Day 4: University Tour

So we woke up real early this morning because we were scheduled to meet a man named Lu Chao at the south gate of the Beijing Jiatong University. This just happened to be a tad more difficult than expected. We really hadn’t any concept as to how big Beijing really was until we took a cab ride from one side to the other. The traffic ended up being rather difficult this morning and we arrived fifteen minutes late to the school. We were actually dropped off at the wrong gate and had to find our way using a map (written in Chinese of course) at the university. We found our way to the South gate and talked loudly in English until four girls heard us and confirmed that we had made it to the right place. Finally!

The four girls were to be our tour guides for the day. They took us to meet with Lu who showed us to an empty classroom where we could sit and interact with the four english majors. Each girl was about to graduate in a couple of weeks and spoke outstanding english. The four of us paired ourselves with the four of them and talked for at least a half hour. The girl I was paired with was called Betty. We spoke about the education systems and how they compared and contrasted. We also talked a great deal about the cultures and how very foreign everything was for us in China. Another major thing we discussed was the situation in Tibet and how the Western world has been mislead. This is something I have researched and looked into significantly prior to leaving for China, so it was of particular interest to me and the insight I received was just as I’d expected. We are so wrong to believe everything we are fed in our media. I won’t go into great detail with all of this, but if you are interested, I found this man’s perspective to be quite interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsoc4-QnplY. Enough with all that though, on with the tour!

Lu and the girls then took us to one of the dormitories which happened to be for foreign students studying abroad. It was rather nice and it was clear that it was far nicer than the rooms the girls had. They were in love with how spacious and new it was. I figure their dorms were actually more like those of Daniel’s Hall with perhaps less space. Regardless, graduation and the start of the rest of their lives was so close that none of that even mattered.

Betty was a sweet girl with great ambitions. She wished to continue her education in the future and maybe be a professor down the road. She very much enjoyed writing poetry especially with an ancient Chinese direction. If I’m not mistaken, I believe she mentioned one of her stories being published not too long ago.

Lu then left us with the girls so they could show us around the campus and continue discussions. One of the coolest things we saw right off the bat was a garden area donated by the University of Cincinnati & GBBN Architecture. What a coincidence. We walked around and took pictures and eventually stumbled upon the Architecture and Design school within the college. It was a lucky find indeed as the girls were even unaware of its location. We kind of let ourselves in and explored for a few minutes before we had to meet back up with Lu for lunch. And what a lunch that would be.

I’m not sure if i’ve described it yet, but the traditional Chinese meal is very much a group process. At the center of the table is a large lazy susan where all the different dishes are placed and shared amongst the entire group. It really is quite an experience. everybody just feeds themselves right out of the community dishes. There were at least 8 or nine dishes at this meal though. One of them was a spicy snack type that actually had bugles (those conical shaped chips with ridges we used to fill with squeeze cheese) and nuts and dried red peppers. That was probably my favorite. Over dinner, we discussed the Ya Show Market that Kim had recommended to us for shopping and they all said it was a big rip-off there and that we’d be much better off on a street called Dong Fang Xin tian di (plus accents and tonal marks).

After dinner we found out that Dr. Mitch Livingston, of the University of Cincinnati, had just arrived and was staying a couple days at the hotel which we’d just ate at in the middle of campus. Again with the coincidences! We considered leaving him a message and offering to take him out to dinner, but he was far too busy. We left the university feeling very much enlightened and thankful to Mark Shanley for setting it up for us. It surpassed any expectations we had.

We tried to explain to the taxi driver to take us to the before mentioned shopping area, but he took us to what was basically a Times Square. It was all kinds of higher end designer stores all up and down the street. It was a cool site, but not quite what we were looking for. We grabbed another cab and headed back to the hotel to grab some loot and take a walk to the Ya Show. We placed our trust in Neil’s uncanny sense of direction, and though it took longer than it should have, our trust was well rewarded. We not only found Ya Show, but also a nice KFC (which happens to be the biggest fast food chain in China) for after shopping. We spent a little while in the market haggling over gifts to bring back to the states. This really became something of a sport for us with group strategies to boot. Much fun. Oh, and KFCs in the states should think about bringing over some Asian wraps.... they were fabulous.

After, we just headed back to the hotel to turn in as we have yet another early morning planned: Li Ho is taking us to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven... Boosh!

