I’m able to post this blog myself because I am in the Seoul Airport in Korea. All of a sudden I can see and edit my blog. Technical difficulties in China, I guess.
I left Qingdao, China at 10:00 AM this morning. I will land in Los Angeles at 10:10 AM this morning. If all goes well.
Wish me luck. Home soon!
On Sunday I attended a wedding in Qingdao. It was held at an upscale hotel and there were about 400 guests.
I apologize for the photos. Point and shoot camera, at long distance, and no flash.
We arrived right as the bride and groom did. To a drum corps of middle aged ladies. Very loud and energetic. This was in front of the hotel. The bride and groom entered the hotel and quickly disappeared.
In the hallway to the ballroom were three things.
The seating chart was on the wall about 10 feet wide. (I guess you gotta know where you are in the pecking order.)
A very good string quartet. Just as in Southern California, all the best young musicians are Chinese.
And the guest book. People sign their name quite large in the guest book. All Chinese but one.
The small red envelopes are for wedding gifts. All the same thing, just different denominations. Pretty practical. Kids get enough to get started in life.
The ballroom was done up pretty well.
There were just about 40 tables of 10 each.
Here’s a place setting. I still don’t know what’s in the favor package as I have to get it home to my wife and daughters while it is still intact.
Knowing the host of this party I was pretty sure we wouldn’t run short of food and drink. This is actually only the reserve stock. There were staging tables all around the room that were already provisioned.
All the guests took their seats, and an MC appeared. The big screens on the wall came to life with a count down to the appearance of the B&G.
The bride and groom came down the "isle". More like an elevated model's runway. They had a marriage ceremony. I saw rings exchanged, but have no idea what was said. Nothing religious, I'm sure. While they may exchange vows and such, the legalities are taken care of at some government office.
The bride and groom gave a very respectful bow to their parents, a gesture that I found very nice. Probably not going to happen in the US, right, girls?
The bride and groom then poured the first glass of Champagne. Actually, they poured the whole bottle over this pyramid of glasses, filling them all.
There were some short speeches (both fathers, plus some others), then it was over. As the bride and groom walked back down the isle, about 20 waiters appeared carrying the first dish.
The string quartet reappeared, and we enjoyed lots of food, and lots of drink.
The bride and groom cut the cake.
After a while, a piece of cake was delivered to our table.
Since you can’t eat wedding cake with chopsticks, they delivered forks to the table. That’s the fork, on top of the chopsticks.
These two girls came dancing down the runway. They were having a good time.
All the parents and the bride and groom, in two separate groups, visited each table. Here are the two fathers approaching a table.
I'm sure that I surprised both the bride and groom who had no idea a foreigner was going to attend.
Here’s our table about halfway through the meal. Actually, it must be getting towards the end because there is a fish on the table. That’s always one of the last dishes served.
I took this picture to show the way the local liquor pours. Just like charcoal lighter fluid. You should ingest them in about equal quantities. 103 proof. I declined.
Our server, pictured above, was responsible for our table and one other. I did not have to worry about my glass, or tea cup, going empty.
I did have to worry about those two guys across the table saying “gahn-bay”. I have two guide books that say that “gahn-bay” means “cheers”. Try it sometime. It means “bottoms-up”. If you want to say “cheers”, it is pronounced “cheers”.
I did enjoy the local wine. This is made just outside Qingdao.
These great folks sat at our table and took very good care of me. They always made sure I was the first to try every dish delivered to the table. Like, help, how do I eat this without embarrassing us all?
I took a picture of only one dish, which I was surprised to see. Henry said they served it because I was there. He was probably joking, because they served it to all 40 tables. Maybe not.
What’s so unusual? It’s American food. Sweet and sour pork. The only other time I have seen this in China, Henry and his brother ordered it as a joke. Here’s a tip. Don't expect the kind of food you get at your local Chinese restaurant in China. Everyone had exactly one bite.
