Now That Is One Great Wall

Day two of sightseeing took us to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall. In particular, we visited the Badaling section, which is the most common place to visit. Just as at the Summer Palace yesterday, there were a bunch of people; but most of us decided to walk up the left side which is steeper and therefore, less crowded. We all definitely got our workouts by hiking up the interminable steps, further and further into the Chinese sky. Everyone definitely agreed that the experience was a highlight of the trip and something that they'll never forget.

After we worked up a large appetite on the wall, we stopped for lunch and then visited the Ming Tombs to hear more about good old Emperor Yongle and his wondrous accomplishments. The visit to the tombs culminated in a stroll down the Sacred Way, an avenue lined with 18 pairs of identical statues of warriors, officials, elephants, camels, and some mythical animals as well. As you can see, some of the students couldn't resist getting very friendly with the animals. We concluded our visit by rubbing the giant turtle's head for luck at the suggestion of our guide.

Before we went back to the hotel, we made one final stop to have a tea ceremony at Dr. Tea (apparently the more educated sibling of Mr. T). We sampled four different teas including jasmine, oolong (which you have to brew an oolong time!), and lychee. It's always interesting to see how many different kinds of tea there are and how each one has a different way that you should hold the cup and drink it. Many of you back home are going to be the proud recipients of some of Dr. Tea's best wares.

Today (Monday), the students were back in class with me for over two hours this morning as well as this afternoon, so there's obviously nothing exciting to report from that (...unless, of course, you want to hear me teach about Inventory Control methods again, which you probably don't!). Tomorrow we're headed to Joy Mining Machinery in Tianjin for a full-day visit. We get to ride the high-speed train that goes over 200mph, so stay tuned for pictures of that!

Best,
Professor Drake

We Built This (Forbidden) City

On Saturday the group trudged off for our first official sightseeing excursion in Beijing. I say "official" there because everyone has visited a lot of sites separately (especially the Silk Market), but this was the first outing as a group. We started at Tiananmen Square, the largest outdoor public square in the world and then entered the adjacent Forbidden City. We walked through with our guide, Lee, for the next two hours and learned about the history of the palace, which dates back to the Yongle Period of the Ming Dyansty in the fifteenth century...those of you who are up on your Chinese history might have an idea of what I'm talking about. After the Forbidden City we had lunch and then made our way over to the Summer Palace. It's a shame that we were there on a weekend because it was very crowded. This is normally my favorite place in Beijing because it is so peaceful and relaxing. Thousands of visitors tend to put a damper on that, though. I think the students were able to understand my description of how it can be so peaceful anyway, even if they didn't get to experience it that way.

Stay tuned for details of Day Two....something about a wall that is kind of big and famous?

Best,
Professor Drake

Thursday Is Friday in Beijing!

After making the students sit through four hours of my class covering two statistics-centric topics on Thursday, I had to do something to make it up to them (and to maintain their sanity!). So the whole group boarded nine or ten taxis and headed towards the local TGIFriday's for our weekly taste of America. Of course, the whole process took much longer than it should have because these taxi rides always require a good amount of negotiating and gesturing before we can receive a beckoning hand summoning us to board the vehicle. The attached pictures are some action shots from the chaos. A few taxis made some unintended detours (aka, the scenic route), but eventually everyone showed up. The hostesses ushered us into a hastily-prepared party room either for our comfort or to sequester us from the rest of the guests. (It was probably a little of column A and a little of column B there.) With that, we commenced our feast on appetizers, burgers, steaks, and desserts. It was a glorious feast that can only be enjoyed so much if it is consumed as such a welcome change from the endless lazy-susans full of Chinese food. A taste of home once a week is never a bad thing for the road-weary traveler.

Today's class in the morning was a whirlwind introduction to the Manufacturing Planning and Control process. After navigating the manufacturing alphabet soup of S&OP, MPS, MRP, BOM, and RCCP, we broke for lunch. At 2pm we came back together for our last lecture by a member of the Beijing Jiaotong faculty. The topic this time was Human Resource Management in China, and the highlight of the lecture was when the professor showed some clips from the movie "Modern Times." After that, the students got together and planned their activities for their first Friday night spent in Beijing.