Day 3: One Hell of a Wall

This morning, Becksworth and I woke up at like 5am. I attempted to go swimming in our hotel, but the recreation area didn’t open until 8. Instead, I just stretched real thoroughly while Zach showered. I knew it was going to be quite a feat climbing the steep section of the Great Wall as we had planned for today. After our showers, we called the boys next door and woke them to go down for breakfast. I brought a backpack with a bunch of plastic bags so that we could snag some fruits and other snacks for after the wall. After all, there were eight of us going. Why not take advantage of our included breakfast buffet?

It was about time for the guys and Charlotte to meet us and our driver at our hotel, so we went and waited outside for them. They all arrived on time and we piled into Li Ho’s van and headed out. I can’t quite recall exactly how long the ride was, but it was something like an hour. We all got to know each other’s backgrounds and personalities quite a bit during that ride and everyone meshed really well. It’s really lucky that so many cool people were able to converge in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately for Charlotte, she’d be starting her first day at the GBBN Beijing office the next day, so this would be her last tour with us.

We got to the Badaling section of the wall in apparently great time. Li Ho really was a badass. We all had to buy tickets which were something like 30 yuan ($4.4) and discounted for us as we are students. This rather steep portion of the Wall was like one enormous staircase to a height so immense we couldn’t see the bottom Granted, it was somewhat foggy that morning, but it was awe-inspiring nonetheless. On the way up and especially on the way back down, people harassed us to try and purchase gypsy trinkets and tourist junk like “I Climbed the Great Wall” t=shirts. This was our first time practicing the haggling system. One thing that western society has lost is the act of bargaining for better prices. I’ve no doubt that I’ll miss this ability dearly.

The Great Wall was one hell of a workout. Thank goodness we woke up and started the climb rather early because on our way down it was becoming very crowded. As Zach and I were heading down, we initiated conversation with some other tourists. I asked them where they were from and the one man I was walking with encouraged me to guess. I stared at him for a few moments and said, “Iran.” He was genuinely surprised and impressed with my correct guess. They were indeed from Iran on vacation with their parents. When we told them we were from America they were very pleased and excited as if they’d never actually met one, but displayed a great deal of admiration nonetheless. We then proceeded to have our pictures taken with them holding up peace signs. It always pleases me to make connections with people from around the world... I think that’s going to be my favorite aspect of this trip.

At the bottom of the Wall, there were gift shops and great scenic views and utter tourist chaos. I met an Aussie named Kent there who was in China for only a few days on his way to Siberia to move in with the girl he met and has been dating from the internet three years ago. He was a real friendly chap whose big smile never ended. When the rest of the crew made it down from the wall and met us, Zach, Jon, Neil and I, payed 50 yuan to dress up in ancient Chinese battle armor complete with swords. We got our pictures taken in fun positions and with countless other tourists who wanted to join in our fun. We then bought Li Ho a coke and piled back into the van. Jennifer, our contact from GBBN, instructed him to drive us to the Ming Tomb after grabbing a bite to eat. Lunch was amazing and we all tried rice wine for the first time. I actually enjoyed it. The tomb was okay. Very beautiful were the plants and trees and I loved the sculptures. It was rather peaceful there.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped off as close as we could get to the olympic stadium and pool, snapped some pictures, and continued onward.

That night, we all met back up to have dinner with Kim on the last night of his three month stay in Beijing. We all met at a restaurant in Beihei Park which was gorgeous and hopping that night. We ordered snake and all kinds of other weird food, but the snake is what we wanted most, and what they happened to forget. After a hearty meal, we walked around to the other side of the lake and found a bar that didn’t mind pouring a little heavy. We all sat up at the rooftop tables and talked for a few hours about China and business and life in general. It was a great night. We took a couple taxis back to the hotel late night and that was probably the best example of crazy Beijing driving we’ve seen yet. Yet another wild night.

Day 2: GBBN

We all woke up around 6:30 this morning as we were meeting with GBBN partner Kimberly Patton. We met him and his new co-op Charlotte down in the lobby of our hotel. Charlotte graduated from Miami University and has two years of grad school for architecture remaining at UC. She will be working for GBBN’s Beijing office during Summer quarter. She actually sat a few rows in front of Zach and I on the plane and we had no idea. In fact, GBBN was waiting for her as well as ourselves at the airport. Oh well, we’re in China. Fifty-eight bucks split four ways isn’t so bad.

