從薩斯喀徹溫省到上海:一個(gè)MBA學(xué)生來到中國(guó)

對(duì)于一個(gè)加拿大MBA學(xué)生來說，第一次中國(guó)旅行留給她怎樣的印象?

中國(guó)影響著世界和薩斯喀徹溫省的商業(yè)和經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展，我的同齡人很少像我一樣擁有這樣的幸運(yùn)，能夠親身感受這個(gè)國(guó)家和她的文化、語言。能明白這個(gè)國(guó)家的復(fù)雜文化的人則更少。生活在一個(gè)人口只有100萬的加拿大西部省份，中國(guó)似乎是難以理解的。我曾游歷過歐洲和北美，也見過倫敦、洛杉磯等大都市現(xiàn)象。但這些都不能使一個(gè)年輕的薩斯喀徹溫女孩做好去中國(guó)的準(zhǔn)備。

我對(duì)中國(guó)的興趣始于童年時(shí)期。8歲的時(shí)候，我突然闖入了奇特的中國(guó)文化。上世紀(jì)90年代初，我所在的小學(xué)確信中國(guó)將在隨后的10年發(fā)揮影響力，就決定開設(shè)中文課程。于是，念二年級(jí)的我學(xué)音調(diào)、拼音和漢字，還學(xué)跳扇舞，還在學(xué)校廚房里學(xué)包餃子。那個(gè)時(shí)候，我根本不會(huì)想到多年后我會(huì)登上飛往中國(guó)的航班，去了解那里的經(jīng)濟(jì)、政治和人民。

我的旅行主要是圍繞我的商科學(xué)習(xí)，但其結(jié)果是讓我了解了偉大的實(shí)踐，也讓我這個(gè)來自加拿大西部的年輕女孩學(xué)會(huì)了用不同的眼光看待這個(gè)世界。

草原女孩走進(jìn)大城市

早晨我醒來，絲毫沒有時(shí)差帶來的疲倦感，卻對(duì)將要學(xué)習(xí)的有關(guān)這個(gè)國(guó)家的一切感到興奮。坐上離開上海的公交車，我驚訝于自己離所知世界是多么遙遠(yuǎn)。對(duì)于一個(gè)成長(zhǎng)在薩斯喀徹溫農(nóng)村的孩子，城市似乎永遠(yuǎn)是新奇的感念。逝去的是家鄉(xiāng)的麥田、無盡的大地和清澈、湛藍(lán)的天空。我曾到很多地方旅行，但值得注意的是，這個(gè)城市景色優(yōu)美，且地域?qū)掗煟恢酪腭偝錾虾＝绲瞄_多久的車。我原以為交通狀況會(huì)很糟，但周末的清晨帶來了一種平靜的幻想——或是大家仍在沉睡。但我又懷疑這個(gè)想法——上海可是個(gè)不夜之城。

兩個(gè)世界的故事

我們今天的行程從參觀通用汽車(中國(guó))公司開始，而且因?yàn)樗緳C(jī)不識(shí)路而遲到。

通用汽車(中國(guó))公司生產(chǎn)的汽車只針對(duì)中國(guó)市場(chǎng)。我并不知道通用汽車占有多少股份，但通用肯定認(rèn)為投資這樣一個(gè)龐大的項(xiàng)目是有利可圖的。即使有一絲對(duì)日本產(chǎn)品(本田、豐田)的厭惡，這對(duì)于通用這個(gè)在困難中掙扎的大公司來說都無異于是一條救生艇。關(guān)于“三巨頭”(通用、福特和克萊斯勒)的負(fù)面消息鋪天蓋地，這讓我相信，中國(guó)業(yè)務(wù)是這些公司能夠僥幸存活的唯一方法。當(dāng)然，這必須假設(shè)美國(guó)政府允許這些公司中的一家或所有公司生意慘淡甚至破產(chǎn)。我個(gè)人認(rèn)為，這并不會(huì)發(fā)生，因?yàn)槊苄诳偨y(tǒng)選舉中擁有太多的選票。

離開通用公司，我們到了上海港務(wù)局。這是我看到的最有趣的事情。僅僅是這個(gè)港口的規(guī)模就令我震驚。不幸的是，港口的擴(kuò)張似乎受限于空間的有限。我希望經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的引擎(動(dòng)力)將不會(huì)受制于類似空間這樣一個(gè)小問題。如果政府能夠?yàn)榱藠W運(yùn)會(huì)而把北京的制造工業(yè)搬離北京，我確信他們也擁有擴(kuò)大港口的權(quán)利。

港口的這段經(jīng)歷讓我震驚。我以前從沒有如此近距離地接觸一個(gè)海港。我在家鄉(xiāng)見過的最大的機(jī)器就是聯(lián)合收割機(jī)，而在這里所見令薩斯喀徹溫省的收割機(jī)和任何其他的東西都變成了侏儒。看見這些龐然大物和它們運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)、工作的方式是一次千載難逢的機(jī)會(huì)。我相信一小時(shí)并不足以完全領(lǐng)會(huì)這些，但我希望我因此更好地理解了貿(mào)易和全球化。

