Steven Wang from Aon consulting visited us at the hotel today and then a second speaker from RIM. I learned about financial choices, insurance opportunities and savings practices in China. The Chinese people save about 40% of their income (compared to 0 average in the US because of our tendency to carry debt). In banks, their money accrues almost no interest. Chinese generally use cash for large purchases, so there are not a lot of mortgage or lending options.
The afternoon speakers cancelled on us, so we had the rest of the day free. Yay! Me and my team went to the US embassy to get a photo. It was a requirement for the scavenger hunt that the faculty asked us to do. For lunch, we were all hurting for some type of Western food. We're just a little sick of the lazy susans full of meat & veggie dishes with sauce and rice... and also (what I call) water soup that tastes like nothing. At any rate, we found a sizzler and it was great; second rate food in the US was a delicacy and oasis for us. Not that the Chinese food is bad, we just have so many more style choices in the US.
Speaking of the food, the guys showed me a back alley market today. This photo is a picture of some popular chinese snacks – scorpions and sea horses on a stick. Yum, crunchy. The scorpions were still wiggling. I don't know whether they eat them raw or if the shop owner cooks them fresh. Regardless, I'm not trying it.
We were due back at the hotel by 4pm so that we could catch the bus to the airport. The flight to Shanghai was about two hours, so we got here around 9pm. Its much more modern here than Beijing. The buildings are lit with advertisements like NY city. We're staying at a Radisson and its so much nicer staying at a Western chain.
I'm not sure whether I've shared this yet, but blogspot.com is blocked in China, so I've been relying on Jeff to post blog updates for me (thanks Jeff). The government is concerned about the population's access to information, so certainly they fear blogs. A number of popular networking and other informational sites are blocked. There's also significant control on what's published and broadcast by the news media. All fascinating things I've learned about life inside a communist government. Stay tuned for more on Shanghai when I get to see it in the light.
The afternoon speakers cancelled on us, so we had the rest of the day free. Yay! Me and my team went to the US embassy to get a photo. It was a requirement for the scavenger hunt that the faculty asked us to do. For lunch, we were all hurting for some type of Western food. We're just a little sick of the lazy susans full of meat & veggie dishes with sauce and rice... and also (what I call) water soup that tastes like nothing. At any rate, we found a sizzler and it was great; second rate food in the US was a delicacy and oasis for us. Not that the Chinese food is bad, we just have so many more style choices in the US.
Speaking of the food, the guys showed me a back alley market today. This photo is a picture of some popular chinese snacks – scorpions and sea horses on a stick. Yum, crunchy. The scorpions were still wiggling. I don't know whether they eat them raw or if the shop owner cooks them fresh. Regardless, I'm not trying it.
We were due back at the hotel by 4pm so that we could catch the bus to the airport. The flight to Shanghai was about two hours, so we got here around 9pm. Its much more modern here than Beijing. The buildings are lit with advertisements like NY city. We're staying at a Radisson and its so much nicer staying at a Western chain.
I'm not sure whether I've shared this yet, but blogspot.com is blocked in China, so I've been relying on Jeff to post blog updates for me (thanks Jeff). The government is concerned about the population's access to information, so certainly they fear blogs. A number of popular networking and other informational sites are blocked. There's also significant control on what's published and broadcast by the news media. All fascinating things I've learned about life inside a communist government. Stay tuned for more on Shanghai when I get to see it in the light.
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