Anyway, Kim, Charlotte, and we Delts cabbed it to GBBN’s new office which is now located in a prime real estate area of the city. It’s a little strange not ever being able to see the sun through the haze. Perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of it this afternoon. Basically what Kim did for us all today was give us a brief orientation about China and what it’s like being an American businessperson herein. We all sat down in the boardroom and we had an incredibly informative conversation. While I can’t relay everything via the internet, I will pass on to you all as much as possible.

We talked a great deal about the Chinese work ethic. The majority of people in China have a work to eat mentality. It’s not uncommon for a Chinese man to work 365 days a year. This makes it very difficult to find time to vacation or do much recreationally, thus eating out is a favorite pastime. Without a Judeo-Christian attitude about our existence, life holds far less value here. People die everyday on building sites whereas in America, it makes national headlines. They can and will be replaced. The Chinese do not like to be in debt, so if they desire to buy a car, they don’t until they can pay it in full. In business transactions, westerners often comment on how repetitive the Chinese are. It’s not that they’re trying to talk you around in circles, it’s that they wish to ensure understanding, especially considering there are more than 50 dialects in China with even the written characters varying. Procter & Gamble is the number one advertiser on Chinese television. People under 30 will give themselves a western name as they see themselves more global citizens instead of just Chinese. Beijing is growing by at least 16% per year, and most everything we see here has been built within the last 15 years. China is in an industrial revolution similar to where the US was 200 years ago. The Beijing Olympics is a chance for China to prove itself to the rest of the world. So much rides on this great event that the government is doing everything possible to clean up the city. Next week, every factory will be shut down until the olympics to stop emissions. Also, cars with even numbers at the end of their license plate aren’t permitted to drive on days that the odd ones are. Every inch of China is under surveillance, including the internet. So if you get busted driving on the wrong day, you will receive fines much like running a red light in Los Angeles (that however is not that big of a deal here).

Okay, well I’m sure that was a lot to take in, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We all sent out a few emails to let everyone know we made it safely and then Kim took us up to the twenty-fifth floor of his building which happened to be vacant. Here we got an unreal view of the surrounding city. It’s incredible to think about how new it all really is. It’s said that you can stand anywhere in Beijing and turn 360º and seeing a crane is inevitable.

We went back down to the office and met senior project designer Jonny Hofmann. He and his wife and kids just recently moved to Beijing from the states. He speaks fluent mandarin and was a great help and source for information at lunch. Beneath the office building GBBN is in and spanning countless miles is a subterranean shopping center with floors upon floors of young hipsters cruising around shopping in high-end retail stores. We actually walked through it to get to a restaurant Kim frequents where they bought us lunch and fed us chinese dumplings for the first time. Dumplings are the shit. It’s becoming a trend that we just eat what’s in front of us despite our uncertainty as to what it is.

After a hearty meal, we all hopped in a van and Kim’s driver took us to one of GBBN’s work sites. It was an enormous residential rehabilitation will laborers running around all over the place. This was the first time we noticed that people use shovels and wheelbarrows instead of backhoes or bobcats.

After, we headed back to the office and made plans for the driver Li Ho (he’s the real deal) to pick us up at our hotel the next morning to go to the Great Wall with Charlotte and the UC crew. We then cabbed it back to Landmark and decided to walk around and find dinner. We walked around the block and found a really nice hotpot place. Hot pot is a type of chinese meal where the table has hot plates and you order a large pot of the soup of your choice to be heated very hot within. Then, a waitress brings over all the types of meat and vegetables you order and little by little boils it in the soup before serving it to you. It was so delicious. Neil’s problem with eating sauces came out and he struggled to convey that he wanted bbq sauce. This was our first time somewhere without anyone who speaks Chinese and it was quite interesting. No one really had any idea what we were saying to them, so we were reduced to thumbs ups, saying thank you and pointing at things in my little phrase book. It was actually a whole lot of fun.

After dinner, we just headed back to the hotel and crashed.

Day 1: Beijing

This morning we left Cincinnati on our journey to the East. This point could be contested as we actually flew west to Chicago, and from Chicago direct to Beijing. The direct flight took around 13.5 hours and was quite a hull. We all tried to sleep as much as possible, but it was very cramped and crowded. This was actually my first international flight, so the anticipation and excitement coupled with a few cocktails, made it difficult to stay focused on any one thing at a time. I tried reading a short novel, a magazine about china, I watched a movie, played some chess, worked on a logo design for my girlfriend’s uncle, and chatted with my neighbor, a sweet old Italian lady from Chicago named Jeanine. 




