In my preparations to head to China, I had a long list of preconceived notions about the country that influenced both my excitement and my fears about the experience. I am happy to say that, having been back from China for a few weeks now, many of my fears were nothing to worry about, and many of my excited expectations were outdone.
One of the most valuable things I took away from the trip was the geographical and cultural diversity across China, something which I learned from the stark differences between the places we visited across the trip from Beijing to Suzhou to Shanghai. The landscape of these different locations was very different in terms of industrialization, culture, modernization, and more. These differences were further complimented by the differences in the operations of the companies we visited across the trip. Beijing as a political center was very different from Tianjin as an industrial center, which was very different from Shanghai as a very ‘western’ city. These company visits also provided valuable insight into the political and economic climate of China, along with interesting information about their specific industries and operations.
Another thing I enjoyed along the trip was the variety of historical site visits. All of them, from the Great Wall to the various elaborate gardens offered both natural beauty and history to appreciate. I enjoyed the various hikes provided by simply exploring ancient structures, and the interesting ancient Chinese architecture. While company visits and exploring the cities allowed me to better understand the China of today, it was these visits which gave me an understanding of the China of yesterday. The great views, photo-ops, and in some cases markets that accompanied these sites made it even better.
However, I would have not gotten half as much out of these experiences if not for being able to experience them along with everyone else on the trip. The variety of perspectives across the entire group allowed me to learn a lot more from every activity, whether from students of Chinese background, or students familiar with different fields of engineering than my own. Every facet of the trip was made better by the stellar company of the rest of Class XXIV.
Altogether, the trip has been one of the most valuable trips I have taken, and I will remember it fondly. I came out of it with a lot of great friends and memories, along with the most important thing, a much better competency with chopsticks.
Hoeft T&M Class 24: China Immersion 