Thursday, China

Follow the Culpeper Business Blog as President, Jim Charapich visits China March 17-21. This unique opportunity was made availalbe through ACCE American Chamber of Commerce Executives.  He will be visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou.  Reporting to us via this blog as he meets and hears from some U.S. executives and Chinese authorities about doing business with China. 

Finally a good nights sleep.the guide said that we do a 12 day itinerary in 9 days. I believe it. Breakfast at 7 and back up to the room to take advantage of the broadband that I bought. The best broadband wireless so far -$12 / day. Used skype to call home with my phone on airline mode and Skyped thru the wireless internet mobile app. Free international calls. Nice!!.
The bus that we used yesterday did not quite have enough space for the luggage. China solution... Larger bus today. Large is good in city traffic with bikes and mopeds everywhere? Seems a bit like New York city traffic. I would not want to rent a car and go it alone. The tour and guide are a necessity, especially for the novice China traveler.

First stop today Souzhou Lingering Gardens. An arts and cultural center of commerce in China. The Chinese place a high value on stone art. This garden had a combination of large stones, ponds, trees, and blooming trees. It is early spring in Souzhou. The trees are just beginning to flower. The garden maze concluded with a bonsai tree garden.

Next we traveled to the silk factory / outlet. There is a demonstration of removing the silk from the cocoon.We were shown the stages of the silk process. Later we were able to buy various 100% silk products. We had lunch at the silk outlet, buffet this tim, no lazy susan.

Trying to ask for information about things that I see to locals. They smile and look at me and then just look down.... No more discussion... Funny. I occasionally find a group laughing at me for taking pictures of everything. I saw a large jar full of liquid with a snake in it. Rather well preserved. There were other large jars with things in it that were preserved. I could not tell what they were.. This was at the entrance to the restaurant. I took pictures.

Back onto the bus and onto Hangzhou the next town. Were are to meet the Vice Mayor of Hangzhou at dinner tonight.

General thoughts of this trip. First, this trip is a demystification. Sometime we fear what we do not know. I can say that my experience in China has been excellent so far. Again this is largely due to the tour company. I get the impression that they know the right people to give us favorable access to places

Tonite we went to dinner at the world trade center on Hangzhou. We had dinner with several dignitaries involved in economic development. It is obviously very important to have a Chamber of Commerce. The Vice Mayor attended the meeting and spoke to us about the economic development opportunities in Hangzhou.

The presentation could not have been more impressive. They entertained approximately 50 of us and are very interested in the Chambers of Commerce and their role in "bridging opportunity" for business development. I was selected to sit at the head table with the dignitaries. It was a true experience. Much like a state dinner must be at the White House. Perfectly tended too with a menu that was the best so far. I love Hangzhou.