When we got off the plane, we were corralled through customs and packed into a sardine-can of a tram in pursuit of our luggage. Luckily, all our bags made it and we proceeded to get two cars for 400RMB. RMB or Renmimbi is the Chinese currency which is also known as Yuan and with the current exchange rate, 400RMB equals about $58.25 American. Amongst ourselves, we’ve decided to refer to yuan as ping pongs.

We stepped out of the airport elevator and were hit with a ton of bricks. The thick, hot smog took us all by surprise, despite everything we’ve heard prior. Becks and I rode in one car with Neil and Jon in the other. This was our first encounter being placed in the hands of people with absolutely no knowledge of the English language. The travel lady told the drivers to take us to our hotel, The Landmark, in rapid Chinese. What a ride! We were speeding through the biggest city any of us had ever seen. It was beyond comprehension. We learned right off the bat that traffic laws are essentially negligible and pedestrians haven’t the right of way. On top of that, cars are constantly cutting each other off with inches between. It seemed inevitable that we’d be in a wreck within moments of departure. Somehow though, it all seemed to groove and there weren’t even cars with scratches or dents, almost as if each had an invisible forcefield. Anyway, we made it safely to our very nice hotel and checked in with ease.

Not even five minutes upon our arrival were we met by four UC grads. Dominic Berardi, Adam Hildebrant, Matt Mezinskis, and Brent Cengia knocked on our door and took us out to our first dinner. It was a great introduction and it was clear that we’d be having a lot of fun with these fellows. Dominic has been living in Beijing for about a year now working for the UC alumni association in recruiting Chinese students to study in Cincinnati. He was an SAE and of course the Bearcat mascot as an undergrad. The other three are also greeks from UC and live in New York, Latvia, and Cleveland respectively. They just so happened to be taking a vacation together that aligned almost exactly to our trip to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Talk about coincidence. Dom arranged for the UC recruitment dinner as described in the invite from my previous post due to all us coming together so far from home.

Our first Chinese dinner was amazing. We really wouldn’t have been able to tell what it was we were eating if it weren’t for Dom. He described to us the customs of eating in China and much, much more. This was also our first time using the squatting toilets in China. Neil was a little put off by it, but I think I could get used to it. It’s basically a toilet bowl in the floor that you squat over. I guess it allows things to flow better and makes for an easy cleaning.

After dinner, we all went to one of the major bar districts and had quite a few drinks on a rooftop tiki-style bar. It was pretty low-key being a Sunday and all, but a good time nonetheless. Most of the bars are open 24/7 and there is no drinking age or rules about carrying alcohol out on the street or wherever. Very wild indeed. Apparently, alcoholism is not much of a problem because there is a small minority of Chinese people that drink at all. After a couple beers, their faces start to turn red and they get inebriated incredibly fast. It must have been two or three in the morning before we left the bar, got some cabs, and headed home. Us Delts all carry cards with the name, address, and a small map of our hotel to hand to cab drivers due to the language barrier. Apparently, jet lag didn’t really phase us one bit. This was one hell of a way to kick things off in China.

We Made It!!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know we all made it. We are at GBBN right now and I haven't much time to post, but so far this country is absolutely amazing. We will have more time to post later and include photos and further insights about the trip.

UC Recruitment Dinner in Beijing

Ladies and Gents, below is our invitation to a University of Cincinnati recruitment banquet in Beijing. Here we will get to meet and greet with many students who will likely be running around wonderful Clifton in the coming years.

Also, we may encounter some difficulty updating the blog from China. We are still uncertain as to whether or not it will make it through the firewall. I certainly hope it does so that we may share our great experiences with all of you. If we indeed determine that it's inaccessible, we will find an alternative method and share that with everyone.

Thanks again for following us everyone, be sure to leave comments!!

Hi All,

The UC Asia Pacific Alumni Network would like to encourage all Bearcat Alumni and Friends to come to our inaugural event on Friday, June 27, 2008! Meet colleagues and share your UC experiences in this traditional hutong restaurant off of Gui Jie (Ghost Street).

Hua Jia Yi Yuan occupies an old siheyuan with pavilions and bridges spread throughout its central garden area. Dinner will include their famous Ba Ye Roasted Duck and a fusion of flavors from various Chinese cuisines such as Sichuan, Canton, and Shandong.

