Exploring China

Four days of our trip to China were set aside for sightseeing, informal meetings, shopping and exploration. The first day was in Beijing, two in the Anhui province and one in Shanghai. I've posted previously about sightseeing in Beijing, but my chronicle of our journey would not be complete without the details of the amazing offerings of Anhui and Shanghai.



Day 7 -- Huangshan Mountain, Saturday, December 13, 2008. We woke up early Saturday morning and took a 3-hour bus trip to Huangshan Mountain, also known as Yellow Mountain.

We took a cable car to the top of the mountain and spent the rest of the morning hiking the trails around peak. The air was thin, so we got pretty winded, but it was the first fresh (non-smoggy) air we'd had in days, so we happily gulped in the clean air while we could.

It was extraordinarily foggy, so our views were somewhat limited, but gorgeous nonetheless.



After hiking the trails we were excited to receive VIP treatment before heading back down the mountain.



We were greeted with a warm reception area and hot tea to warm us up on a cold, foggy day.



Back at the bottom of the mountain we toured the museum and were treated to another 3D movie. Actually this one was a 4D movie because the theater spit smelly water on us and the seats jerked around.



They showed two of the most disturbing cartoons I have ever seen. The first film followed cartoon animals through a history of prehistoric China. As viewers we were introduced to lovable 3D characters, only to see them fall to their deaths and be devoured by bugs and rats. The second film showed a cartoon grandfather explaining to his cute granddaughter the complete and total devastation that will occur in the event of an earthquake or tidal wave in China. It was packed with death and destruction. I'm not really sure what the take away was, other than don't take your kids to the 4D theater at the base of Huangshan mountain.

We rested on the long bus ride back to the hotel. After a nice dinner with local officials, we took an hour or so to do some shopping in Huangshan city.



Day 8 -- Hong Cun Village to Wuhu, Sunday, December 14, 2008. Sunday was another early start with a bus trip to Hong Cun Village, which was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site list in 2000.



The village was a wonderful glimpse into China's history. Notable for the preservation of its original architecture, it is also famous because Ang Lee's movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed there.



After lunch in the village we boarded the bus and started the long drive to Wuhu. On the way we stopped and toured a school.



Although it was Sunday, school was in session and we were able to visit with some teachers and students.



The students live in dorms at the school and keep a schedule of 3 weeks at school, 1 week at home. Before we left we joined recess in progress, where some of our delegation shot hoops, jumped rope and got dominated at ping pong.



We finished the day at dinner with local officials from Wuhu city. They started the meal with goosefoot. It was amazing how many people wanted to join me as the lone vegetarian when the goosefoot was delivered to the table.



Day 12 -- Last Day in China, Thursday, December 18, 2008. We spent our last day in and around the city of Shanghai. We started the morning in Zhujiajiao, a suburb of Shanghai also known as water town.



We wandered through the small streets for some great sightseeing and shopping. We also took a fun boat ride through the narrow canals.



We made it back to Shanghai late Thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day in a famous shopping district.



There was something for everyone -- even the Chinese version of a dollar store.



After a long afternoon/evening of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to pack for the journey home and for a final dinner. It was a nice end to a great trip.

Day 11 -- Back to School & Work

Wednesday, December 17, 2008. Wednesday was our last working day of the trip. Our first stop was Fudan University. We have now visited the top 3 universities in the nation. After a walking tour, of the campus, we stopped for a lecture and discussion with a professor of the Center for American Studies at Fudan.

The two hours we spent in class with this professor were the most enlightening look at US/China relations that we have had during our visit. The professor was honest and frank and he answered many of the questions that our other hosts have been unable or unwilling to answer. I don’t think everyone in our group agreed with all of his responses, but it was refreshing to hear someone speaking so freely.

Our afternoon meeting was with members of a large Chinese law firm.



The firm is about the same size as my law firm, so it was interesting to learn about their practice and the Chinese legal system. I asked specifically about pro bono and was pleased to find out that pro bono work is mandatory in China and lawyers provide direct legal services to the poor in a variety of different ways.

We had a brief break before our evening banquet, which was with leaders of the Shanghai municipal government.

After the banquet we returned to the hotel for a holiday party of sorts. Although 95% of China identifies as atheist or non-religious, Christmas is a really big deal here. The people and especially businesses have embraced the secular celebration of the holiday.



Every hotel we stayed in had huge Christmas displays, including enormous trees and life-size gingerbread houses made of real gingerbread.



Every office building and restaurant was decorated to the max, Christmas carols were piped into every elevator and lobby and employees were often dressed as elves or Santa.

