BLACKFIVE: China

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China - Part 2

Posted By Blackfive

...as promised, more photos from my trip to China as part of my Executive MBA program at the University of Illinois...

Me with my new pal, on the Great Wall.

The Khans tried to find it for decades, but to no avail. I found it. Here is the crack in the Great Wall. Actually, lots of kids had the split pants during the potty training years (or "not training", not sure which).

Me and my friend John. John is a pilot, but don't hold that against him. He's actually very cool (he's the one who suggested the "crack in the Great Wall" comment above).

Another obligatory Great Wall photo from the top. I thought the walk up kicked my ass, but the walk down was worse.

Old China...(Yu Garden).
[Photo by AB.]

More Old China...

...and new China. Okay, this is WILD. This is a 60+ story building in Beijing. Would you want the corner office? Buildings are going up constantly in Beijing (and have for the last ten years or so).

I just don't think that I could work there, every day, with nothing under my feet.

Old school broom.

Dinner anyone?
[Photo by AB]

This was always an option (along with the KFC and Pizza Hut), but it was one I never took. I did break down and go to Shanghai's Hooters my last night in China (delicious, yet unrefined).

This is Chairman Mao at Fudan University in Shanghai. Fudan is beautiful and the students were some of the nicest and smartest people I've ever encountered. Our University guide brought us to this Mao statue. That's when one of our students, trying to be cosmopolitan, told our guide that Mao was like our General Washington, at which point I muttered that Washington didn't kill millions upon millions of his own people. I also made sure to cast aspersions on Mao's parentage and sexual preferences.

Me and my partner in crime, Ken, in front of a Mig 15. Ken was dubbed "Huah-huah-gunza" by the Chinese. I thought it meant "Help! There's a @#$%ing yak in my kitchen!" but apparently it's literal translation is "Hugh Hefner".

All in all, China is amazing. It changes rapidly on the outside, but really hasn't changed much on the inside.

It's people treated me very, very well, and China is a beautiful country. I loved Shanghai and liked Beijing. But I didn't like the weight of big brother watching everyone all the time and I felt sorry for the people to have to worry about who was watching them. I also didn't care for being chased down by street vendors everywhere (although Huah-huah-gunza became the Master at negotiation). The food was very good; however, I will never eat duck again (if I can help it).

Time will tell if China can keep up economically. We saw bicycle delivery guys with iPods and cell phones and wearing really nice clothes. This is an indicator that a lot of people are benefiting in China and are becoming consumers. Call it Uncle Ronnie's Trickle Down theory...

I believe that the era of moving your business (outsourcing) to China for it's labor benefits is at its end. The Chinese love making money and will want more of it. As they want more and more, it will be more difficult to find cheap labor in China. If you move your business to China, move it there for other reasons (to be close to your suppliers, to hedge risk, etc.).

While this is a good thing for capitalism (and freedom in general), the question remains: Will the Chinese government continue to allow economic (and capitalistic) expansion or will they clamp down on it?

I spoke to reporters, businessmen, Chinese entrepeneurs, etc. and it's even money that the growth will continue and that the government will continue it's current level of control. I don't like those odds...