Prezi

The large workload from catching up on the studies I missed while in China, as well as some group presentations, has resulted in a severe lack of blogging. So it is quite fitting that this one is about a school-related tool - Prezi.

Prezi is a presentation platform, available to some extent on-line, and is similar to PowerPoint. But where PowerPoint focusses on a slide-to-slide basis, Prezi only has one image, but allows users to zoom in and out, as well as move around within the image. The user can capture "frames" from the Prezi, and string them together to create a flow of movement in the Prezi, and can thus convey information in this way.

I first stumbled upon Prezi in Denmark, where 5 Asian exchange students used it to present to our class. It turns out that the software is quite common here at CUHK, and is often used as a supplement to PowerPoint. So we decided to try and use it for our group presentation on entrepreneurship in China.

The power of Prezi, relative to PowerPoint, is that it can be used to tell a story. Moving around within an image lets you display some pieces of information, which you can then tie together in a, literally, big picture. Due to this story-telling nature, we decided to record our presentation - effectively making a 10 minute movie.

It was a lot of work, and not much success - our professor rightly criticized our over-ambitiousness regarding our choice of topic, and the movie format meant that it was difficult to deliver our punch lines extremely clearly. Also, 10 minutes is a long time, so a lot on movement was need within the Prezi, and because people didn't know what was coming, they phased out slightly or got bored. We got some innovative points, but one must truly harness the power of the Prezi when attempting such presentations. I guess I am one step closer.

Maglev trains

As opposed to the cultural heritage and lavish old buildings in Beijing, Shanghai is supposed to be experienced at ground level. There is lot of culture, but nothing on the scale of the Forbidden City or the Great Wall. So with one day in Shanghai, I did what any other engineering / physics / speed interested boy would do - took a ride on the Shanghai Maglev train, the fastest commercial train in the world.

Maglev, the name derived from magnetic levitation, is transportation form using magnets to suspend and propel vehicles, rather than use a mechanical method of axels and wheels. The reduced friction means that it is possible to reach high speeds, and the technique has subsequently been adapted various places in the world, notably in Japan.

The Shanghai Maglev Train was built to impress, and in typical Chinese fashion the technology has been used more more for status than for practicality. It links the Pudong airport with Longyang Road metro station, a trip of 30 km, and even though it was built in 2003, it has not been expanded to the rest of the city or between other cities. Plans have continuously been made and put on hold

This journey itself is impressive. The 30 km are completed in under 7½ minutes, with a top speed of a staggering 431 km/h, faster than a F1 car. Tickets cost 50 yuan a piece and they are totally worth the ride. The destination airport is as uninteresting as it gets, but European cities could take note - building an airport out of the town need not be a logistical nightmare.

Finding friends

After a scare on my first day in Shanghai, I decided to stick to myself the following day. My only full day in town, I got up early and wandered towards the metro, picking up classic Shanghai-street food, namely 小笼包 - xiao long bao, translated as soup dumplings - and headed into town.

The main event of the day came in the afternoon (more on other events later), at the Shanghai museum. The beautiful four-story building, with a circular roof symbolizing the ancient Chinese belief that earth is square and heaven is round, is a goldmine of Chinese art, sculptures, statues, paintings, embroidery, calligraphy, poetry, and bronze workings, and is completely free. And it was on the fourth floor that I bumped into a old friend from boarding school that I hadn't seen in 6 years.

Part of a 6-person group from a Danish university conducting a field study of human resources in Shanghai, she was in town with 5 other Danes for the next 8 days. Their research was a collaboration with a Shanghainese university, so they were accompanied by 8 local students. I introduced myself (in rusty Chinese of course), and the freedom to speak their mother tongue was such a pleasure that they invited me to dinner within 3 minutes. I gladly accepted, so I ended up spending the evening having traditional Shanghai cuisine with locals, an old friend, and 5 other Danes for a total of 40 yuan.

After dinner and a stroll on The Bund (the picturesque waterfront area in central Shanghai, located on the banks of the HuangPu River, the final section of the massive Yangtze River before the East China Sea), the students retired for the evening, but the Danes (being Danes), decided to look for a bar. I headed with them, getting a chance to see Shanghai by night, as well as get an insight to an average Danes' view on China (GLOBErs are not average Danes, as they have had 5 months around 15 CUHK students, so they are accustomed to many cultural differences) - especially the lack of equality and democracy in China was remarked upon.

A 1 AM cab took me back to my hostel for measly 12 yuan, giving me a healthy 7 hours before I had to get up and embark on the next leg of my journey, an 850 km train ride west to Wuhan, central China's most populous city and the capital of Hubei province.