Tomorrow the group is headed to some Beijing tourist staples: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. Stay tuned for some great pictures from the homes and residences of the last Qing Dynasty emperors!

Best,
Professor Drake

Hitting the Books in Beijing

I have to begin my first official blog post of the trip by thanking Professor Ryan for ensuring that the trip got off to such a good start. My class on Tuesday morning began with a discussion of the foundation of Supply Chain Management, and in the afternoon we had an excellent presentation about the high-speed rail system in China by Professor Zhao Jian. Professor Zhao analyzed the value of travel time savings that passengers would realize by using air travel over high-speed rail and concluded that high-speed rail is only preferable for medium-length travel instead of for some of the long-distance routes that the Chinese are building. Of course I found it interesting because the research was related to transportation, but I was happy to hear unsolicited praise coming from many of the students afterwards as well.

Today we covered two topics (Supply Chain Information Systems and Quality Control) in the morning, and we enjoyed a presentation about the role of Chinese culture in business relationships by Dr. Wang Li in the afternoon. She even showed us some clips of famous movies that illustrate some of the main differences between Chinese and Western cultures. In between all of these lectures (and writing their daily journal entries), many students have gone shopping at the famous Silk Street Market (eight floors of mercantile madness). Some have even gone two days in a row. Others decided that they needed a massage this afternoon after all of their shopping yesterday. (I refuse to think they needed one after my lectures!)

Everyone has been very busy over the past few days, but nothing has been too picture-worthy, so I'm going to skip out on the pictures today. After two lecture and problem-solving sessions with me tomorrow, the whole group is going out for dinner at the local TGIFriday's. I should have some good pictures to post from there!

Best,
Professor Drake

Back from Shanghai

The group arrived back from Shanghai late last night after an enjoyable final day.  Students visited a local community center where, among other activities, there was a 10:30am dance party!  The students got their groove on well before lunch at the Zhujiajiao Water Town.  Lunch at a local restaurant consisted of perhaps the most cultural cuisine yet—local foods prepared in a very traditional manner.  After lunch, the students took a canal ride through the water town and explored the local shops for souvenirs.  One final bus ride to the airport concluded our time in Shanghai.


After a quick night’s sleep, the group reconvened this morning for the final Global Economics lecture.  The group considered the possibility of Fair Trade as a viable development strategy, and then explored the emerging importance of randomized control trials in developing localized development policies.  Once concluding the coursework, the students took part in the Ten Yuan Challenge.  Any student willing to enter the contest found the best good possible for ten yuan or less, and conjured a story as to why his or her good was the best good of the group.  After two rounds of voting by the class, Andrew Scogna emerged victorious and claimed all fifteen entries for his own.  At least one member of the class doesn’t need to go gift shopping any longer!

As today was my final day in front of the class, this blog post will conclude my contributions.  Look for updates to follow from the other loyal professor in the program, Dr. Matt Drake!


Best,
Professor Ryan

Shanghai Noon

The group’s time in Shanghai has been very enjoyable thus far.  Starting with a delightfully uneventful trip through the Beijing airport’s security, the students boarded the ninety-minute flight to Shanghai and got on the bus after the flight at approximately 11:00am.  After a quick bus tour of the city, we sat down for a tasty lunch at a small restaurant near the Huangpu River.  Once lunch was completed, we received a brief tour of the waterfront area of Shanghai, then entered the Oriental Pearl tower, the third-largest TV tower in the world.  The group took the elevator ride up to the “second sphere,” an observation deck 263 meters above the city.  The views were amazing, and no better view exists of the city that boasts over 6,000 buildings of 18 stories or more in height.  A clear-floored observation deck a couple of meters below allowed those in the group with a steady stomach to look directly below their feet to the ground far, far below.

Upon descending from the heights of the Pearl tower, the group took a brief jaunt through the Shanghai history museum before re-boarding the bust and heading to the hotel to check in.  After about an hour to refresh, the students reassembled for a quick dinner, and finished the night with a performance by a world-renowned Chinese acrobat group.  Think Cirque du Soleil with even more emphasis on the acrobatics! The 100-minute show left the students (and your humble professor) with their jaws agape.

