It takes a while to readjust after an amazing 2 week trip to China with 15 of my MBA classmates. Touring to Beijing, Shenyang, and Shanghai, I learned some fascinating things about the Chinese culture, companies, and emerging market opportunities. I have not really been out of the country before, and so I had no expectations going in and I had a wonderful time. Here is a short synopsis of fun facts, traveling advice, and professional information that hopefully give you some insight into China.

1. Socialism is very visible in China. You can see the economic and social standards are very controlled and respected by each citizen. The Chinese are very nice to each other and foreigners. Taxi drivers are the safest drivers, no road rage even with 3,000 new vehicles a day in Beijing and frequent blaring of car horns and constant traffic. There are street vendors everywhere and thus lots of bartering on anything from fruit to jewelry. Everything is clean and there is little crime. You see street sweepers with homemade brooms everywhere. Street vendors track you down for a sale and to give you the correct change. Taxi drivers are patient and safe so they don’t lose their license. The subway systems are very impressive! Past government mandated exercises are still practiced by older women in the streets of Shanghai regularly.
2. The most interesting part of socialism is the public healthcare system which we learned a lot about by visiting multiple new hospitals. No matter your income, age, or illness you must stand in line all day for 2 minutes with a doctor. Thus, many Chinese gain immunities due to overdose prescriptions. Private healthcare for those that can afford it is just now entering the market and is a great opportunity for domestic and foreign investors.
3. Another interesting government control is limiting the movement between cities. Each citizen has a location card which ties them to a region and it is near impossible for paperwork to be approved to move into a big city from a rural area. In response, the government is developing Tier 3 cities into Tier 2 and Tier 2 cities into Tier 1. These tiers are based upon population and Shenyang is a smaller Tier 2 with “only” 9 million people. The amount of construction in Shenyang versus Beijing and Shanghai (both Tier 1 cities) was very evident. And apparently all construction projects must be completed within 3 years which also contributes to the fast industrial growth since the Cultural Revolution only 20 or so years ago (1979). It will be interesting to return in a decade and see how the country has dealt with the challenges of development.
4. I seek out the green spaces in the busy cities and each of the tourist attractions had tons of shady, evergreen trees. The Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Beiling Park were definitely the places to play chess or go on a date. I found it surprising that even the campus of Bao Steel has 60% trees. The Ring Roads in Beijing and The Bund in Shanghai each had tons of roses lined along the way. It didn’t quite balance out the smog that stuck to all of the tall buildings and your nose though.
5. The food in general is definitely not like Americanized Chinese food and honestly you had few options since every restaurant had similar items.  However, the jiaozi (also known as gyoza, pot-stickers, or dumplings) are delicious and I highly recommend ordering them anywhere. There is no difference between meals: breakfast, dessert, dinner, all any time of day. On a regular basis you could get food from street vendors who had Durian fruit, lots of melon, candy-covered strawberries on a stick, and grilled squid. You could get “Hot Pot” meals similar to fondue. And of course Peking Duck in Beijing is a do not miss treat! If you need your American fix while in China, KFC is the most common followed by Pizza Hut and McDonalds.

Me at Badaling, The Great Wall of China

General Q&A: