Impressions of a Business Visit to China
A few years ago I had an opportunity to visit Hong Kong and China on a business trip looking for increasing the export possibilities of a chemical product my company was producing. I had been interacting with customers through a Hong Kong based agent. My trip lasted for 15 days during March and was a few days after the Chinese lunar new year in February. After China I also visited Taiwan which is claimed by China as its territory.
I first went to Hong Kong and met my agent and a few customers there. Although I had been to USA and Europe earlier on I was very impressed by the utilization of scarce land resource in Hong Kong and still navigating its roads was a pleasure. All its pavements were crowded withy people but there was no spill over on the road. There was an air of orderliness and discipline visible in the crowd and vehicular movements. There were tall buildings rising to more than 40 - 50 stories high everywhere. Another noticeable thing was the level of neatness all round. There were no litter or waste lying on the roads ar the side roads. The hotel we stayed in was a very up to date and modern in its design and facilities.There was considerable movement of people but there was silence all around. English language was understood by almost everyone. There was parking problem everywhere we went. Cars could be parked literally miles away from where one got down. Thanks to the mobile you could always call the driver to bring the car in time.The range and quality of food was excellent and many small food joints were very elegant and stylish in apearance. I also had food in an Indian restaurant with live classical music being played. Hong Kong was a pleasant experience although there is not very much to see in terms of places and monuments but the city itself is very vibrating and all encompassing especially the harbour and some of its commercial streets.
Along with the agent I left for Shanghai to start my China visit. I some how had a feeling that I would get to see houses with the typical sloping and curved at the edges roofs which I always associated with China. I was in for a tremendous surprise. Shanghai turned out to be a very modern city which had some very well preserved old style areas sorrounded by elegant multistoried structures. The city was a mixture of old and new merging seamlessly at many points. One of the very scenic roads happens to be along the river Bundh and the old British style buildings and tyher structures simply make it all appear out of this world. Across the river is the Pudong island with its ultra high and modern mega structures which remind one of the Manhattan skyline in New York. I had dinner in a restaurant which is the largest I have seen so far. There were literally what looked like hundreds of tables laid out and still one had to wait for about 30 minutes to enter inside.Every table had an attendent who took down orders and relayed it to the kitchen via a mobile. Well stocked bars were by the side of each table and there were dozens of TV sets strategically placed. Inspite of such large clientle our order materialised quite fast. Needless to say the food was of a very high quality. I wa told the hote lremains open till ealy morning and is open in time for lunch. Chinese efficiency at work. Shanghai also gives one the idesa of how modern the Chinese have become in their infrastructure like ports, roads, communication, hotels etc. All in all Shanghai is a city which looked very elegant and impressive.
From Shanghai we flew to Beijing the capital of China. It is another great city of China. Most of the areas I went had very broad roads. It was interesting to see a large number of cyclists for whom there was a separate lane ensuring their safety. A caring thought. The airport is modern but looks serious in nature. The city does not look vibrant like Shanghai but it also has excellent buildings very elegantly laid out with beautiful landscaping around them. The city also has many old areas giving one the feel of old China. I visited some very old manufacturing plants which were established in the early fifities and were looking visibly ancient. Most of the time the plants are known by their serial numbers like factory No 1 or 2 and so on. In Beijing one must go and see the Forbidden City the seat of the rulers of China before they were done away with. There are a large number of palaces and other structures built in the old Chinese style. They are very spacious, stylish, colourful and most have the dragon in either the architecture or in the paintings. All these structures are very well maintained and the whole area spread over linear miles is kept very neat.There are no beggars or guides to harass the large number of visitors who visit it everyday. Right across the Forbidden City is the famous Tinamien Square, a vast expanse of open space and at its one end is the building housing Chairman Mao's embalmed body and there is always a huge line of visitirs waiting to go in. Some areas of Beijing are so modern that they remind you of New York. I also visited a disco and saw young Chinese dancing to loud rock music. I also went to the original restaurant which is supposed to have made the iconic and famous Beijing Duck preparation. One gets to see roasted ducks come in an assembly like manner for being served.
I also visited the Great Wall of China, around two hours by car from Beijing. All along the on both sides of the road thousands of houses were being constructed. At the spot from where we could climb a stair to be on Wall, surprisingly there was no chaos. There were a couple of souvenir shops and a few persons with double humped camels for any one to ride on. There was silence all around. When I reached the top of the Wall I found hundreds of visitors going in both directions, but not making noise. I also walked perhaps a kilometer during which steps are to be climbed, slopes are there and rest rooms are also provided. One can see the Wall on both sides till very far. The area is mountainous and very green. It is very impressive because it extends for hundreds of miles and took more than hundred years to build. One feels a part of history standing on the Wall.
I also visited Tainjin, Ningbo a port city, Qingdao a beautiful city, Nanjing the old capital of China, and couple of more whose names I am not able to recall now.
I travelled both by road and air inside China. The quality of roads was excellent but there was hardly any traffic justifying such roads. My host told me that this is a planned investment in infrastructure as in a year or so there will be an auto boom in China. So they were taking advance action. He was right. The planes were of medium capacity and were almost always on time. The food quality however was not good and everyday the menu also was nearly same which made it boring. Most of the small city airports were crowded due to lack of adequate space. It was pleasing to hear the tune of the famous Raj Kapoor song "Awara Hoon--- " being played many times in in flight music.
There is a wide variety of sea food available in Chinese hotels. It is seved in almost bland taste. It was very difficult to succeed in not eating fried scorpions and snakes considered delicacies by the Chinese. All the hotels seved unlimited buffet breakfasts which had a wide variety to choose from.
The Chinese do not understand English and one must have an interpreter during negotiaitions. The visiting cards may indicate fancy designations but they also do not know to speak in English. However it is only a matter of time before they master it.
The Chinese come to the table in large numbers for discussions and it can be unnerving in the begining till one gets used to it. They clearly express their dislike for the Japanese and encourage you to supply them more material if possible, so that they can buy less from Japan. During the luncheon meetings you have to be prepared to raise as many toasts as there are members around the table. Every few minutes one of them will raise a toast and everyone has to join in. Chinese can consume good quantity of hard drinks even in a working lunch. Another interesting feature of chinese meetigs is the fact that a big thermos of green tea is placed on the side table of every participant and one can go on consuming a fairly tasteless misture. In hotel rooms also it is provided in couple of flavours for the guests.
When I was in America I would see Chinese manufactured products everywhere especially below $ 10-15 range. But in China it was difficult to see these very products. On the contrary in malls and better shopping areas one saw costly American branded products. Otherwise most of the ordinary shops are very much like Indian shops.
Another interesting observation was that from behind it is many times difficult to make out whether someone is a male oroa female. They dress similarly and hair are kept short by both. I also did not get to see fat or obese people, most were lean and fairly tall. The popular colour of dress seemed o be black or blue by both sexes.
It is the infrastructure that impresses a visitor from India. Town facilities like roads, pavements, bridges,etc are very well planned and modernised giving not only an elegant but a professional look. Neatness of the roads and allied areas is also striking to an Indian visitor. Most of the modern factories are very large by Indian standards. The movement of people on roads and factories gives the impression of some sort of regimentation. Politics is not at all a subject of discusion. The Chinese think very high of themselves and their achievments. China in fact is now an out and out a capitalist country very tightly ruled by hand picked and select members of the Communist(?) Party.
For me the visit to China was very pleasant and an eye opener at how much can be achieved by a dedicated and committed administrators. Along with business I could keenly observe the Chinese achievments.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.