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March - April 2006
Inside this edition:
WLE trip to Mu Tian Yu - "It sure is a great wall"
I always knew the Great Wall was the #1 destination in China, but I never expected how great the experience of seeing the Wall would really be. Having been built and rebuilt for over 2500 years and being one of the most famous landmarks in the world, I expected a lot. I wasn’t disappointed.
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All of us about to embark
onto the Wall! |
Students beginning the hike! |
Alex and Stefan |
Before we left, we learned about how the Great Wall was built through many different Chinese Dynasties and how it was supposed to be a line of defense against enemies to the north. I was excited to stand in the very guard towers where people had stood watch hundreds of years before, cooking their food, watching for the enemy, and trying to live their everyday life. When we took the bus up in March from World Link in the early morning, the weather didn’t seem that great, but by the time we got to the Mutianyu section of the Wall it was sunny and warm. It was a bit of a hike to get up the wall, so some of us took the cable car that had a great view of the mountainside and the Wall. There were about 90 of us who came; it was a lot of fun to be in a big group.
Some of us split up to walk along the Wall for a big distance, the view was incredible and it was really interesting to be on such an ancient piece of history. There were a lot of great photo opportunities with all of our friends, being in such a big group. There was a great slide that a bunch of us took from the top of the wall to get down. Racing down the mountainside on a metal slide was a really unique experience, it had us all laughing. At the bottom there were some shops to buy some great memorabilia; I will cherish my “I Climbed the Great Wall” T-shirt forever that I used my Chinese to bargain the salesperson down to 20 yuan for.
It was great that World Link took us the extra distance to Mutianyu and not just Badaling which is a really close and touristy section of the Great Wall and is supposed to be a circus of peddlers and tourists. I felt like we got a more genuine Chinese cultural experience at Mutianyu.
When we got back from the trip a bunch of us went out for a big dinner and talked about our experience. We were all ecstatic from seeing such a great piece of world history and having such a genuine Chinese experience. In retrospect, our trip to the Great Wall was a really awe inspiring experience, being able to stand on such a fantastic and interesting piece of Chinese, and world, history, I will never forget.
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| Willy getting his photo taken |
Finally we’ve made it to the top! |
Gillian and Angel |
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| Michelle, Eric, Stefan, Jia Hui, Editha, Cameron |
Cameron after taking the
toboggan down the Wall. |
Students enjoying a street
side vendor snack |
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WLE Elective: Taijiquan at Ritan Park
About 30 students went to experience the Taiji class in one of the oldest parks in Beijing this April. We ended up going right after several classes we had taken discussing Taijiquan as a topic of conversation. So, it was very interesting to explore this part of Chinese culture, especially in such an old and interesting part of Beijing. Ritan Park is quite big, with many lakes, ponds, and ancient scenary. It was a perfect respite from the hurried pace of Beijing. Ritan actually means “The Temple of the Sun” and the park was originally built as an altar for the purpose of praising the sun. We coudn’t have expected of a better place to learn and practice Taiji.
World Link provided us with a very famous and prominent Taiji teacher who was very dedicated to his work as an instructor in this highly artistic martial art.We chose a spot by Ritan’s famed Echo Wall that was meant to aid in the Taiji experience. This spot is renowned as an area where many Chinese people from Beijing like to practice Taiji every morning. The weather was beautiful and the lesson was so informative and practical, plus the setting and our highly knowledgeable teacher made the experience very unique. Our teacher taught us about the mastery of Taiji comes through the enduring practice of the individual. The flowing water and scenery of Ritan park was perfect for what our teacher told us is meant to be a highly relaxing and healthy experience. Taiji, he told us, is meant to reduce stress and improve our health.
This was truly a different and unique Chinese cultural experience because we were learning something that will affect our personal being forever. Learning about Taiji will be a lesson I will never forget.
After learning Taiji in the park, I truly feel that I can use this centuries-old artistic martial art to better my state of mind and improve my health, whenever I wish.
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WLE Onsite Study Trip: Under the Sea…in Beijing!
On Friday, March 17th, WLE China Business students attended an onsite study trip to Beijing Blue Zoo with a presentation by the General Manager Mr. Chiam Tun Cheng. Mr Chiam, a Malaysian citizen with more than 15 years' experience in the Asian leisure industry, resides in Beijing.
