September 26, 2024, by Joe
Joe Barron – Chicken feet, selfies and vodka tea? My summer school experience in China
“China? Why an earth are you going there?” That was the immediate reaction from many people when I told them I had applied, and was successful, in getting a place on the ‘Doing Business in China’ summer school programme. And to be fair they weren’t that wrong, prior to going I had absolutely no idea what to expect. We had all seen the news stories and programmes about how ruthless and somewhat dystopian this country was, and this was my expectation as well. But, lets face it, the current economic and geopolitical conditions of the world meant that the opportunity for me to go here post-university were next nothing. The combination of an empty summer schedule, and a generous bursary to go on the trip, meant that I was soon sat in Gatwick ready to board a 12 hour flight to the opposite side of the world. And when I landed, I found that my expectation, and experience of China varied quite a lot.
Day 1
On the first day of the summer school we had the opening ceremony. This is where Professor Kok Wei Khong, the Dean of the business school introduced himself to us. Professor Hao Tan, and Dr Yi Ruan also introduced themselves. After a short safety briefing we were taken through an introductory lecture, where we covered the economic growth of China over time and the challenges and impacts this has had. We were then broken down into project groups, who we would work with on interviews and data collection for the rest of the summer school.
After the days activities we went into Tianyi square, the centre of Ningbo, with some people from Nottingham, Germany, Warwick and the Netherlands. Here we went round the night market, where we tried eel sushi, chicken feet and baby stingray. The market also had a temple in the centre which we looked around. After this we went to the waterfront where we saw the lightshow, which happens every night, each night having a different pattern and routine. After this we rented mopeds and went to a bar for a few drinks, before getting a taxi to a pub opposite the campus, which we had a few rounds of pool in and then headed back to our accommodations. For most of us we were still pretty jet lagged, so this was an easy day to settle us into the routine of the coming week, as well as an important ice breaker for us all.
Day 2
In the morning we took a trip to the Southern Business District with the groups that we had been assigned the day before. Jiali- a volunteer from the Ningbo Campus, came along to help us with translations. We interviewed local restaurants, talking to workers, owners and customers, about the challenges that face Chinese businesses, and how these businesses have adapted.
We found many similar issues to the UK, such as Covid; which has had a profoundly larger impact in China due to the attitudes around food safety. In addition to the uncertainties in the economy with many western countries shifting their reliance away from China (this has been made worse by Covid). Locals also supported small businesses due to the tight communities that exist in Chinese cities and towns, where people personally know the family in which they are supporting.
But there are also some unique challenges for Chinese businesses. We are all aware of how fast China is growing, the rate that its infrastructure is being developed is wild compared with the UK. China could probably build a 40 story building in the same time it takes the local council to sort out a pothole in Milton Keynes. But this is creating issues for local businesses, where they are inundated with construction workers, who then suddenly disappear when the project is complete. The aim for them is to make such an impression on these workers that through word of mouth, their business can continue to flourish after they have moved elsewhere.
In addition to this, there is also the opportunities and challenges of diversifying diets. With vegetarian and vegan diets beginning to rise in the country. Many restaurants have had to make sure that they can cater for these groups.
In the afternoon we took a coach to the Minth company, based around an hour from Ningbo, who manufacture parts for cars such as Ford, Kia, BMW, and Volkswagen to name a few. A team took us round their production line and then their showroom, where we could see the components that the company produced. After this we were taken up to a conference room, where we sat with managers of the plant and a couple of executives for a Q&A session. Here we were able to understand how a global business such as this is able to stay competitive nationally, and internationally. Adjusting to varying labour requirements across continents, supply chains, emission targets and overcoming tariffs.
In the evening, I went with some people from Nottingham, Warwick and Edinburgh to a bar near campus, and got to know some German and Dutch students who were there already. Where all of us Brits were shown just how smart our European counterparts were, as they all spoke perfect English, yet we did not understand a word of German or Dutch. Really they could have been saying absolutely anything about us, and we would be none the wiser.
Day 3
On the third day we went to a new business area in Ningbo, comprised of local shops all started by young people. The space acts as a way for new entrepreneurs to grow and collaborate with each other, so that they can break into the such a competitive market.
The highlight of the day however was our second company visit to the Toy Company ‘Hape’. Now before heading to this company I did think to myself “Why an earth are they taking a group of 20-24 year olds to a toy company, none of us will be interested at all”. Yet this ended up being one of the most interesting parts of the entire trip.
