What’s more of a tourist attraction, the Great Wall or the people of our class?

Being at the Great Wall of China was a breathtaking experience and one that will probably only happen once in my life.  The mere feeling of being present at such a historically significant site was exciting; however the most significant feeling I experienced was that I truly felt like a foreigner.

During our tour through China, especially in Qingdao, there have been moments when I felt eyes watching my classmates and me as we walk through public places.  Typically, this event happened when we are at locations such as The Forbidden City and The Great Wall, where there were not only western tourists, but Chinese as well.  I have come to find that this is because many of them are from the western part of China where there are few, if any, expatriates from the western world.   Most expats live in the eastern cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing where most business activities take place.  Perhaps this may be the first time some of the western Chinese tourists have been to the Great Wall, and also the first time to see a blond hair, blue-eyed girl such as myself, or a 6’ 4” Brazilian man, such as my classmate Dago.   We have found that our African-American friends receive a lot of attention as well.  Not only will they blatantly stare, or stop us to take pictures with them, but also they even touch our hair!  However, we did draw attention to ourselves when we gave into the tourist trap and paid to dress in the traditional costumes to take pictures in front of the Temple of Heaven.  As you can see in the photo, the Chinese people loved to see us in the traditional outfits of their country.  Never being in a position of a minority before, the attention makes me feel awkward at times, but mostly, I try embracing it and I pretend for the moment that I’m a celebrity…as silly as that may sound.

One very interesting exchange happened between my roommate Madeline and a woman working at a booth in the Silk Market.  Madeline, who has red hair and freckles, was interested in buying a scarf.  So, she stopped to peruse the selection of silk scarves as the vendor called to her,” Pretty lady, I’ll give you a good price.”   Madeline had received good advice from our Chinese classmate, Yi, who told us to never pay more than a third of the first offer.  So, Madeline, being the savvy shopper she is, countered by suggesting a third of the original offer.  Madeline was surprised to here the woman’s initial compliments had turned into racial insults as the woman cried “You, crazy lady with spots!”

We laugh at the situation now, but it definitely made Madeline feel like she was treated differently because of her skin color.  She was aware that having white skin in this culture is beautiful, so she was self-conscious about her freckles… I mean “spots. “  Madeline and I agreed that we definitely feel as though we are treated differently because of our skin color, whether it is for good or bad.  The Chinese word for foreigner is “leeway.”  “Lao” means old and “wai” means outside, together meaning “old outsider,” or foreigner. I know that I’ll be more culturally aware going forward, now that I’ve had a small glimpse of what its like to be different and a “laowai.”

Beyond Our Expectations

Prior to our journey, our group outlined the Top 5 most anticipated things about China. The list included karaoke, meeting the Peking University students, and visiting The Great Wall of China.  Each of these experiences exceeded our expectations.

On Tuesday, I went to karaoke at Cashbox.  This famous karaoke chain is known for having the latest songs from Chinese top singers and American pop, R&B and hip-hop artists. In contrast to the American karaoke bars, in which brave souls perform their favorite songs in front of a room of strangers, in China you reserve a private room.  In this private room, my classmates and I sang our hearts out without the thought of receiving disapproving looks from strangers for our less than perfect pitch.  I presume that the private room format was established to fit the Chinese cultural value of not losing face.  Cashbox recently opened a private room set up in Atlanta, GA.  We will pay close attention to see if this format succeeds with Americans.  During the last semester, I performed karaoke with a live band and was looking forward to the same opportunity in China.  Although the format was totally different it was a great way to bond with friends and sing without fear of ridicule and embarrassment.

The Peking University visit was a great opportunity to practice our negotiation skills and learn about the leading business school in China.  The mission of the Guanghua School of Management is to

• Create cutting edge management knowledge
• Develop leaders to make a difference to the world
• Contribute to the progress of the society with aspiration and education

Our experience in a one-on-one negotiation simulation with several Guanghua students demonstrated that the school has been successful in fulfilling its mission.  In the simulation, we acted as either a recruiter or a new employee negotiating an employment package including salary, bonus, vacation time, etc.  My counterpart was a tough negotiator.  Through communicating important issues and asking probing questions we were able to expand the pie or optimize the chances of achieving a win-win result for both parties.  We were successful in earning a little over 10,000 points in the simulation.  In addition to strong negotiation skills, I learned that the students have studied abroad to gain similar experiences to our Rio and Paris modules.  This interaction in the classroom and over lunch gave us a firsthand opportunity to learn how other students are being prepared for for global business leadership.

Today, represented the pinnacle of our China experience – we climbed The Great Wall of China.  The Wall, which was built to protect China for its enemies, is the longest wall in the world.  Despite the cold and rainy weather, the magnitude of The Wall was not diminished. Weather could not dampen the excitement I felt reaching in the third battlement.  The stairs were incredibly steep yet the views from the top were breathtaking.  Overlooking the stretch mountains and trail of The Wall made me think of the plans that were laid and the lives that were sacrificed to build this man made world wonder.  Although this wall is no longer needed for protection from outsiders, it still stands as a reminder of the past.  Fortunately,  China has broken down other walls such as barriers to business, education, and cultural understanding.  These walls that have been torn down over the past 40 years have allowed China to become a member of the global community.

Karaoke, Peking University, and The Great Wall were all things that we looked forward too during this two-week trip.  At the beginning we had hoped that each would be a special experience yet now we fully understand the significance of these moments. Each of these experiences combined with many others have left an indelible impression on our lives.