Beijing, China
Photo of Chairman Mao Zedong in front of Forbidden City in Beijing
Friday, March 16, 2012
Friday, March 16
All travelers have arrived safely in Detroit and should be landing in Sioux Falls at 8:42 this evening.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thursday, March 15
Today we made our great trek to Hong Kong. It took about two and a half hours to make our way to the customs area on a bus where we had to unpack our luggage again and cram through lines of people to get our passports stamped to enter into the city. Hong Kong is under China's control now, but it is still run as its own city state, very similar to how it was under British control. It was given back to China by the UK in 1997 and is home to six million people and has 260 islands.
After leaving the customs area we headed across Shengzeng Bay where we saw many floating pods which were used for fishing for oysters. Our guide Randy informed us that years ago, people would try to swim across the bay to get to Hong Kong and would be killed if they got caught.
After ariving in Hong Kong we ate lunch at a local restaurant and then headed towards the Victoria mountain. The road was extremely steep and winding but was totally worth the drive when we reached the top and saw the amazing view. Victoria Peak is 552 meters above sea level making it the highest point in Hong Kong. We had about an hour to walk around and see the sights before heading back down the road to head to our next stop.
What spring break to China would be complete without a stop at the beach, in Hong Kong? Our last stop was at a beach where we looked at the many statues they had. A few of the main statues we looked at were of the protecter fisherman that was called Kuan Yin and the God of Wealth. Many of us kicked off our boots and shoes and then spent a fun half hour walking on the beach and playing in the water. After the beach, we checked into our hotel and then headed out to exlore the sights of Hong Kong on our last free night of our trip. Many people found good places to eat and walked through the "Time Square" of Hong Kong.
Everyone had an amazing experience in China and learned many interesting facts about their agriculture industry and enjoyed the sight seeing. In the morning we will pack our bags to fly home to share even more stories and pictures of our travels.
After leaving the customs area we headed across Shengzeng Bay where we saw many floating pods which were used for fishing for oysters. Our guide Randy informed us that years ago, people would try to swim across the bay to get to Hong Kong and would be killed if they got caught.
After ariving in Hong Kong we ate lunch at a local restaurant and then headed towards the Victoria mountain. The road was extremely steep and winding but was totally worth the drive when we reached the top and saw the amazing view. Victoria Peak is 552 meters above sea level making it the highest point in Hong Kong. We had about an hour to walk around and see the sights before heading back down the road to head to our next stop.
What spring break to China would be complete without a stop at the beach, in Hong Kong? Our last stop was at a beach where we looked at the many statues they had. A few of the main statues we looked at were of the protecter fisherman that was called Kuan Yin and the God of Wealth. Many of us kicked off our boots and shoes and then spent a fun half hour walking on the beach and playing in the water. After the beach, we checked into our hotel and then headed out to exlore the sights of Hong Kong on our last free night of our trip. Many people found good places to eat and walked through the "Time Square" of Hong Kong.
Everyone had an amazing experience in China and learned many interesting facts about their agriculture industry and enjoyed the sight seeing. In the morning we will pack our bags to fly home to share even more stories and pictures of our travels.
Wednesday, March 14
Today our day began with visiting the Guangzhou Aqua Products Market (wet market). This market consisted of fresh meat and seafood. The majority of products consisted of various types of seafood, such as many species of clams, crabs, lobster, squid, fish, eels, snakes, turtles, shrimp, sea urchins, and other products such as beef, reticulum, crocodile, scorpions, and more. As we wandered around the market looking at all the fresh product, many people smiled and said hello to us. We soon realized that they call it a wet market not due to the fresh moist meat, but to the fact that water was flowing through the walk ways and across the street. Most of the seafood was kept fresh in large fish tanks. Then when a purchase is made, the fish is caught by a wooden handmade net, tossed into a plasitc bag, then filled with a small amount of water and blown up with air, just like purchasing a fish at a pet shop. The fish in the tanks were continuosly being rotated to other tanks and the water was being flushed out and emptied into the drain. The busiest time at the market is overnight. This is due to restaurant coming to buy raw product for the following business day. It puts an entirely new spin on buying local and knowing where your food comes from. This market is open 24 hrs/day, and 500 tons of fish/seafood are sold here EVERY day!
For our next stop, we went to the Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegtable Market, which is the third largest in China. Much activity was going on in this market with hundreds of locals buying and selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Our group first toured the fruit building which resembled a large concrete factory stocked full of every fruit imaginable. Fruit types ranging from apples and oranges to Chinese dragon fruit. Dragon fruit was like nothing I have every seen before in terms of edible foods. It resembled a fruit that would be seen in a scifi movie with its purplish pink body and green like arms emerging from its body. Upon touring the first fruit market building, our group journeyed on over to the imported fruit building. This place was extremely hectic with forklifts speeding around everywhere moving large crates of fruits from places such as California, Wahsington State, and Peru. It takes approximetly fifteen days for fruit to be picked and shipped from California to Guangzhou, China. From Guangzhou, this produce moves throughout inland China. The cost of the fruit imported from America is typically much higher than the domestically grown produce.