After the students enjoyed a restful evening, Saturday morning began with a trip to the Jade Buddha temple.  Though not designed for the volume of visitors this well-known site receives, students nonetheless experienced the wonder of a traditional Buddhist temple.  From there, the group headed to the Silk Factory, where every step of the silk-making process was highlighted—silkworms included!  Purchases of ties, scarves, robes and pillows concluded the visit.

A quick lunch was next on the agenda, followed by a trip to the Yuyuan Gardens.  These well-known gardens are a Shanghai highlight, and their serene settings offered a unique perspective on Chinese culture.  Far from serene was the adjacent market, where the group honed their bargaining skills even further after the exploration of the gardens.  Gifts and souvenirs in hand, the group returned to the hotel for a bit of downtime prior to dinner.  Duquesne alumni and Shanghai resident Kristin Graham joined the group for an informal dinner, and offered insight into the world of finance and finding a job halfway around the globe.

Tomorrow, the group continues their tour of Shanghai by visiting the Zhujiajiao water town—an experience that should give the students some insight into the everyday life of the Chinese citizens in Shanghai.  We return to Beijing by plane tomorrow evening.

Best,

Professor Ryan

Lectures, Ikea, and Alcoa, Oh My!

Today, students debated the merits of development community-led institutional intervention into developing countries, a la the Washington Consensus.  After viewing take a big picture view of the success stories of economic development, students then focused on the particular experiences of Eastern Asian nations, and some of the paradoxes that seemed to have emerged.  The class produced a lively discussion on an issue worthy of weeks of analysis rather than one morning session.

After a quick lunch, the students boarded the bus for two company visits.  First on the agenda was Ikea, where students received a brief presentation and video concerning the history and operations of the Ikea corporation.  Once concluded, the students got back on the bus and visited the Chinese headquarters of Alcoa.  Much to our enjoyment, Alcoa’s Vice President and Treasurer Peter Hong was in Beijing for business and readily accepted an invitation to interact with our students—and that he did, generously giving over an hour of his time to answering questions, providing information and talking with our students one-on-one.  The students were in great spirits at the end of the session having received such a wonderful opportunity from the generous folks at Alcoa.

The students are laying low tonight in anticipation of tomorrow morning’s early flight to Shanghai.  On the docket for tomorrow is the Bund and Yuyuan Garden followed by an evening acrobat show!

Best,

Professor Ryan

Between a Hard Rock and a Hard Place

The students are now well into the second week of “Doing Business in China,” and the experience—academically and personally—continues to be one the students will remember for the rest of their lives.

The lectures this week have transitioned to focus on issues concerning economic development, including discussions on the proper role of government in the economy (and society at large) as well as the (in)ability of foreign aid to have positive economic or social outcomes.  The students were also treated to a number of very lively lectures by BJTU’s faculty—one of which examined domestic investment policies concerning foreign businesses investment, another examining the nature of economic reform in China over the second half of the twentieth century, and yet another concerning office politics!  Despite the (albeit minor) language barrier, the students have been extremely receptive to the lectures generously provided by the BJTU faculty, and consequently have gained a view of China’s economy, business environment and society that simply wouldn’t be available back home in Pittsburgh.

The group also decided that a little home cooking was in order after a week and a half of sampling Beijing’s culinary curiosities—so off we went as a group the Hard Rock Café!  Hamburgers, French fries and cold beer were never such a welcome sight.

Tomorrow we continue our exploration into economic development and the role that institutions and economic freedom have played both around the world and within China.  After a quick break for lunch, we will visit two factories here in Beijing—the first being IKEA’s Beijing operation, followed by Alcoa’s.  We will return to the hotel around dinner time then anticipate an early evening to catch our morning flight to Shanghai on Friday.

