The Travel Study :: China

May 25th, 2008

We were lucky enough to travel on an 18 hour train ride to Shanghai from Hong Kong. While it seems as though this would be miserable, in comparison to the 2 hour flight it would have been, it was actually very interesting seeing the towns and villages on the way there. To look out your window and see farmers and garbage and towns everywhere was really stimulating. The country side was beautiful and it was a great change from the business buildings and concrete in Hong Kong.

When first arriving in Shanghai, the difference was very signifigant. Unlike Hong Kong, there was almost a dirtier atmosphere. The air was much more smoggy and the littering laws were almost complete opposites. It was incredibly humid outside and walking around we could tell we were not in Hong Kong anymore. Me and a couple of girls actually tried walking to a Pizza Hut nearby and got denied service. People were looking at us differently and that made the cultural change more apparent. Seeing the difference was almost shocking, and my first day wasn’t going at all how I expected.

Although my first opinion was jaded by the denial of food and the awkward stares, once I gave Shanghai a chance things were much different. We actually went to visit the Jade Buddah temple which was amazing to see. Luckily we were on time to catch the Monks go into their prayer session. On our dinner cruise I was taken aback at the beautiful sights of the Shanghai nightlights. The Pearl Tower light up at night is almost indescribable.

To visit the Coca-Cola company in China was really interesting to me. Looking at the different target groups and ways to market in China was in some ways similar to the United States. There were obviously different marketing tools being used, due to the amounts of people who drink soda, but it was interesting to see their ideas on how to appeal more so to that target group. I enjoyed learning about how Coca-Cola first started in China and how it’s changing its future as well.

I thought it was really great to ask about how different business is run internationally. To think that there are so many differences such as target groups and even governmental barriers just makes me realize how complex businesses really are run. I thought the marketing strategies were very interesting and being able to talk to someone about something I’m thinking of attempting was very nice and almost helpful. It was great to hear about their uprising and all the steps it took to become successful in such a complex country.

Overall, Shanghai was quite an experience, and a difference. It finally set in that I am in a whole new world and it was great to be able to surround myself in new culture. I think any bad experience I had on my first day was really outweighed by the beautiful sights and temples. It really is a beautiful city and I’m glad I gave it a fighting chance, it was great!

Missing Friends and Family!
Jessica

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.