我已經(jīng)注意到大街上很少有人說英語，考慮到我們是在旅游區(qū)，這令我有些吃驚。盡管我才來這兒一天，但我已經(jīng)明白那些剛到加拿大的新移民是多么困難。語言障礙非常奇怪，它令人覺得羞恥。我從沒有這種語言不通的圈外人的感覺。(還好)兒童漢語課程就在手邊。

綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)

今天，我們參觀了上海風(fēng)力發(fā)電公司。這種技術(shù)非常有趣，但在中國(guó)的實(shí)際應(yīng)用似乎非常有限。讓我們直奔主題吧，我們談?wù)摰氖菫橐粋€(gè)人口達(dá)2000萬的城市供電的問題。上海的人口達(dá)到了加拿大總?cè)丝诘?/3，甚至比澳大利亞的總?cè)丝谶€要多。一個(gè)風(fēng)力發(fā)電項(xiàng)目不可能滿足整個(gè)上海的需求，更不用說中國(guó)的其他地方。即使所有的渦輪葉片以最大的功率運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，也只能滿足目前上海電力需求的一小部分。公司為環(huán)境保護(hù)和全國(guó)的成就付出了巨大的努力，但結(jié)果令人質(zhì)疑。大家都知道，世界對(duì)中國(guó)電力企業(yè)的評(píng)價(jià)并不高。我相信中國(guó)會(huì)大力發(fā)展其他環(huán)境友好型的電力項(xiàng)目，如水電和核電。

我們?nèi)⒂^豫園，它就像一個(gè)處于喧噪中的平靜的小島。我想古代的中國(guó)也許就是這個(gè)樣子。我感覺自己就像在颶風(fēng)的中心，包圍著公園的這個(gè)城市高速運(yùn)行。站在公園的門口，經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的步伐幾乎要吞噬掉這里的寧靜。上海這個(gè)城市擁有很多的故事，除了有關(guān)社會(huì)主義市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)制度的一切外，還有歷史和現(xiàn)在的故事。中國(guó)如此豐富和復(fù)雜，一個(gè)外國(guó)人根本難以理解。第一次世界大戰(zhàn)讓世界了解了中國(guó)的一角，那只代表了歷史上的中國(guó)。

返回加拿大:收獲與結(jié)語

準(zhǔn)備返回加拿大時(shí)，我思考著這次旅行給我的工作和生活帶來的影響。我希望能再次來中國(guó)，并花些時(shí)間結(jié)識(shí)這個(gè)國(guó)家的人們。我確信學(xué)習(xí)漢語對(duì)我日后的事業(yè)至關(guān)重要。因此，我想趁著現(xiàn)在的這股動(dòng)力繼續(xù)學(xué)習(xí)漢語。我非常尊重中國(guó)人民和文化。中國(guó)正在經(jīng)歷的發(fā)展是以一種近似瘋狂的速度進(jìn)行的，而且中國(guó)也面臨著安撫世界的壓力。這次行程給我的最大收獲就是商業(yè)中的耐心和理解，西方世界已經(jīng)發(fā)展了150年，而中國(guó)僅僅是在不到50年的時(shí)間里建立自己的經(jīng)濟(jì)地位。中國(guó)還有很多工作要做，但時(shí)間并不多，尤其是相比他們經(jīng)歷的巨大變化來說。

中國(guó)對(duì)它的人民和世界都負(fù)有責(zé)任。未來10年中，中國(guó)面臨的最大問題就是制定一個(gè)可持續(xù)發(fā)展的長(zhǎng)期戰(zhàn)略，以鼓勵(lì)投資者的信心。中國(guó)就像一座發(fā)電站，它在制造業(yè)擁有明顯的比較優(yōu)勢(shì)，并且擁有占世界1/6的人口。世界已經(jīng)為一個(gè)中國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的時(shí)代做準(zhǔn)備，而中國(guó)做好了登上世界舞臺(tái)的準(zhǔn)備嗎?這一問題有待回答。

(摘編自作者2007年5月來中國(guó)旅行的日記，作者Crystal L. Zorn是就讀于里賈納大學(xué)Kenneth Levene商學(xué)院的MBA學(xué)生，該校位于加拿大薩斯喀徹溫省首都里賈納。)

While China influences business and economic development within Saskatchewan and the world， few people of my age have been fortunate enough to experience the country， culture and language as I have.Fewer yet truly understand the country's complex culture.In a western Canadian province with a population of just one million people， the world that is China seems incomprehensible to the mind.I have travelled through Europe and North America and have seen the mega metropolitan phenomenons that make up London and Los Angeles.None of this could prepare a young woman from Saskatchewan for the sights and sounds of China.

My interest in China began as a young child.At the age of eight， I was thrusted into the extraordinary culture that is China.My elementary school recognized， in the early 1990s， the power and influence that the country would have in the next decade， and thus decided to begin a Mandarin program.There I was， in grade two， learning tones， pinyin， and characters; learning a fan dance and cooking jiaozi in the school kitchen.I was not aware at the time that years later I would be on a plane heading for China to study business， politics， and people.

