In a little less than two months, I will be spending 18 days traveling in China with a group of my MBA classmates. The trip has been in the works for some time, and was one of the main reasons I choose the program early last year. Originally billed as a “business tour” of many different China-based businesses, it has taken on a much broader scope.

We have been spending a considerable amount of time this quarter, and a little less so last quarter, attending lectures and completing homework on top of our regular class schedule. While I originally anticipated the extra workload, I didn’t expect the quality of pre-trip classes to be as high as they have been. While some of the lectures clearly stand out above others, all of them have been informative and very useful. Further, the scope of the lectures has been broad, spanning Chinese history, panel discussions with entrepreneurs, and talks by businesspeople who have experience working in multinationals located or doing business in China.

Candidly, I was concerned that the majority of the trip, as well as the class lectures or discussions, would be dominated by a business-centric ‘get in there now and make as much money as possible’ ideal. This has not been the case, though I feel that the push for deeper content is coming more from the students and professors then from some of the more business-oriented speakers we have heard from. Obviously, this is to be expected from businesses executives and our more academic presenters have certainly imbued us with content other than money, how to finagle your way through the red tape, and… money again.

I am fascinated by China from so many different angles: history, ideology and philosophy, economic, politics, culture, etc. While I have traveled in Asia before (I had a two-week stint in South Korea a few years ago), I still feel very isolated from what to expect. I think the sentiment is due partly to the fact that it feels like the US is more or less holed up in a giant bubble that perceives itself to be the world’s fulcrum (and California seems to be contained in yet another bubble…as is the Central Coast), but perhaps also due to the fact that until a few years ago, China didn’t get the exposure it now commands (at least in the US). It seems improbable today to pick up a newspaper business section and not see at least a handful of stories on China.

Interestingly enough, China’s recent surge is just a drop in the bucket in the country’s rich history. During one of our class lectures, Dr. Morris (history professor) made a very compelling point that has stuck with me: While the US has dominated the global economy for the past 40 years, China did so for over 2000. The past 150 years in China’s long history are kind of like a speed bump, and while the US has enjoyed sitting at the top for a stint, China feels a bit more at home up there. After reflecting for a bit from this new perspective, I think the Western spin on China’s current “surge” is somewhat arrogant. China isn’t, “just getting started,” and while I keep hearing that Chinese businesses could benefit from adopting many of the corporate practices and business standards of the US and Europe, I can’t help but think that we have a much deeper need to learn various things from China.

At the same time, I am very concerned with a slew of issues that seem to run rampant in the name of profits and lack of care, namely sweatshop labor, disregard for the environment, and political oppression. What is difficult, though, is keeping an eye on such concerns while being inundated with pro-China capitalistic jabber. The press is full of it, as are most of the business books that have come out about China in the past few years.

The dichotomy between my fascination with the country and my distaste for her darker realities has created a large number of questions and frustrations for me. As the trip draws nearer, I hope to have found the answers to some of those questions, and similarly have reduced some of my frustrations. I imagine that the trip will really open my eyes to some of the things I am struggling with as well as inevitably creating even more questions. I am truly looking forward to the experience.

TAGS: Business | MBA | Cal Poly | China

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