Author: Joan V. Gallos

This morning is our trip to the Great Wall. It is indeed a wonder of the world!

We travel about an hour by bus to Mutianyu for entrance – with good views of the outer rings of Beijing and the countryside as we go. It’s farther from Beijing than other access points, but I think the Wall is less crowded and less touristy here.

 

 

 

I also love the cable car to the top which makes the full Wall and its views accessible for anyone who can’t (or prefers not to) climb. Students enjoy the Chinese equivalent of an alpine slide down one steep segment of the Wall. I prefer my toboggan on snow and without someone, sitting on a little metal disk, coming down fast behind me.

 

 

We lunch after a few hours at the Wall at a small local restaurant in the town, interestingly named the School House Restaurant, and then head back to Beijing for a free afternoon that everyone has earned.

Those interested can join me on an informal shopping trip to the Pearl Market. We’ll see pearls, pearls, and more pearls in little shop after shop after shop on floors and floors of the market – and everything else Chinese for sale that you could imagine: silks, scarves, purses, luggage, toys, clothing, fabrics, electronics, linens, tableware, teapots, souvenirs of all kind, and more. Prices are great for those willing to haggle because there’s so much obvious competition. Talk about market economics in action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening – and the residency – ends with a huge farewell Tibetan banquet, complete with dancing, passing of the white scarves, ethnic entertainment (with a contemporary twist), and a carefully-selected range of interesting Tibetan dishes.

Few will have eaten any of these delicacies, but there will be plenty for even the non-adventurous. But at this point in the trip, the non-adventurous are fewer in number than when we arrived. Yak butter tea, anyone?

Our good colleagues in Beijing, Patrick Ma and Stephen De Pretre, have agreed to meet with us on Saturday morning. 謝謝 (thank you)!

Patrick helps us make sense of the rapidly evolving legal environment and intellectual property issues in China. Huge!

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen brings diverse and much experience across China, as well as the reflective eye of an ex-pat to discussions of labor markets and HR management in Greater China.

 

 

 

 

 

Bell rings.  School is out!

We’ll lunch at the hotel, get on our walking shoes, and see some of the sights in Beijing.

Of course, the Forbidden City, 

 

 

 

 

Tiananmen Square and the area around Mao’s tomb,

 

 

 

 

 

and all the people in China who have travelled to see the same historic sights.

Internal travel is now possible and huge with the rising prosperity and standard of living afforded everyone in China because of its current capitalist-socialist economy.

In 1978, then Premier Deng Xiaoping launched a market economy in China while maintaining the Communist Party with the famous statement: “Let some get rich first, so that others can get rich later.”  It’s happening. 

China boasts a rapidly increasing number of multi-millionaires, and one out of every 1,700 people in the country has a wealth of 10 million yuan (divide by 7 for U.S. Dollars). Compare that to one in 100 in the U. S.owning $10 million (stats from the China Daily). It’s a new day in China!

Now that we are savvy about ethnic diversity in China, people watching also takes on new meaning.

For many Chinese from the far out provinces, we may well be the first group of Westerners they have ever seen. In past years, people have curiously wanted to touch blonde hair, stand next to our tallest men, and study and touch our clothes. Hey, we’re the ones who look really different!

 

 

 

The evening is one of my favorite parts of the trip. We attend a Chinese music concert at the stunning, acoustically wonderful, new Beijing National Concert Hall.

The Hall is surrounded by a reflection pool and has an interesting, below-the-water, underground entrance. Lighting at night in breathtaking, complementing the night lighting at the near-by Forbidden City.  China is beautiful in so many ways!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So far, we’ve been learning about China by reading, seeing, doing, tasting and eating, smelling, touching, watching, and asking our experts lots of questions. Now we have opportunity to learn something powerful about China’s soul through its music and musical heritage.

Sounds will be different and so will many instruments. We’re ready for the experience. Bring it on!

Today begins a special series in this blog, as a colleague and I set off for our international immersion residency in China with 40 Executive MBA students.

For the next ten days, you’ll see where we are going each day, what we’re doing, what we are learning, and what this international immersion residency is really all about.

In the process, you’ll get to see some of China (albeit through pictures) and learn something important about China today and about good global leadership. (I’ll share a few teaching points along the way about living in a diverse world that are relevant beyond China, too.) 

So join us and follow our travels.

This is the culminating learning experience in the final semester of our Executive MBA program. It’s also a transformational life experience that will make our students stronger and more effective global leaders. By following us each day, you’ll understand why.

This series was conceived for three specific purposes – although its possibilities for learning are broader.

We wanted families, friends, and significant others back home to know what was happening for their loved ones, to feel connected, and to learn about China, too. Executive MBA programs are intense, compressed learning experiences for full time working professionals; and we appreciate the support and sacrifices  made by those at home that have enabled our students to concentrate on their studies.

This series is a concrete expression of our appreciation to the important others who have supported our students over the past two years. We’ve noticed, and we thank you.

We wanted to give first year students and new recruits to our program a taste of what they’ll be doing next year this time. Immersion study and China travel are difficult to envision. These posts will reduce the human tendency to worry about the unknown.

Finally, we wanted our corporate sponsors, local organizations who hire our students, and our students’ current bosses and colleagues to get a grounded feel for the quality of our degree program – and why our immersion residencies are our competitive advantage. They have a new China expert in their midst. In today’s world, that’s important.

NOTE: To make sure China’s internet firewalls and policy fluctuations don’t block the ability for daily posts – as they did last year or as recent g-mail blocks made us fear they might this – posts for the next 10 days have been drafted so that they can be sent from here (based on the learning agenda and itinerary of the day) or updated and uploaded on the ground from China.

May this not become a 30 Rock experience where what you read bears little resemblance to what unfolds!

We have a 6:00 am departure from Kansas City International Airport. Our Executive MBAs have been preparing for this trip all year, including the development of individual China projects as independent studies to make themselves experts in their organizations or industries on a relevant area.

They have read, studied, listened, questioned, and met with those here who know international business and China today. They have developed networks and colleagues in China through the wonders of technology, and will soon have opportunities to complete the final phase of their efforts.

Let’s the journey and the deep learning begin. Onward!