First Day of Business
September 11th, five years later, started out with with a trip to Octogan. Very insightful trip as far as sports interests in China. Increase in interest in golf and tennis among the educated and high HH incomes was dramatic.
Went to the Chinese National Training Center next. Pretty interesting to see some of their best athletes in training. They even have a western food cafeteria so that athletes can get used to that "good food" before they travel for competition. Very crazy to think about how not too long ago there is probably no way a group of Americans would be allowed to tour these facilities. The trip as a whole is really shaping up to be the most amazing learning experience you could have. Emersing yourself in a culture that is so different from your own teaches you a ton.
Lunch was once again Chinese food (but from yet another province). The Chinese food is great, but a large pizza would be wonderful after eating more Chinese food than you could imagine. The quantity of food served at these meals is amazing and so much is wasted. You'd think they would save the food to give to the poor in Western China.
The afternoon included a trip to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. Pretty interesting to hear their perspective and to see models of all the Olympic facilities that are in progress. Their slogan "New Beijing , Great Olympics" seems very approriate. They really appear to be trying to create a world class city while at the same time preserving the old traditions.
Late afternoon provided us with some free time during which 5 of us headed off the beaten path and found a nice Chinese restaurant. They weren't open yet but didn't want to turn us down so we sat down and had 2, 630 mL beers each...And each one cost about $1. Fascinating how many neighborhood people came to stare at us while there, apparently white people aren't around there too often.
The evening took us to the opening round of the ATP China Open. First tennis match I have attended and it featured the top ranked Asian player in the world and a German who was once #5. Tennis was pretty entertaining too watch. Not sure if the Chinese we're into it or not but they were at least more polite/quiet/respectful than a few people in our group.
The pollution is becoming unbearable. I'm really not sure how the tennis players we're breathing out there and I don't see how the Olympic Committee can figure out how to actually reduce the pollution.
Went to the Chinese National Training Center next. Pretty interesting to see some of their best athletes in training. They even have a western food cafeteria so that athletes can get used to that "good food" before they travel for competition. Very crazy to think about how not too long ago there is probably no way a group of Americans would be allowed to tour these facilities. The trip as a whole is really shaping up to be the most amazing learning experience you could have. Emersing yourself in a culture that is so different from your own teaches you a ton.
Lunch was once again Chinese food (but from yet another province). The Chinese food is great, but a large pizza would be wonderful after eating more Chinese food than you could imagine. The quantity of food served at these meals is amazing and so much is wasted. You'd think they would save the food to give to the poor in Western China.
The afternoon included a trip to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. Pretty interesting to hear their perspective and to see models of all the Olympic facilities that are in progress. Their slogan "New Beijing , Great Olympics" seems very approriate. They really appear to be trying to create a world class city while at the same time preserving the old traditions.
Late afternoon provided us with some free time during which 5 of us headed off the beaten path and found a nice Chinese restaurant. They weren't open yet but didn't want to turn us down so we sat down and had 2, 630 mL beers each...And each one cost about $1. Fascinating how many neighborhood people came to stare at us while there, apparently white people aren't around there too often.
The evening took us to the opening round of the ATP China Open. First tennis match I have attended and it featured the top ranked Asian player in the world and a German who was once #5. Tennis was pretty entertaining too watch. Not sure if the Chinese we're into it or not but they were at least more polite/quiet/respectful than a few people in our group.
The pollution is becoming unbearable. I'm really not sure how the tennis players we're breathing out there and I don't see how the Olympic Committee can figure out how to actually reduce the pollution.
posted by Brian Cole at
8:11 AM
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