Best,

Professor Ryan

Back in Beijing

This morning, the group arrived back in Beijing after an overnight train ride from Xi’an.  After breakfast in the hotel, we boarded the bus and went to the city wall.  Xi’an is surrounded by a large (approx. 50 feet) wall totaling 13 kilometers in length.  We rented bikes and rode on the top of the wall for its entirety, stopping for drinks, shopping and photos along the way.  A quick lunch buffet followed our bike experience, and then we visited the provincial museum of Xi’an, home to a wide range of artifacts from China’s past.  After the museum, we visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.  A good number of students made the 284 step trek to the top for a fantastic bird’s-eye view of the city.  A traditional hot pot dinner rounded out our stay in Xi’an, and we were on the train in the early evening and back to Beijing.

The students will hear a lecture this afternoon from Professor Ding Huiping titled “Investment Policy for Foreign Investment Business in China.”  After the lecture, students are free for the afternoon and evening and will reconvene tomorrow morning for the next Global Economics lecture.

I Am The Warrior

Today the group arrived in Xi’an after an overnight train ride from Beijing. We immediately went to our hotel, the Bell Tower Hotel, located right in the middle of town and directly overlooking the famous Xi’an Bell Tower, the largest such structure in China.  After a quick breakfast, the group headed off to experience the terra cotta warriors.

The first stop was at the provincial pottery factory.  The group got a first-hand look at exactly how the terra cotta soldiers were produced.  Once the brief tour concluded, the students flexed their bargaining muscles and acquired a wide range of items for their loved ones back homes—terra cotta remakes of all shapes and sizes.  Given the contented smiles, I’m afraid that any sword or tapestry purchases are not likely to leave the students' hands as gifts!


After the morning shop-a-thon, we re-boarded the bus and went to witness the terra cotta soldiers first hand.  The soldiers are spread over three enclosed “pits,” and while over 8,000 soldiers are known to have been placed there, about 1,600—and counting—have actually been rebuilt from fragments.  We first viewed the largest pit, broke for a late lunch, then returned to the two smaller pits.

Upon returning to the hotel, students quickly freshened up and walked under the bell tower and across the street for an unexpectedly lively dinner featuring 18 successive rounds of increasingly creative dumplings, including shrimp, duck, pork, and…camel!  The restaurant seemed to be a local hot spot for groups of eight or ten patrons to, um, partake vigorously in the local libations.  Cheers were in order all throughout the restaurant, and I’m happy to report that the Duquesne contingent held their own!


Tomorrow the group will receive a tour of the town and the Big Wild Goose pagoda, then embark on a bike ride atop the Xi’an city wall.  We will be treated to an early hot pot dinner so as to make our overnight train back to Beijing.


Best,
Professor Ryan

Westward to Xi'an

Sorry about the delay in posting, but the Blogger website was down all day yesterday.

After a brief introduction to the world of international finance, the group was surprised during the morning session by Chinese professor Ma Zhong, who was originally planned to give his talk in the afternoon.  Due to an abrupt scheduling conflict he would be unable to make the afternoon session, but still desired to interact with the students—so he proceeded to present to the group for nearly two hours on the Chinese banking system and China’s exchange rate policy.  After the intensive session, students wrote their third journal entry since they began their stay here in Beijing, and class was adjourned for the day right before lunch.


Students then spent the afternoon exploring Beijing, and then reconvened for dinner at the famous Quan Ju De restaurant.  Experiencing the succulent roast duck was the plan going in, and the plan was executed to perfection.  It was not hard to understand how the restaurant serves over 5 million customers annually.

Tomorrow’s lecture will pick up where today’s international finance lecture left off, and then will transition into a discussion of the theoretical merits of socialism and capitalism—always a student favorite, this topic should stoke the intellectual fire even more so due to our location in Beijing and the current state of the world’s economy.  After breaking for lunch tomorrow, the students will have the afternoon to prepare for our overnight train ride to the provincial city of Xi’an.  On the itinerary for the weekend are the famous terra cotta warriors, the provincial pottery factory, Big Wild Goose pagoda, the Ancient City Wall, and the provincial history museum.  I hope to send an update from Xi’an should internet be available!


Best,
Professor Ryan

I'd Like to Buy Beijing a Coke...