After visiting the fruit section, we walked down the busy streets to stop by the vegetable building. The vegetable market was again a large building very comparable to the fruit market, but stuffed full of corn, onions, potatoes, green beans, etc. Large semi trucks brought loads of vegetables in to be then sold by the many vendors. There seemed to be relatively few buyers around the market despite the commotion all around. More than likely there is a difference between suppliers; or rather the buyers likely have a reason for buying from one over another. But to outsiders it seemed rather inefficient to have so many sellers in one location offering the same product. After the visit to these two markets it is easy to see why the Chinese eat so many more fruits and vegetables than Americans: there is a readily available supply of diverse produce all at a lower price than in America. Also, 1,000 tons of fresh produce are sold every day, and then moved throughout China.
In the afternoon we visited the Chen Family House. It is the former residence of the influential and wealthy Chen Family here in Guanzhou. It was used as both a school for family members and other wealthy people as well as a residence for visiting friends and family. The architecture and artwork on the buildings was very ornate and highly detailed. It was in very good condition and well maintained. It is currently utilized as an art museum. The types of art include carved ivory, bone, and wooden figurines, animals, and scenes of China. The whole house and grounds were highly landscaped with many types of trees, shrubery, and bushes. It was so quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.
After visitng the house, we walked around downtown Guangzhou. The streets were filled with people shopping, eating, and walking around. There were many many stores with American fashions and many garments that had English writing on them. There were so many people and it was so crowded. Dr. Dan Gee and Denny Everson treated our whole tour group to Blizzards at McDonalds. It was delicous because alot of people are missing home and American food, so ice cream really hit the spot. Thank you Dr. Gee and Denny!
As the day went on, we ate dinner at a nice restuarant and then headed to the river for our boat ride. After waiting in line for a short period, we boarded the river boat and headed down the river. The boat was lit up with many lights and we traveled down the Pearl River. There were so many beautiful sights to see including brightly lit skyscrapers and bridges. Everyone had a great time but we are all exhausted from the adventures of today. Tomorrow we have a long day of travel of head of us. Best Wishes, The South Dakota State Unviersity 2012 China Travel Tour.
For our next stop, we went to the Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegtable Market, which is the third largest in China. Much activity was going on in this market with hundreds of locals buying and selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Our group first toured the fruit building which resembled a large concrete factory stocked full of every fruit imaginable. Fruit types ranging from apples and oranges to Chinese dragon fruit. Dragon fruit was like nothing I have every seen before in terms of edible foods. It resembled a fruit that would be seen in a scifi movie with its purplish pink body and green like arms emerging from its body. Upon touring the first fruit market building, our group journeyed on over to the imported fruit building. This place was extremely hectic with forklifts speeding around everywhere moving large crates of fruits from places such as California, Wahsington State, and Peru. It takes approximetly fifteen days for fruit to be picked and shipped from California to Guangzhou, China. From Guangzhou, this produce moves throughout inland China. The cost of the fruit imported from America is typically much higher than the domestically grown produce.
After visiting the fruit section, we walked down the busy streets to stop by the vegetable building. The vegetable market was again a large building very comparable to the fruit market, but stuffed full of corn, onions, potatoes, green beans, etc. Large semi trucks brought loads of vegetables in to be then sold by the many vendors. There seemed to be relatively few buyers around the market despite the commotion all around. More than likely there is a difference between suppliers; or rather the buyers likely have a reason for buying from one over another. But to outsiders it seemed rather inefficient to have so many sellers in one location offering the same product. After the visit to these two markets it is easy to see why the Chinese eat so many more fruits and vegetables than Americans: there is a readily available supply of diverse produce all at a lower price than in America. Also, 1,000 tons of fresh produce are sold every day, and then moved throughout China.
In the afternoon we visited the Chen Family House. It is the former residence of the influential and wealthy Chen Family here in Guanzhou. It was used as both a school for family members and other wealthy people as well as a residence for visiting friends and family. The architecture and artwork on the buildings was very ornate and highly detailed. It was in very good condition and well maintained. It is currently utilized as an art museum. The types of art include carved ivory, bone, and wooden figurines, animals, and scenes of China. The whole house and grounds were highly landscaped with many types of trees, shrubery, and bushes. It was so quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.
After visitng the house, we walked around downtown Guangzhou. The streets were filled with people shopping, eating, and walking around. There were many many stores with American fashions and many garments that had English writing on them. There were so many people and it was so crowded. Dr. Dan Gee and Denny Everson treated our whole tour group to Blizzards at McDonalds. It was delicous because alot of people are missing home and American food, so ice cream really hit the spot. Thank you Dr. Gee and Denny!
As the day went on, we ate dinner at a nice restuarant and then headed to the river for our boat ride. After waiting in line for a short period, we boarded the river boat and headed down the river. The boat was lit up with many lights and we traveled down the Pearl River. There were so many beautiful sights to see including brightly lit skyscrapers and bridges. Everyone had a great time but we are all exhausted from the adventures of today. Tomorrow we have a long day of travel of head of us. Best Wishes, The South Dakota State Unviersity 2012 China Travel Tour.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, March 13
Another day in China and another journey to the "smaller" city of Zhongshan (2 Million people). This particular city specializes in production of household goods and furniture. Being only an hour away from the ocean, the weather has been subtropical but breezy and cooler today. We hear it is nice in South Dakota so we have been a little jealous while dealing with cooler conditions here.
