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A 10-member student and teacher group visited China from 30th March to 6th April, 2015 as part of a Study tour to Shanghai and Beijing, where they underwent 3 days of intensive classes on “Doing Business in China” at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. A personalized account by the group:

30th March 2015, Monday
We arrived in Pudong, Shanghai around 11 am. There was some delay at the airport because one student lost his luggage. The drive from the airport to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zuhui campus was approximately for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We checked into the dormitory around 3:45pm. After unwinding and taking a shower, in the evening, we boarded a night cruise on the Huangpu river. The students witnessed the old Shanghai which has a history of 100 years and the New Shanghai that has recently developed in the last three decades. The students were mesmerized as they could witness the transition of Shanghai from the typical Chinese fishing village to an ultra-modern, industrialized and developed city.

31st March, Tuesday
The DBIC classes were schedule at 8 am in the campus. We began with a lecture on Chinese culture and philosophy. This was followed by a lecture on “Strategies adopted by Chinese Companies” in order to compete globally. On the very same day we were introduced to student volunteers who took us on a tour of the Qian Xuesen Library & Museum.

1st April, Wednesday
Day 3 was a long day for everyone. First half was spent in classes learning about China’s intercultural communication and regional differences in conducting business. After the lecture, students were taken on a visit to the SJTU Science Park-Technology Business Incubator and afterwards on a tour of the SJTU Minhang campus. They did some Chinese knot craft activities and learnt how to make Chinese dumplings.

2nd April, Thursday
The first lecture was at 8:00 am on “China’s Economy and the challenges to doing business” where we got know more about the role of the government in the business. The second lecture was taken by an American Professor who facilitated an interactive discussion on “Multinational corporations in China” and the various policies related to them. The third lecture was on “Human Resource Management in China” to highlight HR practices and attitudes of the working population.

In the evening after the lectures for the day were done with, a Final Evaluation was done wherein all students were asked to say something about the program and what we learnt for 3-5 minutes. Certificates were awarded by SJTU representatives to all the participants and gifts were exchanged.

3rd April, Friday
We checked-out of the dormitory at 9 am and were taken to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower for sightseeing. It is the 3rd largest tower in the world and the viewing area floor in the tower is made of glass so one can see everything on the ground. After the tower we were taken to the local market for shopping. The bus dropped us at the airport in the evening to catch our flight to Beijing. We checked-in the hotel in Beijing around 12 midnight.

4th April, Saturday
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, our first stop was the Great Wall of China, which is a wonder of the world and has a beautiful view. In the evening we were taken to see a Chinese Acrobatic show. It was spectacular and spell bounding. The show was followed by a visit to the silk market where everyone had their first Indian meal in days and were given time to shop.

5th April, Sunday
Final day was a visit to Tiananmen Square which is the largest plaza in the world and the Forbidden City. This was followed by lunch at an Indian restaurant. Everyone was dropped-off at the airport for our flight to Shanghai and then connecting flight back to India.

6th April, Monday
The flight arrived at Delhi airport in the early hours. The study tour to China was a great experience for the students as they learnt about China, its great history, culture and the Chinese way of doing business. Everyone was extremely happy with the experience and the memories will remain for ever.