What: UC Dinner

When: Friday, June 27, 2008, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Where: Hua Jia Yi Yuan Restaurant

"花家怡园"

地址：东城区东直门内大街235号

路线：地铁5号线，北新桥, B口，出来后往东50米，路的北侧

Dong Cheng District, Dong Zhi Men Lei Da Jie 235#

www.dianping.com/shop/

Directions: Subway Line 5, get off at "Bei Xin Qiao", B Exit, and then go east about 50 meters

Phone: 64051908 64030677

Cost:

Alumni: 85 RMB

Future Students: 50 RMB

RSVP and Questions: Please RSVP soon as we have limited positions available. Please contact Spencer Utt, local alumni network volunteer, at bassoonguru@hotmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you there. Go Bearcats!

Delts in China Press Release

FOUR UC STUDENTS WIN FRATERNITY SCHOLARSHIP TRIP TO CHINA

Delta Tau Delta & UC Alumni send members to China each year to broaden cultural horizons;

On June 21, 2008, four students from the University of Cincinnati will embark upon the journey of a lifetime. Each of the students was selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship from benefactor and Hong Kong business tycoon Peter Woo (profile attached). Mr. Woo is a 1971 University of Cincinnati graduate and member of the Gamma Xi chapter of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He was one of the first Chinese students to attend the University of Cincinnati.

In 2005, Mr. Woo established the Peter Woo – Delta Tau Delta China Scholarship Program to express his deep appreciation for the substantial personal and leadership development contributions of his Delta Tau Delta fraternity experience at UC in helping to shape his future career as a highly successful global entrepreneur and businessman. The scholarship program annually sends up to five undergraduate members of Delta Tau Delta to China each year and covers hotels and airfare for a 20-day trip. This is the second group of Delts to visit China on the program.

Mr. Woo’s goals for this program were to stimulate the importance of a global awareness in fraternity members with a particular emphasis on China, and provide an international experience for undergraduate students of his fraternity.

Gage Burke, Zachary Becks, Neil White and Jon Saffian will begin their tour in Beijing and travel to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Along the way, they will be hosted by UC alumnus Kim Patton at the China offices of the Cincinnati-based architecture firm GBBN. GBBN staff will provide an introduction to life and business in China and arrange domestic transportation for the Delts for a number of their tours. They will also meet with UC alumni, tour Chinese universities, and visit Chinese and multinational corporation leaders throughout their trip.

With a little help from a local travel agency, the four students planned their own itinerary for each day in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, including tours to Chinese educational institutions to gain exposure to the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western methods.

“I can’t imagine anything more exhilarating than traveling to the other side of the world,” explained Gage, a graphic design major in the college of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. “All the exciting smells, foods, colors and people; I’m looking forward to a sensory overload.”

Neil White, current undergraduate fraternity president noted that “This is an extraordinary experience made more special knowing that the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and UC experience meant so much to Mr. Woo.”

A major goal for each of the students is to extensively document their journeys for everyone back home, including future scholarship recipients. A travel blog has been started at eastbounddelts.blogspot.com where readers can follow them throughout their trip and check out photography along the way. Be sure and stop by to wish them well with their amazing opportunity.

***************************************

Background of Peter Woo

Peter Woo Kwong Ching, GBS, JP MBA, has served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Chairman of Wheelock and Company Limited and The Wharf (Holdings) Limited. Founded in 1886, the Company was previously known as The Hong Kong & Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited.

Wharf is a major Developer and Owner of commercial, retail, residential properties and shipping terminals in Hong Kong and China. Properties include Harbour City, Times Square and The Star Ferry.

Mr. Woo is also Founding Chairman of Hong Kong Cable Television Limited and New T&T Limited.

Born in Shanghai in 1946 and moved to Hong Kong in 1949. He attended St. Stephen’s Primary School and College, University of Cincinnati (Physics and Math) and Columbia University (MBA).

Mr. Woo has served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Council Chairman of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Member of the Hong Kong/European Union Business Co-operation Committee and Chairman of the Hong Kong Environment and Conservation Fund Committee.

Itinerary

Introduction

Alright kids, this is the first of a series of postings documenting the 2008 Delta Tau Delta Journey East. We leave for Beijing in 5 days and the anticipation is immense. Our itinerary is for the most part finalized, and I will post the current version this afternoon. I apologize for the current aesthetics of our blog... we are working on it and hope to have some progress made before we leave this Saturday. We intend to keep our status up to date with what we do daily including photographs so that everyone may follow along. Please make comments and share this blog site with others so they may join us on our adventures.