Over the course of our two weeks many of our delegation accumulated gifts from our hosts and souvenirs, or we still had gifts from our home states that did not get distributed to our hosts. We decided to have a White Elephant gift exchange (a.k.a. Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa).



I ended up with this stunning handmade silk picture of two Pekingese dogs. I can't for the life of me figure out why my fellow delegate would want to part with such an exceptional piece of artwork, but his loss is clearly my gain!

Our Chinese hosts participated in the celebration and seemed to have a great time. We sang a couple of Christmas carols, including the 12 days of Christmas and Silent Night (which appears to be the most popular Christmas carol by a long shot in China).

We finished the night with a foot massage in the Hotel. I heard that a Chinese foot massage was one of those things I must do while visiting and I'm glad I did. The foot massage was about an hour long and actually included some neck and shoulder massaging as well. The women performing the massages were quite strong, so the experience was part pleasure and part torture. I'm pretty sure I still have some bruises from the experience. As a whole, however, I would highly recommend the experience.

Day 10 -- Shanghai

Tuesday, December 16, 2008. Shanghai is a city of about 18 million people. The elevated freeway that runs between the countless skyscrapers leaves the impression you are in a sci-fi movie.

In 2010, Shanghai will host the World Expo. Our first meeting on Tuesday was with the Director General of the event. They predict they will have 70 million visitors to the Expo over a 6 month period.



The investment for the Expo site is 3 billion Euros. The investment in infrastructure citywide is expected to be at least 30 billion Euros.

After lunch we toured a GM car plant. It is a 50/50 venture between GM and the Chinese government. The tour of the physical plant was virtually identical to the car plants I have toured in the U.S.



We met with some managers after the tour and received some fast facts about the company. I was surprised to learn that about 80% of the plant employees are under the age of 35. We asked the question again about average wages for employees, but we got the same answer. The wages are secret, but attractive.

GM Shanghai is hurting in the current economy, but not like other domestic automakers in China or GM in the U.S. In 2007 GM Shanghai manufactured 500,000 cars. The number will be closer to 410,000 in 2008. Unlike the Cherry plant, however, GM has not had to drastically cut back production shifts and so far they have avoided the layoffs that have hit so many other manufacturers.

Before dinner we had a quick stop for some sightseeing at a telecommunications building known as The Pearl.



Even through the smoggy sky, there were some pretty spectacular views.



On the way out, we rushed through a cool history museum. Dinner was quick too, because we were trying to make a 7:30 performance of the Shanghai acrobat circus. The performance was unbelievable. It was a wonderful blend of traditional performances and modern technology. It was clearly a huge tourist trap, but you don’t want to miss it if you are ever in Shanghai.

Day 9 -- Leader of the Day

Monday, December 15, 2008. Note -- If you are reading this in order, I skipped days 7 & 8. They were weekend sightseeing days, with no major substantive meetings. I'm running out of time here in China (I'll be home this weekend), so I thought I would skip to the meatier stuff and go back and update the missing days when I have some extra time.

Everyday one member of our delegation is selected to act as leader of the day. The leader is the first off the bus and takes the lead on introductions and tours. The leader introduces the rest of the delegation, moderates the Q&A sessions and presents the gifts to our hosts. The leader of the day sits a the head of the dinner table, converses with the host and often leads the group in toasts.

My turn came on Day 9 in Wuhu city. We started the day by checking out of the hotel and headed to an auto manufacturing plant.

The Cherry company is the largest car manufacturer in China. They manufacture several different models, most very small. The smallest is the QQ, which is about the size of a Smart Car.



Similar to the U.S. automakers, Cherry has been hit hard by the current economic crisis. They have cut their shifts down to just a few per week.

After touring the auto plant we got back on the bus for the trip back to Hefei.

Before we left town we stopped on a bridge over the Yangtze River for a quick photo session. It is the longest river in Asia and the third longest river in the world. It was too foggy to see far, but impressive nonetheless.

Back in Hefei we went to an area outside of town that is the site of massive economic development over the last 2 years. On the shores of one of the largest lakes in China, we met with officials who explained that their development is becoming the model for planned communities throughout China.

Lunch was with a leader from the local Youth Federation. He was formerly with the provincial prosecutor’s office, so we were able to ask him lots of questions about the Chinese legal system.

After lunch we toured a portion of the University of Science and Technology of China. It is the top science university and one of the top 3 overall universities in the country. Over 10,000 USTC alumni are currently living and working in the U.S.



