The problem was not the Internet connection, but filters set up for words like Blog, chat, etc. I and a few more students lost access to our G-mail accounts for a few days as well. Other than that the business residency was a complete success!
I've fixed a few typos and would appreciate you posting the following:
Most people are aware that China is undergoing tremendous changes. GDP growth of 6.8% is impressive. Creation of new clusters of sky-scrapers and relocation of population from agricultural areas to newly developed apartment complexes is a unique feature of Chinese economy which is debated by the local and foreign economists.
Yesterday we took a high speed train to the T-2 city Tianjin. Tianjin is a beautiful and clean city with a long history. Old parts of towns include former British, Japanese, and a few other foreign concessions. The international history of the second largest port is reflected in its >architecture. Many areas reminded me French cities.
What is the present and future of the this unique city with a multimillion population? If you have ever seen a three dimensional city plan created by architects, you'll have a pretty clear idea what contemporary and future of Tianjin looks like. The heart and the driving force of its economy is a huge industrial development base. We were greeted by the Shuang Gang People's Government of Tian Jin JinNan District representatives. Students were introduces to the detailed plan of city development which is still in progress. The Chinese say that their national bird is a construction crane. It is supposed to be a joke, but unfortunately it is not. No birds around, but a huge amount of cranes.
We were very pleasantly surprised to see a big red banned stretching above the main entrance to the administrative building. It read, "Welcome, Friends from Friends University!" I hope that every time my students think about Chinese people, they will remember those words.
We spent the whole day learning about how the vision of the People's Party is being implemented. Students listened to a presentation of a new plan to import foreign foods to China followed by a round-table discussion. The executives were very interested to learn that Wichita has a few food exporting facilities.
We'll post pictures when we are back in Wichita.