Our first stop of the day took us to Zhongshan Foodstuffs Imp & Exp Co. LTD of Guangddong. This is a large corporation consisting of several different entities. Their company includes a large pig farm, pigeon farm, chicken farm, pharmaceutical plant, and a feed mill. They generally can market up to 1.3 million pigeons, 600,000 chickens, and over 200,000 hogs in a given year. Although we did not get to visit any of the facilities, we got the opportunity to discuss their operations with the company's CEO and top delegates within each division. Last year this company brought in $150 million yuan in corporate revenue which is equivalent to about 24 million dollars in the U.S. Most of the company's products are sold into areas of Guangzhou, Macao, and Hong Kong. One of the most interesting facts is the fact that they face the same challenges with PRRS and they do not have problems with PSE. They also do not have issues with animal activists in China like we have in the United States. They were surprised to hear that people make that big of a deal about animal welfare when there are so many people to feed in the world.
After we finished our visit with Zhongshan Foodstuff we went and ate a specialty lunch consisting of pigeon, fish balls, a type of specialty fish, a rice ball that tasted somewhat like funnel cake, pork strips, chinese pork ribs, broccoli, and pinneapple filled bread. It was very interesting!
During the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit an aquaculture farm. This farm specializes in aquatic sales, breeding, and processing of fresh water fish, mainly Grass Carp. They operate 260 acres worth of aquaculture farms over 19 sites in this area. The main facility has stations to monitor the pH, temperature, and oxygen concentration of the ponds constantly and have a laboratory to analyze diseases or illnesses in the fish. Yearly revenue for this particular company is 500 million US dollars. Exporting over 5000 tons of canned fish and 8000 tons of frozen fish every year it could be seen that this area of China is the leading producer of fresh water fish products in the world. This company's products are sold around the world, inluding the US, with a target market in Hong Kong and Macao. Harvest occurs by mass netting in their large fish ponds and restocking/harvesting happens up to three times a year. Average weight for a market fish is approximately 2.5 kg with weights varying upon customer preference. To achieve market weight the fish are fed mainly grass but also a pelleted mix at 25-30% protein that includes fish meal and soybean meal. Vaccinations against diseases are actually common on aquaculture farms with injections given in the back muscle of the fish. This farm vaccinated for the three most common types of diseases associated with fish. One question we had for the delegates present was how are people taught to mangage an operation such as this and where does reasearch and education take place? We were surprised to hear that there are three aquaculture universities in China. One unique thing about this company is that they have been developing a new product through research and development, called Crispy Grass Carp. This product changes the fish's meat texture from tender to crispy. We were surprised to find that this is the type of fish that we had for lunch.
It was a very interesting day since we had the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of Chinese agriculture. With most of us from crop and livestock farms, it was very new for most of us to learn about aquaculture and it's impact in Chinese agriculture. This was also interesting to us because fish is not as common of a food as beef and pork in the US, especially Carp. Tonight we will get to relax and enjoy a free night in Guangzho. Many people are looking forward to eating KFC, McDonalds or Pizza Hut, which will be a vast change from the traditional Chinese foods we've been eating.
Tomorrow brings another adventure and another fascinating aspect of China's agriculture. We thank you again for reading and look forward to filling you in on tomorrows endeavors!
SDSU Agricultural China Tour
Our first stop of the day took us to Zhongshan Foodstuffs Imp & Exp Co. LTD of Guangddong. This is a large corporation consisting of several different entities. Their company includes a large pig farm, pigeon farm, chicken farm, pharmaceutical plant, and a feed mill. They generally can market up to 1.3 million pigeons, 600,000 chickens, and over 200,000 hogs in a given year. Although we did not get to visit any of the facilities, we got the opportunity to discuss their operations with the company's CEO and top delegates within each division. Last year this company brought in $150 million yuan in corporate revenue which is equivalent to about 24 million dollars in the U.S. Most of the company's products are sold into areas of Guangzhou, Macao, and Hong Kong. One of the most interesting facts is the fact that they face the same challenges with PRRS and they do not have problems with PSE. They also do not have issues with animal activists in China like we have in the United States. They were surprised to hear that people make that big of a deal about animal welfare when there are so many people to feed in the world.
After we finished our visit with Zhongshan Foodstuff we went and ate a specialty lunch consisting of pigeon, fish balls, a type of specialty fish, a rice ball that tasted somewhat like funnel cake, pork strips, chinese pork ribs, broccoli, and pinneapple filled bread. It was very interesting!
During the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit an aquaculture farm. This farm specializes in aquatic sales, breeding, and processing of fresh water fish, mainly Grass Carp. They operate 260 acres worth of aquaculture farms over 19 sites in this area. The main facility has stations to monitor the pH, temperature, and oxygen concentration of the ponds constantly and have a laboratory to analyze diseases or illnesses in the fish. Yearly revenue for this particular company is 500 million US dollars. Exporting over 5000 tons of canned fish and 8000 tons of frozen fish every year it could be seen that this area of China is the leading producer of fresh water fish products in the world. This company's products are sold around the world, inluding the US, with a target market in Hong Kong and Macao. Harvest occurs by mass netting in their large fish ponds and restocking/harvesting happens up to three times a year. Average weight for a market fish is approximately 2.5 kg with weights varying upon customer preference. To achieve market weight the fish are fed mainly grass but also a pelleted mix at 25-30% protein that includes fish meal and soybean meal. Vaccinations against diseases are actually common on aquaculture farms with injections given in the back muscle of the fish. This farm vaccinated for the three most common types of diseases associated with fish. One question we had for the delegates present was how are people taught to mangage an operation such as this and where does reasearch and education take place? We were surprised to hear that there are three aquaculture universities in China. One unique thing about this company is that they have been developing a new product through research and development, called Crispy Grass Carp. This product changes the fish's meat texture from tender to crispy. We were surprised to find that this is the type of fish that we had for lunch.