Our next stop was the village of Sangang which is an example of the “new socialist countryside.” A village of about 5,000, it is currently under massive development due to an infusion of new money. The new income stream is from a tree nursery business that the entire village has established.



Dinner was in the home of one of the local tree farmers. The family cooked us an amazing feast. There were lots of toasts and many gifts exchanged as this was the last dinner with our Anhui Province hosts.

Near the end of dinner, a cat wandered under the table and enjoyed many delicious table scraps.



A quick dash to the airport and we were off to Shanghai. It was a quick flight on Eastern China Airlines. As we exited the terminal to load the bus, there were fireworks exploding in the Shanghai sky.

Chinese Signs

A lot of Chinese words don't translate well into English. The result can produce some pretty entertaining signs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Day 6 -- Anhui Province

Friday, December 12, 2008. We started earlier than normal Friday morning. We had a 3-hour bus ride from Hefei to the Fengyang village. Our visit caused quite a stir. Several villagers and the local media were waiting for us at the local historical museum.

Fengyang is famous as the birthplace of land reform in China. We toured the museum, and then headed to a local enterprise zone where recent university graduates are establishing new businesses. We met a young woman who started a successful mushroom farm.





Our bus driver in this province has been very exciting. He works for the provincial government and the bus is equipped with several horns and sirens. To get us to our appointments on time, he flies through the congested streets without regard to lanes, lights, signs or oncoming traffic. It’s been exciting to say the least.

Before we left the village we were privileged to meet with one of the original 18 farmers who signed the pact in 1978 that led to land reform, and marked the official beginning of China’s overall reform and opening up to the west.

The farmer has become quite a celebrity. Earlier this year he had a visit from the Chinese president. This picture was taken with the farmer at the same table and stools where he sat with the president.



Next up was a 3-hour bus trip back to Hefei, where we met with the head of the Anhui provincial FDA. The provincial FDA branches work directly with the national FDA to regulate food and drug safety.

We discussed the recent incidents of food and drug poisoning and what the Chinese government is doing to address the issues. While it appears they are making vast improvements, there is still a long way to go. The size of the country, lack of intellectual properly regulation and the corruption of local officials, are all major obstacles. At the same time, increased communication and highly publicized consequences of past problems have helped improve the overall safety of products in China.

At the close of the FDA meeting we had another meeting in the same location with the vice governor of the Anhui Province. After the meeting he joined us for a banquet. We presented him with some gifts from the U.S., including a Missouri flag that has been flown over the state capitol in Jefferson City.



Our hotel was across the street from a Wal-Mart and I was in need of tissue and fingernail clippers, so we decided to check it out.



It was a monster establishment. Most notable was the meat section, which was stocked with all sorts of hanging meat products, including dried duck feet.



I was happy to see another difference from U.S. stores – they charged for their plastic bags. As we’ve driven around the country for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been blown away by the massive amounts of garbage everywhere. There are plastic bags in every tree, bush and riverbank. I guess if your country has 1.3 billion people and everyone is given a plastic bag when they shop, they’re bound to pile up. Needless to say, I was pleased with Wal-Mart’s efforts to minimize their use. I’ve seen similar efforts at other stores around the country.

Once again it was a day of stark comparisons. We started the day in a tiny village, meeting with small business owners and farmers and we ended the day at the huge U.S. behemoth – Wal-Mart. The juxtaposition of the birthplace of China’s new economy with the giant of U.S./China trade relations was such a perfect snapshot of the relationship between our two countries.

Day 5 -- Get Away Day

Thursday, December 11, 2008. Thursday was our last day in Beijing, with an early afternoon flight to Hefei in the Anhui province.

Our first meeting of the day was with an extremely high-level official – the head of the All China Youth Federation. In the Chinese government structure, this particular leader is one of the highest-ranking officials we have met with so far. Our host had just finished participation in high-level economic talks that took place in Beijing last week, so as you can imagine, much of our discussion focused on the current global economic crisis.

Some Chinese economists and the international press have been painting the crisis in the U.S. as worse than the Great Depression and are predicting it will be 10 years or more before our economy rebounds. Part of our job this trip is to help explain the differences between the Great Depression and our current recession and correct much of the false information that is circulating about the economy.

Before I left for China our Senate Caucus received a briefing from the Senate Appropriations staff and things do look grim for Missouri for the next two years. Massive budget shortfalls are predicted. The good news is that most economists are in agreement that the economy should start to turn around and head back up in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2009. This potential timeline was welcome news to many of the government and business leaders that we have met with in China.

