China: Beijing and Shanghai

So I finally have a bit of time to catch up on the blog, so here's what happened in Beijing and Shanghai.  We'll start with the companies first, and then I'll talk about the exciting cultural activities!

Beijing:

• JD.com is the largest ecommerce business in China.  We were able to learn about the various delivery methods the company offers its customers, including packages delivered anywhere in China within 3 hours of ordering.  It was amazing!
• We also visited the Beijing Film Academy where we learned about how the school took courses from Tisch and USC to create a world-renowned program in Beijing.  The school offers classes in Cinematography, Directing, and Production.
• Dinner with Gang Li was quite an experience!  We had a multitude of toasts and the rounds of food were endless!  We all got to try Peking duck, and a few other foods...

Shanghai:

• We were lucky enough to visit General Cable again in Shanghai!  We learned about the company's commitment to safety and the logistics of running the business in China.  Julian, our host, was also very helpful in giving suggestions of subway stops to check out for food and shopping. 
• Nielsen was able to provide us with information on the typical Chinese consumer.  We also learned about the importance of brands for a Chinese consumer.  Walking around with a Gucci bag and a Starbucks cup helps make the Chinese feel as though they are part of high society.
• We visited the Unilever Customer Insights and Innovation Center in Shanghai where we gained insights into the how the company gets customer insights.  We also learned and saw first-hand the fast-paced social media world in China. 
• JWT is an advertising company that taught us that the Chinese consumers want to be modernized, not Westernized.  I think this came as a bit of a shock for many of us, but the Chinese want to protect their heritage while projecting themselves in society.  For the Chinese, instant messaging and blogging are very popular ways of communicating ideas, and there are 463 million Chinese who use mobile.  Speaking of mobile, we felt so left out on the subways because they all were using their phones for the internet, games, or texting and we had no service.
• EY was located in Shanghai World Financial Center, which is currently the tallest building in Shanghai (if not China).  We learned about EY's new branding campaign and how the company is looking to double their business by the year 2020.  We also learned about the training programs the company offers and the employee mobility between teams and countries.
• Dow Chemical was quite an eye-opening experience for many of us.  Who knew that so many products are produced by Dow Chemical?!  The company makes products in almost all sectors of business, and we had a tour of their R&D facility in Shanghai.  They were trying to explain some chemical formulas to us, and we all knew that a career in business was the perfect path for us!
• General Electric was the last company we visited on our trip.  We were able to learn more about the aviation business from an engineer and a salesman.  We learned about the business analytics of their products and got to see how they track different planes.  Very cool!

Okay, so enough about the business part. 

So we climbed the Great Wall of China!  And of course, we didn't choose the easy part, or even the slightly challenging part.  Instead, we chose the steepest part of the wall.  Boy are we out of shape!  The stairs were all shaped differently, and some were a foot tall.  After 1700+ stairs, our calves were killing.  But we all made it to the top and found a great Aussie to take our picture!

 

 

We also stopped at the Bird's Nest and Olympic Park for some photo opportunities.  Although it was a bit hazy the first time, many of us went back for better pictures.  Also a great spot for the Chinese to approach you for pictures.

 

Inside the Bird's Nest

 

The class also went to the Summer Palace with Susan and Jeri and we got a taste of what it was like to be a Chinese royal.  The palace and gardens seemed to be endless, and some people even rented a boat to go out to an island. 

 

We also stopped in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (with Su as our tour guide).  Was she great?  I tell you, she was great.  She also showed us where the good photo opportunities were and insisted we take pictures. 

In Shanghai, we were extremely busy with company visits, but we did get to take a river cruise.  It was so fun seeing the harbor lit up at night, and it made us wish we were staying in the beautiful city longer!