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China Day #1
As many of you may have know from my frequent twitter and facebook posts, I had an upcoming trip to China. I thought this would be a good way to launch our social media efforts.
With a new Blackberry phone, equipped with all the latest Twitter and Facebook add-ons, I was prepared to Tweet and Facebook my way through China and Taiwan.
The surprise of course was to discover that neither Facebook nor Twitter is available in China. It is available almost everywhere in the world but not here. For many reasons, most of which are outlined in every weekly copy of Newsweek and Time magazine. As progressive and modern as China is, there are certain freedoms and liberties that do not exist here that we enjoy daily in the US.
My last twitter post summarized the difference between a coach seat and a business class seat. Hope everyone caught that.
It was a long flight. For anyone who may not have braved a transpacific flight, unless you have a great backlog of fiction books, a full iPod of songs, and 2 powerpoint presentations to produce, do not attempt this alone.
The flight map of a long trip
Once you land in a foreign country, it’s disorienting. In addition to being sleep deprived, a queasy sense of nausea, and a constant mild headache, none of the signs make any sense. Exiting the airport, you want to find baggage claim and a taxi but they’re no where to be found.
Even the signs out don't make sense
Wisked away to a business dinner surrounded by well meaning Chinese orthopedic surgeons, we dig into dinner. Smells great, looks great but no one can tell you what it is. The most common comment was ”it not chicken”.
Really good food if you knew what it was
Given that I’ve been here for only 5 hours, I have a few thoughts.
Traveling is an adventure. It is tiring and should be enjoyed when young and not old. The subtle differences are thrilling but thank god that there are a few things that are constant……or is this a good thing?
The KFC by Tianemen Square
A typical dessert stop for the average Chinese
Just steps for Chairman Mao's tomb. I think he would be proud.
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Nick Seguin
I’ve many friends who experienced the blackout of information access while in China recently. It is sad, but as the Tehran debacle showed us, there are ways around it. The human thirst and will for information will, I think, always win out.
On another note, I’m a bit saddened to see the plastic processed signs of American life in the far east. While I know that cultures are converging, I find myself searching my own city for anything but these icons of our society… trying to find a good CHINESE restaurant, or anything other than American fast food, really. When I lived in Europe, it was the same. A global culture is something I am in favor of, but preservation of local cultural and societal traditions is important as well. Cuisine is something cultures need to maintain. Ugh McDonalds!
Comment → 10.17.09 / Sat @ 11:48 AMEd Walsh
I really liked the Youtube video. It appears that there are many differences between China and the U.S. (Just what type of food was that on the plates? Don’t ask….right?). However, I noticed many similarities as well. Maybe, someday, they can make the trip easier by beaming us in.
Comment → 10.19.09 / Mon @ 8:59 AM