This journey focuses on my business teachings; however， the result yields a greater truth and allows a young woman from western Canada to look at the world a little bit differently.

The Prairie Girl Goes to the Big City

I woke up this morning without any symptoms of jetlag and was excited to learn all I could about this great country.Sitting on a bus leaving Shanghai this morning， I marvelled at how far away I was from the world I knew.As a child growing up in rural Saskatchewan， the idea of a city that seemingly never ended was extraordinary.Long gone were the wheat fields， endless space， and clear blue skies of home.I have experience travelling; however， it is remarkable how landscaped the city seems to be and how far one can drive without actually leaving Shanghai. I thought traffic would be much worse but perhaps the early Sunday morning time created the illusion of calm-- or everyone was still in bed.I doubt it though-Shanghai never sleeps!

The Tale of Two Worlds

We started the day with a tour of the General Motors (GM) plant and were almost late because our driver apparently cannot ask for directions.

This GM plant produces cars strictly for the Chinese market.It is unclear how much market share they have but GM must think it is promising to invest in such a huge facility.If there is a dislike for Japanese products (i.e. Honda and Toyota)， this may be a life raft for the struggling company.The consistently dyer news about the \"Big Three\" (GM， Ford， and Chrysler) makes me believe that Chinese business is the only way these companies can survive.This assumes， of course， that the American government would allow one or all of these companies to falter.Personally， I believe that Michigan counts for too many potential Presidential electoral votes for this to occur.

After leaving GM， we headed down to The Shanghai Port Authority.This has to be one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.The sheer size of the port surprised me.Unfortunately， the port's room for expansion seems limited due to space restrictions.I expect though that the engine of economic progress will not allow a small issue like space to stand in the way.If the government can move the manufacturing industry of Beijing away from the capital for the Olympic Games， I am sure they can expand a port authority.

The entire port experience was astonishing for me.I have not had the opportunity to see a harbour up close before. The biggest machine I see at home is a combine; this stuff dwarfs a combine or anything else in Saskatchewan for that matter.To see the way it all works and the size of the operation is a once in a lifetime opportunity.I do not believe that an hour is enough to grasp the size of the operation but I hope I have a better understanding of how trade and the cycle of globalization works.

I have noticed that there is limited English spoken on the main streets， which surprises me somewhat considering we are right on a tourist strip.I know I have only been here for a day but I now understand how difficult it must be for new immigrants to come to Canada.The language barrier is strange. I have never been the one that was the outsider not able to understand.It is somewhat humbling. The childhood Mandarin courses are coming in handy!

The Green Economies

Today we spent time at the Shanghai Wind Power Company.The technology is very interesting but the practical application to the country seems relatively limited.Let us be straight to the point here; we are talking about powering a city of 20 million people.In comparison， Shanghai's population represents 2/3 of the entire population of Canada and is greater than the population of a country such as Australia.A wind power project cannot simply keep up with the demands of Shanghai， let alone the rest of China.All turbines operating at capacity could still only produce a small fraction of Shanghai's current power needs. The company makes a sincere effort to demonstrate a great environmental concern and national achievement; however， the results are questionable.It is common knowledge that the world does not think highly of China's energy plans.I believe that other energy sources， such as hydro and nuclear， will need to be expanded as carbon-friendly energy sources.While a favourable effort， the wind power plant currently seems relatively unsustainable.

We went to the Yu Yuan Gardens in Shanghai.The gardens were like a serene island in the middle of chaos.I wonder if ancient China was all this way.I feel as though I am in the eye of a hurricane.The city surrounds the garden and moves at a wicked pace.Even right up to the gates the force of economic progress threatens to devour its peacefulness.Perhaps Shanghai is actually a city of many stories.In addition to those related to socio-economic status， there are also the tales of past and present.The world I get a glimpse of inside the gates symbolizes the history of China that is too rich and complex to grasp as an outsider.

Returning to Canada: Lessons Learned and Conclusion

As I prepare to return to Canada， I can reflect on the effect of this trip on both my professional and personal life.While I am ready to return to Saskatchewan， I would like to come back here again and really spend some time getting to know the people of this country.I have determined that learning the Chinese language is essential for my future successes in the business world.As such， I think I am going to take advantage of the momentum I have right now and get back to learning the language.I have so much respect for the Chinese people and culture.The development the country is experiencing is at a rampant pace and the country faces pressures to conform to the world.The biggest learning I can take away from this trip is the need for patience and understanding in business.The western world developed over the course of 150 years while China has established its economic power in less than 50 years.The country has a lot to work through in a very short time frame given the drastic changes they are going through.

China has a responsibility to its people and to the world. China's biggest obstacle over the next decade may be creating a sustainable long-term strategy for investor confidence.China is a powerhouse.China has a large competitive advantage in manufacturing.China has 1/6 of the world's population.The world has prepared for China's dominance but has China prepared for its entrance onto the world's stage?This answer is yet to be determined.

(Crystal L. Zorn， B. Admin， MBA University of Regina， Kenneth Levene Graduate School of BusinessRegina， SaskatchewanCompleted May 2007)