Scammed in Shanghai

Leaving my classmates in Beijing and setting off on my own adventure down through China, I have 5 days alone with no language-aid or guide, absorbing culture in Shanghai, Wuhan and Shenzhen. On the very first day, adventure found me.

I have two main goals with these days: Speak as much Mandarin as humanly possible with locals, and get some respondents to a survey created as part of my Chinese Marketing course. So after dumping my bag at the hostel, I set off into the early evening to see what Shanghai had to offer. I brought my Chinese booklet, as well as my surveys, just in case.

Being tall and white brings you a lot of attention, not least people wanting to take photos and sell you stuff. After being polite in Beijing, I decided that in Shanghai I would try to strike up a conversation in order to make the trade fair. So when a young Chinese girl approached me, I asked her to fill out the survey and enthusiastically threw as many Chinese phrases as I knew at her; her name, where she was from, what she was doing, etc. To my surprise, she seemed eager to answer, but as it turned out she studied English, it made more sense (Chinese people love to meet foreigners to practice their English - like my situation).

After 5 minutes, she asked if I wanted to get a cup of coffee, and suddenly alarms started ringing - a friend of mine got scammed for several thousand dollars in Beijing by going out with others and being abandoned at the bar with the tab. On the other hand, I wanted to get to know a local and speak more Chinese, so I fought my paranoia and I accepted. I suggested Starbucks, but she was hesitant for some reason (which only made me more suspicious), but it turned out she was waiting for a friend, who duly arrived 2 minutes later. They were on their way to dinner, and asked if I wanted to join them. I was hungry, but I wasn't keen on paying a lot, so I declined. But they said I shouldn't worry about it, I could keep them with company and have a drink while they ate. So off to a hotpot dinner we went.

If my paranoia was strong before, it was nothing like the feeling I had stepping onto the 7th floor of a down-town Shanghai skyscraper. Images of drugs, brothels, and someone holding my kidneys in a bag flashed through my head as I exited the elevator, but all there was to be seen was a bustling hotpot restaurant. They ordered food, while I helped myself to a beer, and the next 2 hours were spent cooking food and chatting in Chinese / English. The girls had ordered way too much food so they kept offering me some. The aroma of the hotpot was appetizing, so in the end I caved. My paranoia gradually subsided, since I had a firm hold of my bag containing passport, camera, iPod etc, and because I couldn't figure out how these girls could potentially scam me. A trip to the bathroom was the ultimate leap of faith, but there was no cause for concern. That is, until the bill came. I have had hotpot in Hong Kong, which is around 200 HKD all you can eat. So when the 1.600 yuan bill was presented to me, my heart skipped a beat. Their faces said it all - I was supposed to pay for everything. 

I have heard the best thing here is to just pay - things can get nasty if you don't. But I was furious and confused at the same time. These girls were obviously working with the restaurant to scam naive foreigners, but the way they played it out, their conversations with the waiters, and their cover stories were so good that I couldn't shake the final bit of doubt that they might be genuinely expecting the male at the table to pay (not uncommon in many societies). So I said I needed a couple of minutes to think.

First of all, I didn't have that kind of cash. I only brought something like 250 in my jacket, I didn't bring a credit card. So one way or another, I couldn't cover the bill. I turned to the girls, smiles and laughter wiped from my face, and said that this was not my bill alone. I didn't order it, I never agreed to pay for it, and I was not going to cover their share. At this point any "face" (social status) I might have had disappeared, and it was clear I was nothing to them any more - a cost I was more than willing to endure to get me out of this mess. They said that Chinese culture was different, that we had talked about the role of the male in the their culture, that they were just students etc, but I was immune to that. I was not going to be sweet-talked to pay for these girls.

Things escalated when the waitress returned, flanked by a guard and another mean-looking lady. They used hard words, saying that I had to pay for what I had eaten, and they looked thoroughly unpleasant. I could not do anything but say I could go to the hostel and pick up some money and come back, but I covered my back by lying about having friends waiting for me and not having a credit card that worked in China. The waitress accepted this solution and said that the staff would escort me back to the hostel and get the money. Damn - the last thing I wanted was them knowing where I lived and getting a hold of my belongings.

I blurted out that I only had 500 yuan in cash. Hotel had been paid for on-line, my friends were not in Shanghai yet, and my phone did not work in China so I could not get them to pay for me; it was impossible for me to cover the costs alone. I lied through my teeth, and half-expecting the waitress to take the remaining value in human flesh, one of the girls said she could call a friend who would pay the remaining 1000 or so. I looked at the waitress and her mean colleagues and asked if a total of 700 was a fair deal from my part. I sighed with relief as she reluctantly nodded, and before I knew it I was being escorted to my hotel by the guard and one of the girls. At my hotel I darted into my room, pulled out 500 (which was far from everything I had on me), and went back outside to pay the man. 2 seconds later and they were heading off down the road, my heart still racing.