It was a very interesting day since we had the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of Chinese agriculture. With most of us from crop and livestock farms, it was very new for most of us to learn about aquaculture and it's impact in Chinese agriculture. This was also interesting to us because fish is not as common of a food as beef and pork in the US, especially Carp. Tonight we will get to relax and enjoy a free night in Guangzho. Many people are looking forward to eating KFC, McDonalds or Pizza Hut, which will be a vast change from the traditional Chinese foods we've been eating.
Tomorrow brings another adventure and another fascinating aspect of China's agriculture. We thank you again for reading and look forward to filling you in on tomorrows endeavors!
SDSU Agricultural China Tour
Monday, March 12, 2012
Monday, March 12
Today we spent our first day in the city of goats, or more commonly known as Guangzhou, a city of 18 million people that none of us had heard about until this trip. It's crazy how there are so many large cities in this country that are relatively unknown in the US. It seems like even the small cities have 2-3 million people. Guangzhou is an important manufacturing and shipping center and is located pretty close to Hong Kong. China has several ports now but for the past 300 years Guangzhou has historically been the place to get products in and out of China. The landscape reminds us a lot of Louisiana/New Orleans...although it is probably warmer back in SD today than it is here as it feels like mid 40s to mid 50s. We all packed warm weather clothes and it doesn't look like we will get to use them. Our tour guide, Jocelyn, this morning pointed out that the local language is Cantonese, which is written the same as Mandarin but spoken differently. All the Chinese words we have learned so far like 'hello' and 'thank you' will not apply in Guangzhou. Jocelyn also told us the food is very unique here...for example, they eat everything with legs except the kitchen table and everything in the water except boats. Some of our meals could turn out to be pretty interesting.
Our first stop of the day was the Guangzhou Port Nasha Grain and General Cargo Terminal which is the biggest port in south China. There are 6 berths at this port, with 2 of them for loading grain. At present most of the grain in this terminal is corn and wheat from other areas of China but this will probably change in the future as the facility expands. The grain terminal looked pretty much brand-new which makes sense considering the port is only 3 years old. There were still workers welding on some of the equipment so it is evident that construction is ongoing. The terminal has a current capacity of around 15 million bushels but the plan is almost double that capacity in the near future. An interesting comment by one of our class was "I wonder when the last time the US built a new port?"
We also visited a different part of the same port called the Guangzhou South China Oceangate Container Terminal. Last year, this port handled the equivalent of 8.8 million 20 ft containers. They have more land set aside for future expansion of this port, which is already the fastest growing port in the world. It seems like everywhere you look in this city things are primed for expansion.
Our afternoon visit was to the headquarters of Dongling Grain & Oil Co., Ltd, which was establisted in 1999. Although this company has invested in other entities such as real estate and retail, Dongling's main specialization is soybean processing, vegoil production, and grains trading. All the oil that is processed is edible oil, which makes sense in a country who uses oil in almost everything they eat. This company processes 2.5 million tons of soybeans a year, with plans and construction already in progress to expand to twice that size. All the soybeans that are handled are imported from either Brazil, the United States, or Argentina. It was interesting that the manager said the beans from Brazil and the US are of better quality than the beans from Argentina.
The plant shipped all their products in and out on barges. The raw soybeans arrive in bulk from other shipping terminals or are offloaded from large international ships. The soybean meal leaves the plant in 60 kg bags and the oil is refined into food grade quality and also shipped out in small containers. For whatever reason China has a hard time making a transition to bulk movement of feed and other products.
We also stopped for a short walking tour of a farm/garden area where there was corn, bananas, sugar cane, and a few other crops that we didn't recognize. There was a ditch for irrigation every 20 feet or so which is strange because it seems like irrigation would be unnecessary in a wet climate like this. It is pretty obvious that all the planting and harvesting is done manually which is a pretty foreign concept to most of us.
Right now we are heading back into the city for supper and then to the hotel. We hear the weather is nice back in Brookings and we hope it will continue after we get home on Friday. Good night!
Our first stop of the day was the Guangzhou Port Nasha Grain and General Cargo Terminal which is the biggest port in south China. There are 6 berths at this port, with 2 of them for loading grain. At present most of the grain in this terminal is corn and wheat from other areas of China but this will probably change in the future as the facility expands. The grain terminal looked pretty much brand-new which makes sense considering the port is only 3 years old. There were still workers welding on some of the equipment so it is evident that construction is ongoing. The terminal has a current capacity of around 15 million bushels but the plan is almost double that capacity in the near future. An interesting comment by one of our class was "I wonder when the last time the US built a new port?"
We also visited a different part of the same port called the Guangzhou South China Oceangate Container Terminal. Last year, this port handled the equivalent of 8.8 million 20 ft containers. They have more land set aside for future expansion of this port, which is already the fastest growing port in the world. It seems like everywhere you look in this city things are primed for expansion.
