Seeing a Chinese Auto Plant; Kicking the Tires
Growing up as a teenager in Indiana about 35 years ago, I remember when Japanese automakers began to gain a foothold in the U.S. market. The cars were smaller, boasted fewer features and much higher fuel economy, which recently became more important due to the OPEC Oil Crisis. In the years to come, many Americans […]
Tour Guide Serenade
Everywhere we’ve gone in China, we’ve been joined by translators and sometimes tour guides. On Sunday, we met a lovely woman named Marilyn (her English name). I don’t believe anyone of us asked her how she came to choose that name, but she displayed an inner beauty that far exceeded that of someone named Monroe. […]
Do Not Adjust Your Set
My friends both inside and outside of Indiana University sometimes jokingly refer to me as a propaganda minister. As they say on television, do not adjust your set. That is me, sitting in the anchor’s chair at Hangzhou Television (HTV). We took a tour on Tuesday (March 14) of the broadcast station, which actually has […]
Business Card Etiquette
“Bring lots of business cards. You’ll be handing them out like candy.” This point was emphasized in the pre-trip reminders before we left – “bring at least 200 business cards.” In Chinese professional society, it is customary to present your business card – extended out ahead of yourself – when introducing yourself to anyone important. […]
U.S.-China Business Conference Cooperation
In recent months, particularly during the 2010 election season, there has been much rhetoric and debate over China’s trade surplus and whether keeps it keeps its currency, the Yuan, too cheap, giving it an unfair trade advantage with the United States. Many presenters at a conference hosted by Zhejiang University, Indiana University’s strategic partner in […]
A Warm Welcome from a Longtime Friend
It only seemed appropriate that a light, misty rain fell on Hangzhou briefly in advance of Monday morning’s “Symposium on U.S.-China Business Cooperation in the 21st Century,” at Zhejiang University. Hangzhou itself means “the city reached by water,” and it would be hard to overlook the significance of water in this Eastern province city. In […]
West Lake, the Song Dynasty and Quite a Show
Before our delegation of scholars, executives and journalists gets down to business, Sunday afforded us an opportunity to learn more about the culture and history of Hangzhou and observe the beauty of our surroundings and of its people. Among our offerings at the hotel’s breakfast buffet are salty duck eggs, fried rice cakes with mushrooms, […]
Making Our Way to Hangzhou
On a Friday when many college students across Indiana, including many at Indiana University, were leaving for spring break trip to warmer climates in Mexico, Florida and other sunny locales, nearly everyone who is part of IU’s Study Tour on U.S.-China Business Cooperation set off very early for the People’s Republic of China. A handful […]
An Introduction and Brief Itinerary
Very early this Friday (March 11), a group of 18 professors and staff from Indiana University, state business executives and journalists will leave for a whirlwind, eight-day trip to southeast China. For many of us, this will be our first experience in a place that has fascinated us our entire lives. Planned by two research […]
