The past two weeks have been a whirlwind aka Ivey’s China Study Trip! We started off in Beijing two weeks ago where we met several distinguished Ivey Alumni, enjoyed traditional Chinese fare (including delicious Peking Duck) and took part in a cultural plunge. The cultural plunge was an extremely fun day. We travelled around Beijing in groups of 4 going to different places to complete tasks which included doing tai chi, dancing in the park, and learning Peking Opera. It was a fun filled day which really helped us immerse ourselves in Chinese culture. In Beijing we also had the chance to visit The Great Wall of China which was an incredible site.
The next stop on our trip was Shanghai. I knew that Shanghai was one of the biggest cities in China and a hub for many businesses so I expected a developed and modern city, but it was so much more. There are skyscrapers for as far as the eye can see and it is as modern a city as Toronto or New York. Did you know that in Shanghai a sky scraper gets completed every day?! The city also comes alive at night, the city literally lights up and there is no shortage of things to do. While in Shanghai we had the opportunity to meet business students from one of the top business school in China, Tsinghua University, and we met several Ivey alumni who gave us presentations on best practices to consider when starting up a business in China and the Shanghai real estate market. We also spent a day at the World Expo, which is a sight to be seen! There were dozens of pavilions spread out over 5 kilometers, we tried to see as much as we could in one day, we could have been there for a week and still not seen everything! My favorite pavilion by far was the Canadian Pavillion which had a looping video featuring Canadian Landscapes and people as well as different displays featuring the diversity of Canada. One on my favorite moments was when my classmate became part of the exhibit. He was wearing a shirt that said Canada on it, and everyone wanted to take pictures with him. The Canadian pavilion featured a real live Canadian!
Then we were off to Shenzhen, where we visited Flextronics, one of the largest computer parts manufacturers in the world. We also had the opportunity to meet an innovative Chinese fashion designer and had a chance to go shopping at the Loo Wu shopping center where we purchased only authentic designer merchandise ;). Before leaving Shenzhen we visited the port which is one of the largest in the world. The port was certainly impressive, it was massive, yet seemed very efficient.
The last stop on our trip was Hong Kong. In Hong Kong we got to see Ivey’s Campus, which is located in the heart of the city at the convention center. The Ivey classrooms have a spectacular view of Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong we had several Ivey Alum present on entrepreneurship, finance, and consulting in Asia. We got to end our trip on an extremely high note. Canada’s Consulate General in Hong Kong, Ms. Doreen Steidle was throwing a reception to recognize Dean Stephenson for being awarded the Order of Canada. She was kind enough to invite all of us to her house for the reception. Besides getting to meet the Consulate General and honor our dean, we had the chance to meet many Ivey Alumni who have established themselves in Asia. It was a great event and a great way to end our trip.
Having never been to China before, the China Study Trip was an eye opening experience and gave me a great appreciation for the country. You read about how China is growing at a rapid rate and its strong infrastructure but it is hard to appreciate what that really means until you see if for yourself.
Shanti Suppiah graduated from the University of Guelph, with a Bachelor of Honors in Economics. Prior to pursuing her MBA at Ivey, Shanti worked as an Investigator at the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments. Shanti is the Co-president of Ivey’s Women in Management Club as well as Ivey’s Culinary Club. Outside of the Ivey Program, Shanti enjoys, reading, travelling and the culinary arts.