Our afternoon visit was to the headquarters of Dongling Grain & Oil Co., Ltd, which was establisted in 1999. Although this company has invested in other entities such as real estate and retail, Dongling's main specialization is soybean processing, vegoil production, and grains trading. All the oil that is processed is edible oil, which makes sense in a country who uses oil in almost everything they eat. This company processes 2.5 million tons of soybeans a year, with plans and construction already in progress to expand to twice that size. All the soybeans that are handled are imported from either Brazil, the United States, or Argentina. It was interesting that the manager said the beans from Brazil and the US are of better quality than the beans from Argentina.
The plant shipped all their products in and out on barges. The raw soybeans arrive in bulk from other shipping terminals or are offloaded from large international ships. The soybean meal leaves the plant in 60 kg bags and the oil is refined into food grade quality and also shipped out in small containers. For whatever reason China has a hard time making a transition to bulk movement of feed and other products.
We also stopped for a short walking tour of a farm/garden area where there was corn, bananas, sugar cane, and a few other crops that we didn't recognize. There was a ditch for irrigation every 20 feet or so which is strange because it seems like irrigation would be unnecessary in a wet climate like this. It is pretty obvious that all the planting and harvesting is done manually which is a pretty foreign concept to most of us.
Right now we are heading back into the city for supper and then to the hotel. We hear the weather is nice back in Brookings and we hope it will continue after we get home on Friday. Good night!
Sunday, March 11
Hello Everyone!
We hope that you have enjoyed our blog thus far and are excited to continue reporting our recent endeavors. We have been blessed with wonderful weather for the trip and are excited for more to come. Today we left the city of Yi Chang, and we were all quite sad to leave, as it was a wonderful experience, however brief our visit. Yi Chang is a quite industrious city, as it is known not only for its electrical powerhouses that generate electricity for a 1000 km radius from the city, but also its agriculture. Yi Chang is well-known for its green tea and fishing enterprises. Carp and sturgeon are most prevalent, as well as catfish. However, we were most amazed by the hospitality and friendliness of the people here, as we were invited to a wedding party and had a wonderful time at a karoke club in the evening. This morning we embarked on a bus ride to the city of Wu Han, which is known as a city of many beutiful lakes and appeared to be comparable to Detroit, as there is a very large automobile manufacturing industry there. In Wu Han, we parted ways from our local tour guide, Holly, at the train station, where we boarded a high-speed train to take us to our final destination today, the city of Guangzhou. Holly was an excellent tour guide and we quite enjoyed her company. She told us that she has had many tour groups from America, but not too many students, so she had fun with us and was glad to be part of our experience here in China.
The high-speed train was certainly an adventure for us! We traveled through the countryside at 187 miles/hour and were taken aback by the beutiful landscape we saw. There were fields of canola, rice and many other crops all along our journey, with every field divided into small plots known as "mu." One mu is equatable to about 1/6th of an acre, and is roughly the amount of land that each farmer cares for. Interestingly, we saw many more cattle in the fields we passed through, than we have seen previously. However, the cattle, or water buffalo are still kept individually, and are most likely shared between multiple families to use as plow or draft animals. The landscape makes it a little hard to travel back to South Dakota, as it is absolutely beautiful here. We have seen gorgeous mountains, valleys, green fields of crops and have been amazed at the industrialization of the cities.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped orchestrate this trip, especially our tour guides Randy, Michelle, Eilleen, Holly and now Joselyn, and our financiers as we are having the experience of a lifetime and and couldn't be in better care. We would also like to thank Jared and Katie Knock for chaperoning, and of course, Dr. Thaler for pulling this together and making it happen. We have had a great time and couldn't be more excited to continue to see more of China's culture and agricultural industry.
We would also like to thank everyone back home for their support and hope to continue reporting more great adventures! Tomorrow we will visit a port in Guang Zho as well as a soybean crushing facility.
Best wishes and until tomorrow,
SDSU Agricultural China Tour
We hope that you have enjoyed our blog thus far and are excited to continue reporting our recent endeavors. We have been blessed with wonderful weather for the trip and are excited for more to come. Today we left the city of Yi Chang, and we were all quite sad to leave, as it was a wonderful experience, however brief our visit. Yi Chang is a quite industrious city, as it is known not only for its electrical powerhouses that generate electricity for a 1000 km radius from the city, but also its agriculture. Yi Chang is well-known for its green tea and fishing enterprises. Carp and sturgeon are most prevalent, as well as catfish. However, we were most amazed by the hospitality and friendliness of the people here, as we were invited to a wedding party and had a wonderful time at a karoke club in the evening. This morning we embarked on a bus ride to the city of Wu Han, which is known as a city of many beutiful lakes and appeared to be comparable to Detroit, as there is a very large automobile manufacturing industry there. In Wu Han, we parted ways from our local tour guide, Holly, at the train station, where we boarded a high-speed train to take us to our final destination today, the city of Guangzhou. Holly was an excellent tour guide and we quite enjoyed her company. She told us that she has had many tour groups from America, but not too many students, so she had fun with us and was glad to be part of our experience here in China.