The students toured the aquarium and walked through the longest underwater transparent tunnel in Asia. Blue Zoo Beijing's underwater community encompasses fish from all tropical levels; in all, the aquarium boasts thousands of ocean and marine estuary creatures, including sharks, rays, eels, coral reef fish, lobsters, sea horses, starfish and many others.
After the tour, we sat down and Mr. Chiam presented the company. Blue Zoo Beijing is the largest aquarium of its type in Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Richina Pacific Limited. Blue Zoo International has the majority interest in Beijing Gongti Richina Underwater World Entertainment Co Ltd, a Chinese-foreign joint venture that operates Blue Zoo Beijing. The Chinese partner in Blue Zoo Beijing is the Beijing Sports Service Centre for Workers.
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| Mr. Chiam and the WLE Business students listening intently |
Callie, Stefan, Vigilio, John, and Robbie inside the longest underwater transparent tunnel in Asia |
Blue Zoo Beijing was the first walk-through aquarium established in Beijing. Since its opening in 1997, Blue Zoo Beijing has received over 8 million visitors; the majority being school and tour groups. Every year Beijing schools are required to take a school field trip, so the Blue Zoo marketing department works to receive as many school groups as possible. The marketing department also works with magazines and newspapers to educate the readers on marine biology.
Blue Zoo Beijing has over $1 million cash flow each year. Originally when Blue Zoo opened, the Board planned to make a profit within the first three years. After open its doors to the public though, two other aquariums in Beijing opened and Blue Zoo was forced to reassess its plans to profit within ten years. |
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| Eduardo, Alexandra, and Luis |
Group photo outside Blue Zoo Beijing |
Gugong (The Forbidden City) – In the heart of Beijing
To experience Beijing’s ancient culture is to see the Forbidden City. In April, around 60 of us went to see the Forbidden City, at the very centre of Beijing and the focal point of the Chinese national identity for over a five hundred years, this was truly “the centre” of Beijing, and China.
The weather was great and the crowds weren’t too bad because we got there early enough. With clear skies and nice weather we were all happy to be out and about in Beijing. Being at the Forbidden City was interesting enough simply because we noticed how important this landmark was to the Chinese people, with so many thrilled Chinese tourists there. With its gigantic size and huge amount of buildings and structures, the Gugong can truly be called a city.
While we explored the incredible structures and garden within the Forbidden City we ran into some Chinese students who were also studying in Beijing who were from Guangzhou. It was fun to get the chance to try and use some of the Chinese that we had been learning in class with people who had similar interests in the history of their own country and culture. We ended up walking around and chatting in Chinese with these students for a long time, enjoying the sites and taking lots of photos. The size and Imperial splendor of it all, some of us just got lost walking around the incredible scene! But it didn’t matter, ever corner you turn was something we never would have expected to see and being able to practice Chinese while I explored the sites was an incredible experience. Each structure and site within the Forbidden City has its own specific and unique history that made the experience so fascinating.
There was a great audio tour that a lot of us took that gave us info, in English, on all the different structures and extravagant halls and rooms within the Forbidden City. It was a really interesting way to see the site. The history of the Gugong is fantastic and amazed all of us.
We all got a lot of great pictures with a lot of the people we met in the Forbidden City. It is such a big and incredible site that I’m sure someone could literally spend days there just exploring every corner of it, both literally and historically speaking.
It was great that World Link could take us to the Forbidden City and make it so easy for all of to enjoy. We were all really impressed with how fun it all was as well, having the chance to speak Chinese and see such an important piece of Chinese history.
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| Group photo outside the North Gate |
Stefan, Nicolas, Jasmine,
Alex and Sophia |
Esther and Sharyn |
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| Sophia, Alex, and Nicolas |
Robbie impressed with the immensity
of
the Forbidden City |
Eastwei Relations: China’s Leading local PR agency
The General Manager of China's leading local PR agency Eastwei Relations spoke at World Link Education’s Seminar Series on March 29, 2006. Mr. Johan Bjorksten has been in China since 1986 and has founded several companies, including an import company and China's first foreign-invested record company. He is one of the most respected members of the Swedish business community in China and is Vice-Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.
