Blog post written by Alyssa Passarelli
After multiple connecting flights, some lost (but thankfully recovered) luggage, and adjusting to a 12-hour time difference, all sixteen of us safely made it to Beijing! For many of us, CAP is the first time we have ever traveled to China. Professor Yu, Fang Fang (our city guide), and Tom (our TA) wasted no time in welcoming us to the country’s rich history and culture with various local activities and traditional Chinese meals.
The day after we arrived, we kicked off our experience by visiting one of China’s most iconic attractions, the Great Wall. According to Professor Yu, sunglasses and sunscreen are normally staples that accompany visits to the Great Wall. However, out trip to the Great Wall required that we bring supplies that included rain jackets and umbrellas. We were encased in clouds of fog as we hiked along the famed attraction and needed to be extra careful that we could see what was in front of us so as not to trip!
Image source: Katherine Kalec, GMBA and CAP China participant (2018)
As one of the most popular attractions in China, the Great Wall is generally very crowded with both locals and tourists. As our first outing in China, our visit to the Great Wall quickly exposed us to a key cultural difference in China that we have learned is attributed to the country’s high population: locals are used to being within close proximity of each other, even with people that they do not necessarily know. Many of us even experienced this in the elevators at our visit to the headquarters of JD.com. When we thought that the elevators were at their capacity, we were surprised to see people still hop on and not seem to mind the lack of personal space. We also experienced this on the Beijing metro when we ventured out to get hot pot (a local Chinese soup dish).
Image source: Mia Ou, GMBA and CAP China participant (2018)
We have also been fortunate to have the majority of our meals together as a group while in country. Unlike in the US, in which going out to eat means each person orders their own meal, most meals at restaurants in China are shared among the whole group. The shared dishes are served on a “lazy Susan” (pronounced in Mandarin as Tsan Draw Juang Pan) and spun round the table so no one needs to get up from their seat to be able to reach the food. Being that many of us are in China for the first time, this way of sharing a meal has been a nice way for us to also share our experiences of this new culture.
We will be wrapping up our time in China in just one week, in which we will have given our final presentations to our clients and already be on our way home. This time is going by quickly, but we are excited to make the most of our time here, work hard, and continue to experience the cultural nuances of China.
