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
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