When we arrived at the offices for the company we were greeted by Peter Handstein- the founder and CEO of the company. He took us through a building to his showroom. Here we were able to see the variety of products that the company makes and Peter took us round explaining each one in depth, and showed us all how a Toy company is far more than dolls for children.
For example, one of the fastest growing areas for this company is toys for elderly people. Sounds counterproductive I know, but not until you realise that these products are aimed at cognitive and motor function so that individuals can remain proactive in their older ages. In addition to this, the whole routine of playing with these products provides individuals with a sense of purpose- as Peter put it, people can “grow old, without being old”.
There were also some great technological advances that the company had made, which have aided advances in other companies and sectors. By using cork technology the company has become carbon negative, and this wide use implementation of cork technology was noticed by NASA, who now use cork materials in components of their space programmes. On the topic of being environmentally conscious, the company has also moved away from plastics, with sugar cane, rice and grape seeds being used in many of their products to replace polymer materials.
We also looked at the importance of the packaging of products, where the box that many toys come in can serve a dual purpose, becoming part of the toy itself. As well as strategically placing toys within certain shops, so that they appear less expensive whilst also appealing to the hobbies and interests of parents.
Following the tour of the showroom, we then went to see the production factory just over the road. Here we saw the packaging lines, wood workshops and design facilities. Peter explained how for staff they are rotated around stations when they are fully trained. And that when on shift, workers are scored for how many products or components they can make in an hour, the more you make, the more your paid. Workers also have greater flexibility when they are more productive, and will be given the option of where they want to work as opposed to it being assigned to them. After this tour we were taken to a conference room where we sat down with Peter, and just like at Minth, we asked him questions on how it is to operate a business in China and the challenges that he has to deal with.
In the evening, a small group of us went to a Dim Sum (a lazy Susan as most would know it) restaurant. Here we had a range of food with some local dishes such as Ningbo rice buns, grilled quail and fermented rice. Along with 3 beers each, this came to a grand total of £9pp. Afterwards we biked back to the university, stopping off to have some street food.
Day 4
To start the day we had to present our findings from the previous days work. We summarised the data we had found, and suggested a hypothesis for our report. We were given feedback from lecturers as well as other students.
In the afternoon we had a lecture with Dr Eric Asante, an Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour. He talked about the importance of HR in the workplace, which addressed the rolls of individuals and how HR has developed over the last century to become a more staple practice within the business world. In addition to how Chinese businesses have implemented HR into their businesses, with regards to their standards for labour practices and laws.
In the evening I went for a run with someone else from Edinburgh, this was just after a rainstorm had happened, and highlighted the efficiency of China- where someone was using a squeegee to clean and dry the path so that no one would slip. Imagine the scenes if this happened in the UK. On our way back from the run we bumped into some Dutch students that were heading to Nantang old street, after showering we headed over to meet them there with some other students from Nottingham and Germany. Here we did some shopping, tried local teas and crab buns before heading back to the accommodation ready for our rural trip the following day.
My takeaways from China
First of all the country is absolutely huge. When flying into Shanghai the view from the window felt somewhat fake, as the city seemed to just never end. Ningbo itself is a city I had never heard of before coming to UoN open days, yet the city is home to the busiest port in the world, in terms of tonnage. It has the same population as London, and is over 7,000 years old.
The country is also very hot, we landed during a heatwave which meant that most days it was 38oc or above. It was also very cheap, a coffee came to about 90p, a tub of mango about 30p and a bottle of water about 70p. In Ningbo, it took about 20 minutes in a taxi to get the city centre, which came to a total of £3. A lot of things in China are also free, all the lightshows in the evening are free, all public toilets are free, and a few times we went into shops simply to stand under the aircon and many shopkeepers didn’t mind at all.
The whole country as well has a completely closed system of apps and companies that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. For example, everything in their society runs off of 2 apps; WeChat and AliPay. WeChat is at face value Whatsapp, but it also has instagram, snapchat, facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn all under one app and one account. AliPay is their system for paying for goods, but is also how you can book taxis, trains, hotels, and tickets for attractions- all under one app and account. There’s also a collection of companies that are not in Western societies, such as BYD- an electric car company far cheaper than Tesla, and as a result most cars on the road in China are electric.
However saying this, there are many western companies in China, such as Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Subway, Pizza Hut, Five Guys etc. And a surprisingly large amount of people knew English, and to a high level as well. Which meant that we would often be able to speak to workers in shops and restaurants with ease.
Therefore, if your debating doing a summer school, a year abroad or even a semester abroad I would highly recommend considering China. There’s only so much that can be explained in a blog, but if you want to understand China, you really have to go there yourself, and you’ll see a completely differently country to that which the media portrays.
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