Since we were rushing to catch a plane, lunch was at the airport McDonald’s. I opted for a protein bar from my backpack, but the rest of the gang seemed to enjoy a taste from home. I did sample the hot taro and pineapple pies. I’d like to see those go stateside.



Once in Anhui we went straight to visit a U.S. electronic factory in the Hefei Economic Development Zone. We met with 2 men who were born in China and Taiwan, but who are both U.S. citizens and now running the manufacturing plant.

We asked several questions about wages, benefits and conditions for workers. We were met with varying degrees of specificity in response. We have not met any manufacturers yet who will tell us what is the average wage for their workers. They claim the wages are secret, but that they are attractive and competitive.

After a tour of the factory we checked into our hotel. We had a nice dinner with our local hosts and local government officials, then called it an early night and got some much-needed sleep.

Day 4 -- Different Worlds

Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Wednesday was an interesting contrast between old and new -- east and west. Our first stop was the breathtaking Buddhist Temple known as Yonghegong.

The temple is home to 100 Tibetan Buddhist monks. We received a personal tour from one of the monks, followed by an official meeting with the assistant abbot of the temple.



Our next stop was the U.S. Embassy. A beautiful building, the embassy just opened 3-4 weeks ago. We had some trouble getting in because of tight security. Once inside we met with officials from the public affairs, economic and political departments. It was nice to hear an American perspective after several meetings with Chinese officials. We were not allowed to get any pictures at the embassy because of security measures that prevented us from bringing electronic devices on the property.

Lunch was a special treat. We ate at a restaurant that specializes in hotpots. It was basically fondue, but we each had our own pot and we cooked our food in broth, not oil.



There were lots of meats, veggies and noodles and there was even a big bowl of live shrimp that you could dunk into the boiling broth.

In the afternoon we went to the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. We met with a Stanford-trained economist to discuss the current global economic crisis. It was extraordinarily informative.

We spent a little time exploring the campus before our dinner engagement, which was a real treat. We attended a performance at the Mongolian Operatic Restaurant. There was a massive buffet with foods from around the world, including several traditional Mongolian dishes. A few of our delegates tried some pretty exotic dishes including wine with a snake floating in the bottle.

After the show the performers came out in the crowd and performed a ceremonial toast with each guest.



A thimble of sweet wine was shared and a ceremonial scarf was placed around our necks.

Day 3 -- Taiwan/Tibet & US-China Relations

Tuesday, December 9, 2008. Today’s meetings have focused on some of the sensitive areas of U.S.-China relations. Our first meeting of the day was at the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). We met with the vice president, who made the news recently when he was attacked during a diplomatic trip to Taiwan.

Taiwan appears to be the most important issue to the Chinese government when it comes to interaction with other countries, including the U.S. The issue has been discussed at length during virtually every meeting we have attended. The officials we have met with have made it clear that “reunification” with Taiwan is non-negotiable.

Side note – my intent was to include links throughout my posts for further information on these topics. I’m finding, however, that I have run into the Great Firewall of China. I don’t have access to the same Google searches and web sites that I would in the U.S. Because of this snag, I will provide links when I can, but if the info I get is limited or not objective, I will forgo the link and leave it to you to conduct your own background research.

We had a break after the ARATS meeting, so we took a quick tour of the Beijing City Planning Museum. We caught a fun 3-D movie about the history of the city.



There was also a really cool model of the entire city. It was incredible in its size and detail. Our Chinese host was even able to point to his apartment building with a laser pointer – in a city of over 15 million people!



After a quick lunch we met with the Executive Vice Minister at the Department of United Front Affairs. This division of the Communist Party of China is charged with the unity of all provinces, ethnic groups, religious sects, business, etc. The government official meeting with us has an expertise in Tibet. During our Q & A, we asked for his perspective on the Tibet issue. He replied with an emphatic “There is no Tibet issue.” It was a very interesting meeting.

Our last meeting of the day was at the Great Hall of the People, the home of the National People’s Congress (NPC).



We met with the vice chair of the foreign affairs committee. He is also the former ambassador to Canada and the U.K. It was an extremely informative meeting. I learned that the NPC has 2,597 members. I can’t even fathom the chaos of one huge legislative chamber with that many lawmakers trying to get something done.

After our meeting we took a quick walk to Tiananmen Square.



It was massive and crammed with people, even on a cold, dark night.

Our dinner was at a restaurant famous for Peking Duck. I’m not a meat eater, but the delegation seemed thrilled with the entire meal.