The high-speed train was certainly an adventure for us! We traveled through the countryside at 187 miles/hour and were taken aback by the beutiful landscape we saw. There were fields of canola, rice and many other crops all along our journey, with every field divided into small plots known as "mu." One mu is equatable to about 1/6th of an acre, and is roughly the amount of land that each farmer cares for. Interestingly, we saw many more cattle in the fields we passed through, than we have seen previously. However, the cattle, or water buffalo are still kept individually, and are most likely shared between multiple families to use as plow or draft animals. The landscape makes it a little hard to travel back to South Dakota, as it is absolutely beautiful here. We have seen gorgeous mountains, valleys, green fields of crops and have been amazed at the industrialization of the cities.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped orchestrate this trip, especially our tour guides Randy, Michelle, Eilleen, Holly and now Joselyn, and our financiers as we are having the experience of a lifetime and and couldn't be in better care. We would also like to thank Jared and Katie Knock for chaperoning, and of course, Dr. Thaler for pulling this together and making it happen. We have had a great time and couldn't be more excited to continue to see more of China's culture and agricultural industry.
We would also like to thank everyone back home for their support and hope to continue reporting more great adventures! Tomorrow we will visit a port in Guang Zho as well as a soybean crushing facility.
Best wishes and until tomorrow,
SDSU Agricultural China Tour
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10
Saturday, March 10, 2012 Day 6
Our day started off at 8:30 with an hour long bus ride to the Three Gorges dam. Along the way, we went through 5 tunnels including one of the longest tunnels in China at 3.6 km. During the ride, our new tour guide gave numerous interesting facts about the capacity and the construction of the project. The Three Gorges Project started in 1993 and construction finished in 2009. Currently there are approximately 1,000 people employed but at the height of construction there were more than 30,000 people involved with building the Project. The main purposes of the project are to provide electricity, prevent flooding, and allow navigation up and down the river. Of these three objectives, generating electricity is the most important. There are 26 generators located along the dam which generate 18.2 million kilowatts and can supply electricity to residents within a 1000 km radius. Another interesting observation about the site of the project was a shape in the mountain peaks that looked like a profile of a person laying on their back. Many local residents believed the profile looked like Mao Tse Tungand it was interpreted as a sign of good luck and that he would always be watching over the Project.
The Three Gorges dam was not as spectacular as we thought it was going to be. Despite our tour guide's assurances that today was a great day for viewing the dam, fog obstructed much of view. After stopping at a site to get a ticket we were then dropped off at a loading/unloading spot where we boarded a different bus to take us to the top of the dam. At this site there was a tourism building with a very nice model depicting the Project. After taking several pictures, we walked a short distance to another loading/unloading spot where we boarded another bus to take us further down the dam. This spot gave us a better view of the South (downstream) side as well as the construction of the lock system which will allow for improved navigation. The final bus took us to a garden/park area along the banks of the Yantzee River where we could see a frontal view of the dam. This park area was very pretty with cherry blossom trees and other sweet smelling plants carefully cultivated along a walking path. Additionally, there was a row of food vendors offering some interesting options for the local residents.
Our next destination took an hour bus ride back to the city for dinner at another really fancy restaurant in a hotel. The food was great! We were especially impressed with the pork or chicken (we don't what it was) wrapped in some type of reed grass.
Following dinner, we drove about forty minutes to visit a local farm in a nearby village. This was a very unique and amazing experience. The owner of the farm offered each of us steamed water and oranges that they grew on their farm. She then allowed us to walk through her house and take lots of pictures. The tiled floors and lack of furnishings were a couple of the observations that stood out for most students. Outside, we saw chickens, orange trees, and numerous crops. These crops included canola, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables. While we were touring the farm we were introduced to their grandparents (ages 74 and 76) who were picking carrots and weeding. We also saw their outbuildings which included a couple of small brick sheds which each had one stall for one pig. It was fascinating to see how they cut trenches/ditches through their farmland in order to irrigate and fertilize their crops. Other things of interest were the ten foot deep fish pond as well as the sharing of one water buffalo amongst five families to plow the fields.
Our day started off at 8:30 with an hour long bus ride to the Three Gorges dam. Along the way, we went through 5 tunnels including one of the longest tunnels in China at 3.6 km. During the ride, our new tour guide gave numerous interesting facts about the capacity and the construction of the project. The Three Gorges Project started in 1993 and construction finished in 2009. Currently there are approximately 1,000 people employed but at the height of construction there were more than 30,000 people involved with building the Project. The main purposes of the project are to provide electricity, prevent flooding, and allow navigation up and down the river. Of these three objectives, generating electricity is the most important. There are 26 generators located along the dam which generate 18.2 million kilowatts and can supply electricity to residents within a 1000 km radius. Another interesting observation about the site of the project was a shape in the mountain peaks that looked like a profile of a person laying on their back. Many local residents believed the profile looked like Mao Tse Tungand it was interpreted as a sign of good luck and that he would always be watching over the Project.
The Three Gorges dam was not as spectacular as we thought it was going to be. Despite our tour guide's assurances that today was a great day for viewing the dam, fog obstructed much of view. After stopping at a site to get a ticket we were then dropped off at a loading/unloading spot where we boarded a different bus to take us to the top of the dam. At this site there was a tourism building with a very nice model depicting the Project. After taking several pictures, we walked a short distance to another loading/unloading spot where we boarded another bus to take us further down the dam. This spot gave us a better view of the South (downstream) side as well as the construction of the lock system which will allow for improved navigation. The final bus took us to a garden/park area along the banks of the Yantzee River where we could see a frontal view of the dam. This park area was very pretty with cherry blossom trees and other sweet smelling plants carefully cultivated along a walking path. Additionally, there was a row of food vendors offering some interesting options for the local residents.