After all is said and done, I couldn't help but laugh. I had had 2 beers, a glass of wine, a full hotpot dinner at a nice restaurant, and 3 hours of free Chinese tuition. I had also been set up and I fought my way out of it by the skin of my teeth. I probably also ate for more than the two girls combined in the end, so my share of 700 yuan probably isn't that unreasonable (joke), but compared to a Hong Kong night out and the stories it gives me, it was almost worth it. Almost.

China

Seeing as Hong Kong is bordering mainland China, the impetus to explore this great country has only gotten stronger since my arrival. After spending the last 4 days doing nothing but studying ahead in my courses (hence no blogging), tonight I embark on a 9 day trip of one of the most intriguing countries in the world.

Where to start? China's spot in the international limelight has only increased with the opening up of its economy under Deng Xiaopeng following the death of chairman Mao in 1976. Since then it hasn't looked back, and in 2009 it became the largest market for passenger cars in the world. In 2010 it had the worlds largest manufacturing output, which now accounts for 20% of the global total. The image of China in the West, mostly bashed for its one-party system and intervening government, as well as its unpopular policies for not letting its currency float or its stance on human rights, is mainly one of ignorant fear - what is China, and what are they capable of?

However, China is much more than an economy. With a land area of 9,5 million square kilometers, it is only slightly smaller than the United States of America. Its geography is perhaps even more diverse, with the Gobi desert and harsh climate of Mongolia in the North-West, the Himalaya's to the South West, the rugged forested region of South Central (Sichuan province, home of the Giant Panda), the central basins settled around the Yangzi and the Yellow rivers, and the flatter, more prosperous regions on the Eastern coast. Chinese dynestical history spans more than 4000 years, and from the rise of the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C, imperial China would last over 2000 years till 1911. Arguably the most advanced nation in the world before the Enlightenment, China invented paper-making, the compas, and printing, as well having utilized gunpower-inventions by the 10th Century.

Having spent a brief time learning about Chinese history, several interesting topics surface. Trade with Europe was not something which China wanted, but the outrageous demand for spices, silk, and porcelain from Europe meant the China allowed some trade. The Macartney embassy from England's King George III in 1793 to open up more trade ports, ease restrictions on trade quantities, and establish a permanent embassy in Beijing was seen as an unacceptable demand and refused, marking the start of strained relations between the two nations which ultimately led to the Opium Wars.

Another factor in history is stability. China's size has meant it has been virtually impossible to sustain peace. Chinese history is littered with wars, blood feuds, raids from the North, and civil uprising. European history can relate, with the downfall of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, the implosion of the Holy roman Empire into fragmented houses such as the Habsburgs, the demise of seafaring nations such as Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as the decline of influence for empires such as England, France and Russia. Even America, applauded for its muliculturalism, is only some 250 years old, and was founded on the promise of individual freedom, alliviating freuds concerning politics and family status, and the vast amount of space meant conflicts were limited.
China has realized the effect of war on its country, and as such pursues stability before all else, notably the rights of the individual (something the Americans especially oppose) and self-sustainability in the international community (a huge strategic advantage).

The lure of this journey has been Beijing, apparently one can spend weeks there and not get bored. It boasts the Forbidden City, Mao's maosoleum, the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square, just to name a few, but I can only afford to spend 5 days there. Then the idea is to travel south to Shanghai on the high-speed train, spend a couple of days there, and then work my way inland to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, a large inland port city (some 10 million citizens) on the Yangzi river. Finally, a long over-night train will get me back down to Shenzhen and across the border.

Graduation

Although they do not graduate till November, most local undergraduates in their final year have received their graduation gowns.

Like many other traditions, graduation outfits have been heavily influenced by their British counterparts. The gown is black, except for a colourful v-shaped line extending from the shoulders towards solar plexus. The colour indicates the student's college, with orange representing Morningside, red representing New Asia etc. The outfit is completed by a traditional square academic cap (otherwise known as a mortarboard).

However, the traditions seem to stop here. Graduation photos are taken as soon as possible, so on a cold, grey, hazy Sunday, enclaves of Asians patrol around campus to take as many photos as humanly possible. These groups not only consist of the graduating student and parents, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and even friends, all bringing flowers and gifts. A really odd tradition is to have a doll / stuffed animal, dressed in graduation robes, accompanying the student on every photo. This is in stark contrast to Denmark, where the symbol of graduation is only donned once one actually graduates - wearing it earlier is considered bad luck.

