I've been very fortunate over the years to have traveled to many parts of the world. So far this year alone I've visited Mexico, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Italy and China (twice).
I don't think anyplace fascinates me as much as China.
20 years ago I spent a day in a small village near Hong Kong named Schenzen. It was a pretty big deal at the time because Hong Kong was still controlled by Great Britain and Schenzen was actually in China.
I remember being more than a little nervous because of the heavy military presence at the (very tiny) border crossing and the fact that I was the only Caucasian. I was pulled out of line for private screening but my guide intervened. He said it wasn't going to be pleasant and was probably going to cost me some "persuasian money" to get out of it.
Schenzen itself was like going back in time - they had snakes in cages in the market. If you chose one they slit it, gutted it and wrapped it up to take home. The steaming entrails would sit on the road until a dog came along to eat them.
Schenzen had just installed a large road - 8 lanes - as part of their development plans. I remember that the few cars and many bikes were traveling in every direction on the road - there were no traffic lights and every corner was chaos.
In January of this year I returned to Schenzen as a part of a delegation from Mohawk College. In less than 20 years it had gone from a village to a city of 13 million people with modern buildings, bumper to bumper traffic, an airport and by my count about 30 lanes for cars at the border crossing.
This story defines China for me - a country that has transformed itself to an ultra modern, constantly improving, always under construction world superpower in less than a generation.
We've all seen pictures of the facilities constructed for the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo. They are even more impressive when you visit them - the scale is amazing. And these buildings are in addition to hundreds of skyscrapers with more going up daily.
This trip I visited Guangzhou (pronounced Gwongjoe) - an amazing city preparing itself for the Asian games this fall. My hotel set a new standard for 5 stars with a stunning room and incredible service. But it was the view from my window I won't forget - massive construction projects in every direction. They are literally re-building the entire central business district and they want it largely completed by the fall. Imagine Hamilton bulldozing it's entire downtown (hmm...) and re-building it with state-of the art architecture in a matter of a few years. Now increase the scale at least by a factor of 10 and you have an idea of how massive this project is.
Guangzhou isn't the only city with huge growth aspirations. I also visited Xi'an (pronounced She-an) to witness another city undergoing a transformation. Xi'an is known as one of China's ancient cities, famous for being the home of the Terracotta Warriors. This is one of the most amazing architectural finds of all times having recently been unearthed from a farmer's field after lying hidden since the time of the Qin dynasty around 200 BC. Add this to your bucket list because you cannot imagine what you'll see.
Xi'an wants to become an international metropolis this decade and in addition to urban renewal has set a target that half its residents must be able to speak at least 900 sentences in English by 2015. Lofty goal considering the present level of English ability but certainly an opportunity for local schools, like our partner Siyuan University.
Xi'an has been criticized for creating a city that looks like all other international destinations. From my vantage point nothing could be further from the truth. The city has been careful to preserve it's heritage - like the ancient wall that surrounds the city center. New construction has the feel of previous eras - I saw a major shopping center under construction - Happy Mall - that included what appeared to be ancient Pagodas and bell towers in it's design.
With growth however comes problems and in China that's spelled t-r-a-f-f-i-c. Gridlock is common and the sound of car horns constant. There are so many cars that places like Beijing have a city ordinance that says you are not allowed to drive your car one day a week. The fine for non-compliance is heavy.
How do the Chinese cope with traffic - simple, they drive like maniacs. I strongly recommend sitting in the back seat if you are being driven anywhere in China unless you have a strong constitution. I remember taking a tour of Rome about 10 years ago and laughing when the tour guide said that traffic lights were only a suggestion. At least they were a suggestion that some drivers followed - virtually no-one does in China. If there's an opening you drive through it, no matter how small.
Somehow the system works - you see very few accidents and hardly any cars show the scrapes and dings common here. And the best part is that no one ever loses their temper. The only "birds" I saw were the ones in cages hanging from trees in the park. (We walk dogs - they walk their birds to encourage them to sing).
In general the Chinese seem to be a very happy bunch. They're always smiling and willing to use even their limited English to help out. Particularly people involved in hospitality where they have taken service to a new level. Regularly you will see the entire staff of a restaurant lined up with military precision outside getting their instructions for the day. My last night in Beijing I went to a small Thai restaurant where we were greeted by 6 girls at the door in traditional costume. Inside there was a waitress for every table. Our order was taken using a wireless device and a remote call button was placed on the table in case we needed anything. We had enough (excellent)food to feed an army and the bill was about $30, tipping not allowed.
How long do you think you could keep a restaurant opened in Canada with similar standards?
While I'm discussing Beijing I have to mention the Great Wall - which should also be on everyone's bucket list. It is an awe-inspring site - the wall goes much farther than the eye can see, climbing steep mountains and traversing dangerous rivers. It prompted me to wonder - why did they build a wall when they were already protected by steep mountains and dangerous rivers? Wouldn't that be enough to slow down the Mongul herds?
Turns out the Wall was a bit of a National disgrace for that very reason. It took some tourist to say that it looked pretty neat before a wonder of the world was born.
I guess I should mention why I was in China in the first place. The first trip, in January this year I was part of President Rob MacIsaac's entourage, visiting our 6 partner schools on the mainland. Those partner schools are presently educating around 1,300 Chinese students using our curriculum and teachers. These students will receive a Mohawk College diploma along with one from the local college upon completion.
I saw a lot of potential for growth in our international business and have now assumed responsibility for partnerships and international recruiting - along with the title Dean of International Education.
This trip (no entourage, just me with our local agents) I visited several new schools that will make excellent partners - signing new Agreements and MOUs in Jiaxing, Guangzhou and Beijing.
I also visited a call center set up by one of our agents to recruit students to come to Mohawk to study - as committed a bunch of young people I've ever met.
12 days, 5 cities, lots of strange food (a topic for another conversation) and I'm finally on my way home (via Helsinki). I met a lot of very nice people and am looking forward to my next trip soon(ish).