One of Mr. Bjorksten’s many companies established in China was running China’s first foreign-invested record company. He explained the difficulties of running a record company in China. In the early 1990’s, 95% of the music was pirated and only 5% of the industry were CDs versus audio cassettes. It was almost impossible to make a profit in the record industry. All music imported and sold to the local market must first have the lyrics translated and approved by the authorities. By the time authorization had been granted to Mr. Bjorksten’s record company for the imported music, the pirated music had already been on the market for some time.
Mr. Bjorksten advised WLE students on the following four points to be aware of when dealing with piracy issues.
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The brand/product must be strong.
- The product must be readily available, so consumers know where to buy it.
- One needs to understand the industry and know up-to-date information.
- One must go after those producing the pirated goods.
Since 1994, Mr. Bjorksten has been running Eastwei Relations. Eastwei provides communication strategy and analysis, crisis management, media relations and event management services. Some of the best-known Eastwei retainer clients include Electrolux, IKEA, ABSOLUT Vodka, SONY, SAAB and nVidia. The Eastwei Knowledge-Driven Media Relations™ approach has received widespread attention in China where much PR work still revolves around personal relations. Eastwei’s slogan is We Understand™. This means all communications must be founded on a deep understanding of target groups and other stakeholders, as well as the client’s company, business and industry.
As China is proving to be the fastest growing economy in history, nobody can keep up. Eastwei’s Knowledge-Driven Media Relations™ educates the media on the product. One of Eastwei’s most successful projects was introducing IKEA to the Chinese market. Chinese families are known for saving everything, but they lack the storage space since homes are quite small. Eastwei arranged a reality television team to go into Chinese families’ homes, remodel them, and show the before and after changes. Their goal was to show families that by spending RMB1000 (US$125), they could be more confident and live in a more comfortable environment.
The rapid growth of Eastwei Relations is an indication of their tremendous success in China, and yet it is also one of their most difficult aspects to manage. In 2005 it had an impressive 80% growth rate, but in 2006, Mr. Bjorksten plans to slow things down by turning down more companies to meet its more manageable goal of a 50% growth rate.
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Mr. Björksten presenting to
WLE Business students |
Mr. Björksten and students
after the seminar |
Students giving their business
cards to Mr. Björksten |
Student Interview: Johanna Örvén
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 Name: Johanna Örvén
Country of Residence: Sweden
Citizenship: Swedish
Profession: Student
Educational Background: Secondary School
Languages Spoken: Swedish, English, French, Spanish, Chinese
Hobbies: Horseback riding
Is this your first time in China?
Yes
Why did you decide to participate in the Chinese Language and China Business Program?
I first came to China to study Chinese, because last year there was so much economic attention on China that caught my attention. I wanted to see what areas interested me before starting my degree, and I thought the China Business Course would be a good introduction.
How are you finding your studies in China?
Great! It’s challenging but very interesting.
What do you find most interesting in Beijing?
We’re in China! What’s NOT interesting!?!
Tell us a few memorable experiences in Beijing/China?
There are so many, but I can say that every time I’ve traveled around China, it has been a memorable experience. I have been able to meet so many different people and try all different types of food. It makes one realize how big China actually is!
How has your experience in China changed you?
I would say this is the year I have gone from being a child to becoming an adult, thought not only in age. I have broadened my mind in every single way, which has made me realize that I’m more capable of dealing with great challenges, and knowing that I’m capable of standing on my own two feet.
What is the thing you like best about Beijing/China?
I like the culture and rich history that China has. I think some of the things you see and read (both at and outside museums) are just incredibly interesting. It’s an amazing place to be in this country (especially after the China Business Course), where the mentality, traditions, and culture of this place have been here for more than 5000 years. The China Business Course actually gave me a good understanding for China.
Will you come to China/Beijing again?
Of course! I’ll definitely come back to Beijing for the Olympics; hopefully for work, and I will without any doubt come back and live in China once I’ve graduated from university.
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in China?
One has to come to China with an open mind and be prepared that things are going to be different. Things are going to be cheap here, but not as cheap as one first thinks! You have to be prepared that they really don’t speak any English, and be sure to bring the positive side of yourself, because otherwise there are going to be even more frustrating days.
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