After dinner we went to a karaoke bar with members of the All China Youth Federation. The singing was AWFUL (think Richard Marx and Celine Dione), but we had a blast.

Day 2 -- Let’s Get to Work

Monday, December 8, 2008. This was our first full work day in China. We started the day early at a meeting with the second in command at the China Banking Regulatory Commission. We had a very interesting discussion about how intertwined our economies (U.S. and China) are, especially in this current economic crisis.

Our second meeting was with the head of economic development and planning for Beijing city. He gave us a presentation on the city’s preparations for the Olympics and their plan for managing the costs, maintenance and facilities post-Olympics.

Lunch was with one of the directors of the All China Youth Federation (ACYF) – the Chinese counterpart to our trip sponsor, ACYPL.

After lunch we went shopping at the silk and pearl market. It was a 10 story shopping mall with hundreds of vendors, where bargaining is expected. You can find pretty much anything at the market and you should not pay more than 25-30% of the vendor’s initial asking price.

Our afternoon meeting was with the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This guy is the equivalent of the Deputy Secretary of State in the U.S. It was a very high-level meeting and we were honored that he was able to spend so much time with us, especially as he was also in the middle of a high-level summit with world leaders on the subject of North Korea.

Dinner was a ceremony and reception commemorating the 30-year relationship between ACYPL & ACYF. There were staffers from the U.S. Embassy, ACYF alumni and CCTV, the state TV network, filmed the event and interviewed 2 of our delegates. The story was played on CCTV that night.

Day 1 -- Sightseeing

Sunday, December 7, 2008. Our morning started early Sunday (December 7), but fortunately the only thing on the schedule was sightseeing. We were dragging from the travel and time change, so I was thankful that we didn’t have to start our official meetings until Monday.

ACYPL does a very good job of ensuring that all of its delegations are diverse. This delegation is no exception. We are a group of 4 men and 4 women from 8 different states. We have 4 Republicans (a state senator from Mississippi, a state representative from Tennessee, a government affairs executive from Arkansas and a non-profit foundation executive from Colorado) and 4 Democrats (me, a state senator from Minnesota, a state representative from Vermont and a city commissioner from Dayton, Ohio). This trip has all the makings of a great reality TV show.



Our day started with breakfast at the hotel then a bus trip to the Forbidden City. It’s very cold here right now -- below freezing every day. The air quality is very poor. The haze is constant and the smell of heating coal is thick. It actually burns a little when you breathe.

The Forbidden City was spectacular. Movies and photos cannot capture the magnitude of the compound. The city itself is in varying states of repair. The entrance and exit were magnificent, having recently been refurbished for the Olympics.



After the Forbidden City we headed to the main site for the 2008 Olympic games. We saw the Bird’s Nest, the Swimming Cube and many of the other sights from this August.



After lunch we headed out of the city to the Great Wall. The smog was heavy while we where there, so we couldn’t see far, but it was spectacular nonetheless.



Back to Beijing for dinner, we met with an official from a Chinese government think thank. Dinner was long, as we discussed at length the current economic crisis. Exhausted after a long day we headed back to the hotel for some sleep.

Flee For Your Life Decidedly

When we checked into the hotel in Beijing, I was relieved to find this in my closet. It's called the Fire Fighting Filter Type Self-Saving Breather. Here are the instructions:

1. Take out the fire fighting filter type self-saving breather;

2. Tear at the packing bag of fire fighting filter type self-saving breather;

3. Wear the helmet and pull contractive belt fast;

and clearly the most important instruction:

4. Choose way and flee for your life decidedly.

China 2008

Earlier this year I was selected to participate in a delegation of elected officials on a trip to China with the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). ACYPL is a bipartisan non-profit organization internationally recognized as the pre-eminent catalyst for introducing rising political and policy leaders to international affairs and to each other. Each year, with generous support from the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and a wide range of corporate, foundation and individual partners, ACYPL conducts exchanges with 20-25 countries around the world.

Needless to say, I was extremely excited and honored to accept the nomination to the delegation and I'm currently in China for two weeks.

My journey began when I left Kansas City for Washington, D.C. on December 3. In D.C. I met the rest of the delegation and we attended briefings at the ACYPL office, the U.S. State Department and the Chinese Embassy.

On December 5 we boarded a very slow boat to China and roughly 24 hours later, including plane changes in Detroit and Tokyo, we landed in Beijing.

Smiling faces greeted us at Beijing airport.

China is 14 hours ahead of KC, so when we landed it was late Saturday night, December 6. We boarded a bus and headed to the Beijing International Hotel -- our home for the next 5 nights.