Our next destination took an hour bus ride back to the city for dinner at another really fancy restaurant in a hotel. The food was great! We were especially impressed with the pork or chicken (we don't what it was) wrapped in some type of reed grass.
Following dinner, we drove about forty minutes to visit a local farm in a nearby village. This was a very unique and amazing experience. The owner of the farm offered each of us steamed water and oranges that they grew on their farm. She then allowed us to walk through her house and take lots of pictures. The tiled floors and lack of furnishings were a couple of the observations that stood out for most students. Outside, we saw chickens, orange trees, and numerous crops. These crops included canola, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables. While we were touring the farm we were introduced to their grandparents (ages 74 and 76) who were picking carrots and weeding. We also saw their outbuildings which included a couple of small brick sheds which each had one stall for one pig. It was fascinating to see how they cut trenches/ditches through their farmland in order to irrigate and fertilize their crops. Other things of interest were the ten foot deep fish pond as well as the sharing of one water buffalo amongst five families to plow the fields.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, March 9
After much fun in the city of Beijing, it was time to leave. We enjoyed our last luxurious meal at the hotel buffet, sent our luggage to the airport, and headed on our way. Before going to the airport, we shopped til we dropped at the Silk Market. Students purchased anything from silk scarves to Ray Ban sunglasses, Coach handbags, and NorthFace jackets (all copy versions of course). Our bartering skills have definitely improved as we were able to buy things for less than a tenth of the suggested price. Winning!
Our lunch was provided on the 6th floor of the Silk Market where we enjoyed a buffet style meal. Some students ate the American style food at the buffet like pizza and spaghetti, while others enjoyed the bolder choices like pumpkin patties and sea slugs. It might be safe to say that we are fluent in the use of chopsticks as there were few forks used at the buffet (if any!).
After our bodies were nourished, we proceeded to make our way to the airport. We said good-bye to our tour guide Michelle with many hugs. Even though we were sad, we will still e-mail her to find out more of her tour guide adventures and life in the land of China. Our flight left Beijing at around 2:30 bound for Yi Chang. There was some turbulence but it was a pleasant flight. We enjoyed watching a casual entertainment show on our TV screens about Chinese puppeteering and magic while eating the provided snack of seaweed covered peanuts.
At 5:30 we arrived at the “small” town of Yi Chang, only 1.3 million people. Our new guide, Holly, told us many things about the region on our 1 hour bus ride into the city center. Yi Chang is in Hubei province and is in the center of China. Main crops are corn, wheat, rice, orange trees, canola (for cooking oil), and many vegetables. They are also very famous for fish, and their favorite fish is not walleye, but carp! The region is much more mountainous than Beijing, and also warmer and more humid.
Once we got to the city center, we ate a delicious buffet with many choices, including carp. However, since they were afraid we’d have issues with the bones, they made fish “balls” and boiled them with sliced tomatoes, and they were very good, as was rest of the dishes. We checked into the Inca hotel, which is very nice. We leave for Three Gorges Dam in the morning, and we look forward to an exciting day in a new city tomorrow!
Our lunch was provided on the 6th floor of the Silk Market where we enjoyed a buffet style meal. Some students ate the American style food at the buffet like pizza and spaghetti, while others enjoyed the bolder choices like pumpkin patties and sea slugs. It might be safe to say that we are fluent in the use of chopsticks as there were few forks used at the buffet (if any!).
After our bodies were nourished, we proceeded to make our way to the airport. We said good-bye to our tour guide Michelle with many hugs. Even though we were sad, we will still e-mail her to find out more of her tour guide adventures and life in the land of China. Our flight left Beijing at around 2:30 bound for Yi Chang. There was some turbulence but it was a pleasant flight. We enjoyed watching a casual entertainment show on our TV screens about Chinese puppeteering and magic while eating the provided snack of seaweed covered peanuts.
At 5:30 we arrived at the “small” town of Yi Chang, only 1.3 million people. Our new guide, Holly, told us many things about the region on our 1 hour bus ride into the city center. Yi Chang is in Hubei province and is in the center of China. Main crops are corn, wheat, rice, orange trees, canola (for cooking oil), and many vegetables. They are also very famous for fish, and their favorite fish is not walleye, but carp! The region is much more mountainous than Beijing, and also warmer and more humid.
