he was a blessed man. He agreed and added that he was also broke. He explained that since he broke the ‘one child policy’ he was fined for it. That fine was 260,000 RMB!! They also informed him that a third child would earn him a fine of 520,000 RMB. While he was obviously unhappy with the fine he was clearly willing to accept that and said his children were more than worth that amount. What I found unsettling about this story is not the law or the fine. Rather it was how something so simple can be so overlooked. Something that is a right in most places is an expensive privilege here. Such a story does not help my impression of a new and improved country. It doesn’t make me think it has regressed by any means yet I do feel it exemplifies how there is room for progress and the ‘proving period’ for changed directions is not over. I still believe I have a better insight from this trip than I did before it and really believe China is moving in right directions. What I don’t know and am still unsure of is how fast and great this new direction will end.

What is Chinese?

So I just arrived at our hotel here in Beijing and have been thinking about one thing I’ve noticed throughout China. It’s a feeling but it’s a feeling of imitation. Everywhere I’ve been I see buildings that look like New York, bakeries that are French, I’ve even been eating at a restaurant chain that is Japanese. These are just a few points that put the question in my head of “What is Chinese?” I see the new buildings but they do not give even the slightest air of uniqueness. I’ve looked at every turn and cannot find anything that is unequivocally Chinese. In searching for the definitive Chinese I think I have found something that really separates china and makes them their own. What I have found is a people and a culture that understand. They understand their position in the world, they accept the need to change, they adapt accordingly, and finally they move forward. Having a culture that is so encompassing is quite rare. A people of 1.4 billion that do not feel the need to stake claim to their historical identity is definitely something defining. An entire culture that realizes they themselves are their identity and whatever path they take and people they become that is who they are. That is Chinese. They understand the development of a society and realize they aren’t erasing or running from themselves, instead they are growing. Such an adaptability as a people is amazing. The logistics of such a large populace to embrace this mentality is amazing to me. I think a conversation I had with a local at the mall sums it up best. He and I were talking about the cars in Beijing and how they are now given by lottery. He wasn’t angry or even bitter over the new rule. Instead he said “I am unlucky but only for one year.” This is a deep statement when you understand the law. The law states that every month any name entered for the car lottery has a equal change to randomly be selected. After a year if you have not been ‘lucky’ you are place on priority for the list. I think this really speaks more to what the Chinese are than anything I can write.

HD Logistics

While visiting with a logistics/international transportation today something really stuck out to me. It had nothing to do with their proficiency or skills in their field instead it was cultural. There was a level of compartmentalized responsibility. When asked about the company’s thoughts on the infrastructure development for the western arts of China, the question was deferred to appropriate governmental authority. A response seemingly based upon the separation of responsibilities was such a shock for an American ear. The focus within the logistics company was upon logistics (groundbreaking, I know!) The condition, maintenance, and expansion of the infrastructure weren’t of concern. It was what it was and would be made better accordingly and in due time. I found this to be a very interesting view from the part of a business. In the US, businesses feel when something has any type of connection to the business it is well within the realm, if not authority, of the business to have say within that. You can imagine the conflict this creates. While from this instance I get the feeling that a sort of ‘making the most of…’ is the norm, which must cut down upon conflicts.

The takeaway we as a class kept arriving at from our visit with an appliance/ technology manufacturer was that more international focus was needed. The reservations of the company seemed lost to us. Thinking about it afterwards I wondered if there wasn’t more to the idea. Having one of the leading interests in a market of 1.4 billion+ plus consumers is nothing to laugh at. What is the rush to extend beyond such a market? With the better part of a billion of that population still developing the room for growth within the current position is immense. I see the importance of building an international presence but am beginning to think it is more important to focus upon the positioning currently.

Morning of a new dawn

So here I am sitting on my couch at 6:30am. I’ve beat the sun up this morning and am enjoying a espresso before I head out to an appointment. The birds have already begun their chores of chirping and singing and I feel behind. My room (apartment for that matter) is a war zone of clothes, luggage, and papers. I’m still not finished packing but leave for the airport in under 9 hours. I know today begins a chapter of discovery for me and yet haven’t had time to let the excitement sink in. “Pack!!”, “Meeting at 9″, “Remember your paper” are all things my jiminy cricket keeps telling me (does this constitute insanity?).

However, even with all this circling around me the breaking of a new day gives me a moment of clarity. I’m about to step onto a plane and into a culture I have no experience with. A culture misunderstood or confused by most of the world for most of its existence. Keeping my luggage under 44 lbs suddenly seems a trivial concern. This will be the first time a language will be completely foreign to me. In Arabic I can read, in Portuguese I can at least guess a meaning due to it’s romance base, yet in Chinese I am utterly lost. No guessing or assumptions can be made since the characters mean nothing to me. It’s also a concern that for the first time I will absolutely be known as a foreigner with no hope of blending in. It’s a minor issue and yet it’s one that leaves me with a sense of being exposed. So it is now 7am and as this new day breaks I await its dusk knowing that within its setting something has begun. I’m still not sure what is starting but if this dawn and these birds are any indication it’s going to be dramatic.

Sarah, Rui, & Frank’s 1st post.

Being as diverse as we are so to are our excitements. This trip is new for all of us. While Sarah and Frank have never been to China and are excited to see such a country for the first time, Rui is excited to see new parts of his own land (Qingdao) and experience previous travels as a MBA student instead of as a tourist. Although for different reasons another excitement for us is cuisine. Frank and Rui are excited about eating various authentic Chinese fare, while Sarah is more apprehensive of exotic ingredients. After that our expectations become unique.

Sarah’s expectations are both of excitement and nervousness. Shopping for cheap copyrighted material possibly even a nice Feauxlex or Channel on the cheap are countered by her disdain for being cut off from her communication trinity; Facebook, Blackberry, and Gmail. Frank is eager to see the architecture of new China. He’s also curious to visit a country directly involved in communism. Rui is to the point of elation to once again step on soil of his motherland. He’s also looking forward to seeing how we, his classmates, react to his homeland and observe the culture shock.

We will undoubtedly gain new insight during this trip and are excited to do so. Our experiences will be shared by the group and others will be unique to whomever posts. So in the coming days expect these individual insight/updates here.