Beijing
We arrived to the Beijing airport a little later than expected, due to weather conditions setting us back about 2 hours. Walking to our bus was an experience, due to the thick brown sky and the dusty air. It was almost unbelievable to fly in the sky and be able to see the difference between the pollution luring above the blue skies. Since the dust storms have just started for the month, there’s a lot of sand and dust in the skies so although it was bad weather today it should hopefully be a little clearer.
When visiting our businesses, we came along a company called ZPark. It’s basically a man made little city of businesses. Their main function is to link the corporate and government in the form of business and also devotes to International Business promotion and it actually provides great services to different software companies. It was really interesting to see how far this business park came since it was only built in 2000 and already there were so many buildings and things.
While we were at ZPark we were able to talk to our whole trip planner, Jenny, about the park and also about our trip so far. She’s an amazing business woman and actually formed China Sense (the travel company we’re with) on her own. We asked her some questions after the tour. The most interesting question I thought was when asked the similarities and differences between business in China and business in the US. She said the similarities were pretty common, such as everybody wants to win the deal and it’s mostly relationships based on trust that get you the best business. Also, Jenny made an interesting point when stating that profit is always profit, no matter which country your in. With the differences, she said there weren’t many except that the Chinese are more modest with saying no and you must be able to read hints instead of expecting a flat out answer. Also, if it’s your first time doing business in China, Jenny told us you will often be considered fresh and not as experienced, therefore not as good.
Today, going to Temple of Heaven and other sight seeings was great. We had blue skies and great temperature. The Tian An Men Square was gorgeous to see and we also got to experience great shopping techniques when visiting the Pearl Market. It’s great to be so engulfed in a new culture. Everything looks so beautiful and the buildings are remarkable. It’s great to be able to see all the sights and meet all the people. I’m having a great time so far here in Beijing, and I feel as though I’m just getting adjusted in time to leave. Overall it has been a great experience and it has gone beyond my expectations.