Once we got to the city center, we ate a delicious buffet with many choices, including carp. However, since they were afraid we’d have issues with the bones, they made fish “balls” and boiled them with sliced tomatoes, and they were very good, as was rest of the dishes. We checked into the Inca hotel, which is very nice. We leave for Three Gorges Dam in the morning, and we look forward to an exciting day in a new city tomorrow!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thursday, March 8
After eating breakfast we left the hotel at 8:30 this morning to go to a swine operation or as the Chinese call it, a factory. After driving an hour we arrived at our destination which was outside of Beijing; however, it seemed like we were in the suburbs. The swine operation was in the process of being remodeled. It was built in 1989 which is about the same age as most of us on the trip. There were no hogs in the facilities since it was being remodeled and it would be a biosecurity issue. The facility previously held 500 sows and now they will be up to 1200 sows and finishing 10,000 pigs. We were surprised to find that the barns getting remodeled had automated feed systems. Dr. Thaler told us there are very few swine operations with a automated feeding systems, which makes sense since labor is cheaper than putting in an automated feeding system. The workers on this farm get paid 2500 yuan which is about 400 dollars a month plus room and board, which is nothing to write home about. The owner/manager said that he has about 10% death loss. Another thing that we found interesting was the quality of construction. After we toured the farm, we were treated to a very delicious meal at a hotel of the military academy; we were offered silverware but we all chose to use chopsticks as it is an easier way to eat Chinese food. A surprise to us all was a “dragon” birthday cake for Megan Bueltel's 21st birthday. They had a crown for her to wear and everything, it was great!! Happy Birthday Megan!! After lunch we ventured about an hour to the 3rd Wonder of the Ancient World, the Great Wall! The Great Wall is as awesome as everybody says it is. Many students and Dr. Thaler made it to the top of the wall which has 5 towers -this was not an easy task. The steps are very uneven, and we were very surprised at how steep the steps were. One student even rode a camel-for real, a camel at the Great Wall of China...Amazing. The section of the wall we visited was the Ju Yong Guan Pass. This was a highlight of the day!! After everybody was tired from the trek up the wall, we headed back into town for an Acrobatic show. The acrobatic show was very fun and exciting. Some of the entertainers included a slack wire performer, a juggler, women riding bikes no handed and many more incredible acts! After the acrobatic show, we had a free night on our last night in Beijing. We enjoyed our own choice of cuisine and walked around to see the Beijing night life--the walking street, dancing in front of the church and also the night food market. It was quite a day for all of us and we have definitely enjoyed our stay in the city of Beijing!
Wednesday, March 7
The alarm clocks rang early this morning at 6:30 am as we prepared ourselves for a busy day. Once on the bus, or "coach" as our tour guide Michelle calls it, we headed toward the Olympic Village. For the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing, China built two brand new facilities, The Bird's Nest and The Water Cube. The Bird's Nest was host for many different events, however, a more familiar building, The Water Cube, was host to water sports. Michael Phelps won some gold medals in this building. Let's just say there are many Phelps Phans on our trip, including our tour guide Michelle who was host to him that year. Next stop was a wholesale market. As we entered the building some eye-catchers were chicken feet, sheep heads, and a lot of commotion. The purpose of the market is for business and restaurant owners to attend and purchase products for the menus. It was interesting to see the difference in meat quality here when compared to what we have seen in our classes and what we eat back in South Dakota. Take for instance marbling (intramuscular fat), when we saw a cross-section of a loin eye there was much less marbling then I would want in my steaks, but, there are many choices for the Asian chef, nonetheless. As the time ticked by, we found ourselves in the Emporer Hospital for Femur Head Necrosis. This hospital has been around for 16 years and the head professor, Dr. Huang, has been researching this problem for around 30 years. The disease affects the head of the femur bone affecting the hip joint. The problem affects range of movement and flexibility. The hospital focuses on traditional Chinese medicine, especially herbal treatments and acupuncture, to help patients recover from the disease. No western medicine is involved meaning it is non-operative and non-invasive, however, people from countries all over the world travel here for this treatment. There are two hospitals like this in the world, the one in Beijing and another in Moscow, Russia. There is no other facility like these two in the world. We saw x-rays of effective treatment. As for further expansion, it is difficult as a lot of money is involved and to get a hospital in the USA is equally as difficult as an approval from the FDA is expensive and takes many years to receive. It was a unique experience as we felt very welcome and we realized just how welcoming a hospital like this can be if you need the help. To replenish our busy bodies, we ate a lunch buffet which included American pizza and other choices. And finally, we arrived at the biggest part of our day. We met with our pen-pals at the China Agriculture University and the Mafic students and Dr. Li the Founder and Head of Mafic. Mafic stands for Ministry of Agriculture Feed Industry Centre. Our partners were Will and Zijuan. Will is a PhD student with an emphasis swine nutrition. His project focuses on the umbilical cord blood of swine fetuses. He hopes to be able to develop a way to feed the sows a proper diet so the piglets can grow at a faster rate to increase food production around the world. He will finish his project this summer before he'll spend a year at Texas A&M University to further his research. Zijuan focuses her Masters project on lactating and gestating sows. Through her studies, she hopes to make swine nutrition during reproduction a more efficient and well-managed production cycle for the swine producer. The students met with their own partners and were given a tour of the campus of the China Agriculture University. At the University many research projects occur such as livestock metabolism and research with rats occur. Greenhouses were filled with corn research projects and I can't wait to see what China has for the agriculture industry in the future. To finish the night off, we had a banquet with our students at a restaurant near the campus. The Mafic students sat with their partners including Will and Zijuan. Some things that we found on our plates were fried chicken, head and all, flounder, whole fried fish, and delicious pastries. The Chinese food here is amazing. Move over King's Wok. It was really great to see that the lifestyles of college students in America are so similar to those in China. We made great friends with students half way around the world. A toast to Dr. Thaler. Because of the friendship he made with Dr. Li at K State University in 1989 we were able to make a friendship of a lifetime with a student who has the same interests as we have: agriculture. This wouldn't have been possible without the two of them. Tomorrow we will be visiting a hog farm, the Great Wall of China and an acrobat show. To give a sense of the day are three words: humbled, thankful, and fun.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
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