After an evening of exploring Beijing (featuring an impressive student-organized, nine-taxi caravan for transportation), the group was back in the classroom on the morning of Wednesday, May 11 to investigate issues concerning international trade.  During our group discussion yesterday, expanding free trade was the leading vote-getter as a solution for poverty, so the students had a sense for its importance even prior to delving deeper into the issue.  After understanding the nature of trade, comparative advantage, and the importance of outsourcing both for the outsourcing country and the country outsourced to, we then broke into groups and brainstormed why protectionist trade policies emerge if free trade is such a positive force in overall terms for the world.  The students had wrapped up another productive day in the classroom before breaking for lunch at a handful of nearby restaurants serving traditional Chinese fare.

After lunch, the group reconvened and boarded a bus for a trip to visit the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Beijing.  And what’s better than seeing outsourcing and comparative advantage in action?  With the morning’s lessons on full display in front of them, the students enjoyed the sheer magnitude of Coca-Cola’s production to the tune of 66,000 cans of soda per hour—about 18 per second.

Now that the company visit has concluded, the students are again free to roam the town and to experience everything Beijing has to offer. Tomorrow is another full day.  The morning’s lecture concerns international finance, exchange rates and the balance of payments, and Professor Ma Zhong will treat the students to a lecture titled “China’s Banking System and Exchange Rate Policy” in the afternoon.  The day concludes with a dinner of roast duck at the world-famous Quan Ju De restaurant!  There’s a bit more information about the restaurant at the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanjude

Best,

Professor Ryan

First Day in Beijing

After a bit of a lengthy immigration experience with the Chinese customs officials, I’m proud to report we are underway with the “Doing Business in China” program here in Beijing.  After navigating the airport, we took a 45 minute bus ride to the hotel on campus at Beijing Jiao Tong University.  The students got a terrific view of Communist-style housing during the ride—think volume/size and usefulness as opposed to pursuing any visual appeal.  These apartment buildings line the highway for miles and provided a great first taste into the life and culture that is China.

Once at the hotel, the students dropped their bags off and were treated to a fantastic dinner at the hands of our hosts here at Beijing Jiao Tong University (BJTU).  The plates kept on coming!  Dove, quail eggs, roast duck, pork, chicken, shrimp, even a whole fish with the head right there on the plate.  It was a terrific meal that capped off a long and exciting day.

After breakfast at the hotel this morning (Tuesday, May 10), we were walked to our classroom for our first lecture, a general overview of economic principles applied to the topic of global economics.  Today’s lecture was based around two overarching questions: 1) Why is it important that we consider issues in economic development, and, given the importance of #1, 2) What is to be done about the vast scope of poverty in the world today?  These questions will remain in the back of our minds as we explore these issues and others over the next two weeks of lectures in Global Economics.

We broke for lunch after this morning’s lecture, and a large group of students headed to the nearby six-story mall for lunch.  Some of the group played their culinary hands closer to the chest (Subway and Pizza Hut) while others took a more indigenous route and explored China’s unique take on lunch!

We reconvened early in the afternoon for a lecture by Dr. Lv Haijun, titled “Chinese Culture—How to Do Business in China.”  The 75-minute talk provided a great background for the important cultural issues—concerning both economic development and the nature of business—confronting China today.

Once Dr. Haijun’s talk concluded, we were treated to a brief tour of the campus here at BJTU.  The picture included is the group in front of the large Mao statue on campus.  After the tour, the students were then free (and encouraged!) to explore what Beijing had to offer for the remainder of the day.  Tomorrow’s lecture will explore issues in international trade, comparative advantage, tariffs and quotas, and tomorrow afternoon we will visit the Coca-Cola bottling plant here in Beijing.  Updates to follow!

Professor Ryan

Arrival: Beijing

I just received word from the group that they have arrived safe and sound in Beijing and have already experienced their first delicious Chinese meal. Just as in some past years, the Chinese have felt it necessary to block our blog and the site that we use to write posts, so I told Dr. Ryan that I'd make a quick post for him so that he could get some sleep tonight. He said that he'll have many more details for tomorrow's post. Tune in then!

Trip Itinerary

Trip Itinerary as of May 6, 2011