Jason's March Adventures in China

The month of March has gone by so fast! For that matter, it is hard to believe the first three months of 2006 are over. When I left for China on this last trip, it was only mid-February. The first week in Guangdong province was a whirlwind and when I wrote my last entry, I had just landed in Shanghai. Shanghai was very cold, even colder than I remember from when I lived there before. I think I have gotten too used to the dry cold in Colorado and the mild winters. But the damp cold of Shanghai, combined with the fact that very few buildings have central heating had me wearing my large overcoat which I had intended to use only once I arrived in Xi’an the following week. In total, I spent 8 days in Shanghai. I spent most of the week in Shanghai catching up on work and catching up with old friends and former colleagues. Shanghai has changed quite a bit from when I first moved there at the end of 1997. At the time, there were not a lot of “Western Amenities” and the number of Caucasian foreigners was in the few thousands, not the tens of thousand like it is today. There are so many opportunities in Shanghai and even more people seeking out those opportunities. Regardless of where they all work, they are playing an important role in bridging the gap to Europe and America and helping the China economic machine keep moving forward. However, for me personally, this trip to Shanghai marked a transition. The last two American friends I had from when I left Shanghai five years ago are also moving on. One is moving back to the US and the other is moving to another city in China. Although I will continue to visit Shanghai in the future, my relationship with the city and the life there has changed.

I left Shanghai on Sunday, March 5, 2006 for a quick trip to Shenzhen to help with a client project. I am definitely starting to enjoy my trips to Shenzhen, not so much for the place, but the people. The area is a “Chinese Melting Pot” of cultures from all over China seeking opportunities to make a better life for themselves and their families back home. Every time I meet someone, I ask them where they are from and how did they end up where they are. The stories are fascinating to me and the dedication and work ethic the people have is amazing! After finishing the client project on Tuesday the 7^th, I flew to Xi’an. This was my 2^nd trip to Xi’an in the last 6 months and I was even more impressed this time with the warmth of the people. On Wednesday, March 8^th, I met with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) for Shanxi Province. It was an opportunity to learn more about Xi’an’s role in the “Develop the West” campaign. The group there is organizing a Trade seminar in the first week of April which brings political and business delegations from all over China and the world. Many Chinese companies along the east coast of China have already begun to invest in the west for economic and development reasons. I even met a young woman who was working for a Chicago based software company which established a branch in Xi’an in 2005.

I left Xi’an on the afternoon of the 9^th and stopped in Chongqing for a quick dinner meeting. This city has to be the most rapidly changing city in the world. It reminds me of Shanghai when I first moved to China in 1997. Today’s Chongqing looks completely different than when I first visited during the hot summer of 1998. After one night in Chongqing, I flew to Kunming the next morning. It was nice to be back in the “Spring City”, the Sister City of Denver in China. My friend, Ms. Li picked me up at the airport which was incredibly nice of her since she was preparing for a big event that Friday evening. Her company had written the program and was producing an annual “special event” television show in Yunnan Province. The show airs every year on March 15 and is called 3.15. The program was an awards program for entrepreneurial companies in Yunnan Province which were dedicated to ethical business practice. It was educational to the audience on how to be aware of fake products, fake drugs and scams with real estate and mobile phones. The show also included some beautiful performances primarily by ethnic minority dancers. I was very impressed!

Over the weekend of March 11^th and 12^th, I caught up on some sleep and met up with some friends. And when I thought I would be rested up on Monday morning, I woke up with a cold. I ended up reschedule my meetings for Tuesday. I was hoping to finish my meetings the first three days of that week and then head up to Dali for two days. But, I guess I will have to try the Dali trip later this year. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that week were quite busy. Conference calls every morning with the US combined with meetings during the day made for some very long days. I knew I better take it easy or I would end up sick again, so I took Friday off that week. The next day I flew to Guangzhou and then took a bus to Zhuhai. Rosa has been working on a project in Zhuhai the past two weeks so I met up with her over the weekend to prepare for the projects we have upcoming in April. Zhuhai is a nice city, with wide roads and a great location. It is just north of Macau and only a 1 hour ferry ride from Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Being so close to the ocean, the weather is great.

On Monday, March 20^th, I took a ferry to Shenzhen and met Angela for lunch. After lunch, we went to a factory for a meeting. The rest of that afternoon and good part of Tuesday, Angela and I reviewed our projects and prepared for the month of April. This China trip was nearing its end, but I would be back in less than 3 weeks, my quickest turnaround since when I lived in China. On Wednesday morning, I took a ferry from Shekou port directly to Hong Kong Airport. The ferry ride is only 30 minutes and you can go directly to your gate after a quick security check and a short bus ride. It was a smooth flight home and it is great to be back in Colorado, even if it is for only two weeks. Andre and I leave for China on April 8^th, so we will update the blog more than.