This provides a brief glimpse of the importance of education. University is by no means free (like in Denmark or Scotland), and with the competition for jobs in such a crowded city, University degrees really count for something - not just interesting / well-paid jobs, but any job at all. The attendance of so many relatives underlines this fact. However, the uncertainty of employment after graduation also pressurizes students to perform, and the achievement of completing University marks the end of a long and stressful period for the student, as a result of high expectations from family members.

Graduation here is often followed by employment, like in the United States, whereas Danes are expected to complete a Master's Degree before firms will consider them potential applicants. That is the realization that dawns, as I head back to my room to complete a heavy load of studying before I head for China's capital on Wednesday.

Family life

During a hectic week which included my birthday, I was glad to be invited back to a CUHK student's family to have dinner.

Located on the 8th floor of a skyscraper some 5 minute walk from the Choi Hung MTR station in Kowloon, the apartment had a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and 2 bed rooms, with the total size being no greater than 50 square meters. It was the home of my friend's grandparents, and we were 9 people for dinner - 2 fellow foreign students, my CUHK friend, her grand parents, parents, the mother's sister, and myself.

The food was delicious; we had curry fish balls, steamed fish, a Chinese variant of spinach, chicken wings, scrambled egg and tomato, and pumpkin soup. But the best thing was to gain an insight into the living facilities of a Hong Kong family and how it is structured.

Firstly, it is common for both parents to work full-time. A side effect of Chairman Mao's policies is the idea that all people are equal contributors to society, effectively removing any disparity from gender. Thus, my CUHK friend, along with her cousin, was raised by her grandparents, giving her an almost equally strong bond with that generation as that to her parents.

Second, the lack of space to expand means that the space is fully utilized. This is most visible in the kitchen, which contains a lot of cooking utensils and cutlery, but almost no stock of fresh food. The lack of space makes storage of food impossible, so daily visits will be made to the market places (which are thus nearby and always open).

We also managed to ask about Chinese television, the upcoming Hong Kong election, the 10 foot tall red shrine located in the middle of the room, the legality of shark fin soup and grandma's best recipes. A perfect break from studying - some things cannot be learned in a book.

Exchange buddies

One thing about exchange is that you often are out of your home country alone, and are therefore eager to get to know new people. Universities often accommodate this need by matching up local students / full time exchange students with newcomers. Even though I am on GLOBE and thus have 15 local students whom I already know, I signed up and was matched with a geology student from mainland China studying in Hong Kong fulltime.

One of the best things about exchange buddies is that you not only get to see the same experience you're having from a different perspective, but you also have someone to share said experiences with. Ahead of my 10 day trip to Beijing, it is also great to get some first-hand dos and don'ts, such as where to stay, what trains to get, and how to prioritize precious time.

Another form of exchange buddy here at CUHK is language exchange, something my Danish friend is very keen on. He is taking more advanced Mandarin classes, and so can actually structure a sentence. He has 3-4 people whohe meets up with once in a while, and they basically run over his homework. For them, they get to speak English with somebody fluent, and get an insight into his life (I also thought that was a skewed trade-off), but they love it. Peculiar.

I don't have the skills to converse in Mandarin (yet!), as my trip to China will demonstrate, so my exchange buddy and I bond over common interests such as food and sport: Today was a my first badminton rally for probably 3 years.

Midterms

After my parents left Hong Kong, there were mid terms rapidly approaching, so for the last week, every day has been studying (hence the lack of blog updates). The weather has been cold and humid, classes have been intense, and finding motivation to actually put in hard work after 2 months of culture and travelling was much harder than anticipated.

Midterms are a curious idea. I normally do not have them in Denmark, as my classes are quarter based, rather than semester based. This means I have one final exam, counting 100% of my grade. In Hong Kong, where courses take a whole semester, midterms count for 25 - 35% of the final grade. However, the difficulty, extent, and grade percentage are all subject to the individual professor / department, and not all classes have mid terms (for example our two GLOBE classes). This means that most of the American students (due to the courses they are taking) do not have any midterms, while the Danes and the CUHK students do. I had 3.

Midterms are great in my opinion, because they force you to actually study your material intensely, and it gives the professor a good idea of how up to speed his / her students are. So basically it is what is required to break the habit of lazing about, which is what most exchange students do (relative to home, definitely). It also provides one with the satisfaction of having attained some new knowledge, and reignites the pleasure of learning.

So it is peculiar then that the midterms are not based upon the text books or lecture slides. Of course there is an overlap, but over 20% of all my midterms have been on topics similar, but not identical, to my courses. For example econometrics had questions on algebra, calculus and statistics. It forces one to think outside the box, but it also gives midterms a sense of randomness, since preparing for them doesn't give you a knowledge base to completely cover the questions.

At the end of the day, it feels nice it is over. Now it is important to keep the motivation and fully utilize the time left. A task becoming much easier with the warm sunny days ahead!