My trips to China always include meeting amazing people. Henry has unbelievable contacts and friends. (For more, see blog entries from my earlier trips).
Henry was among the first Chinese kids that got to go to college. I guess the government decided that college was a better method of education than some of the others they had tried.
The selection process must have been pretty rigorous, because every one of Henry's classmates that I have met is a huge success. I've probably met a dozen over my four trips to China. The other evening we had dinner with two more of Henry's classmates, both women.
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Ma Yanhong is the first Chinese woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal. My wife and I saw her do it in 1984 in Pauley Pavilion at UCLA when we attended the individual gymnastics finals for the 1984 Olympics.
As you can see from her Wikipedia page, that was not her last success.
Cheng Lin is a singer. She's very well known in China, and has done very well judging by her house. Very nice. When I'm back in the US I'll try to edit this entry to tell you why she doesn't perform in China much anymore, but if I put it in this email it probably won't reach you.
Go to the Music tab on her site and listen to some of her stuff. Pretty good, I think. She's well connected. I looked at a pictorial biography of Quincy Jones while the classmates were catching up (in Chinese). It had a full page note from Quincy, personally signed.
Don't think I was left out of the conversation. Both of these women have excellent English (Cheng Lin's may well be better than mine). And you will never meet more gracious people.
We dined at "The Orchard". Set in an apple orchard with a pond, it could have been in Ojai (California). They serve California cuisine and do a pretty good job. California wine, too. That's pretty rare here. Cheaper wines are from Australia, better ones from France. I had my first glass of wine since leaving the US.
California prices, too, not that Henry's friends care. I had lamb chops because I thought the steaks were overpriced. The lamb was very tasty, but tough as nails. Just what I expected. Two of the guys did order steaks. Always about 1/2" thick (before cooking) and lots of bones. Sometimes I wonder what they do with the parts of the beef and chicken that does not have bones in it. Probably not fit for eating.
At dinner, I was thinking that Outback should open a branch or two in China. These guys all like a good steak and they are simply not available. Well, guess what I came across in my wanderings today in Beijing--an Outback. I didn't go in to see what the steaks look like, though.
For the last four days we have been attending the CIMES machine tool trade show. Here are the intro paragraphs from the show and venue Web sites:
CIMES is the largest machine Tool & Tools Exhibition in China & 3rd largest in the world, bringing together buyers from all corners the world with a key focus on 10 major industry group in China, to source new products and services over five trading days.
New China International Exhibition Center (NCIEC) is located at Tianzhu Airport Industrial and Commercial Zone in Shunyi District, Beijing. It consists of 8 exhibitions halls, boasting a gross indoor exhibition area of 100,000 square meters. With Convenient transport facilities, NCIEC neighbors the Capital International Airport in the east and Wenyu River Ecological corridor in the west. There is a first-class highway network around it. NCIEC is also convenient to reach by bus, subway, taxi and airport shuttle bus. A 24-hours parking lot is available opposite the NCIEC.
There are eight large halls in two rows of four with a central corridor connecting them all. It's big, but to put it into perspective, here are the sizes of a couple other well-known convention centers.
Here's the show Web site in case you want to look up your favorite vendor.
This show is aimed at Chinese manufacturers. Us foreigners are pretty rare. And many booths have no one that speaks English. Not a problem when Henry is around, but he's not always available. Luckily specifications and prices don't need an interpreter.
While we are looking for machine accessories and precision measuring tools, the full range of machine tools is represented. Including all the international brands of CNC machines that we used to see at WESTEC before it shrank to quarter size.
It is great to meet and talk to the people that make the products that we sell. They are invariably nice folks who are doing their best to turn out quality products. They appreciate the feedback we provide from the people that are using their products.
I've attended this show four times in six years. One change I have noticed is the improvement in the Chinese CNC machines. On my first visit it was very easy to walk the aisles and tell the Chinese-built CNC machines from the international standards like Haas and the European brands. The Chinese machines simply didn't look as polished as the others. It is now much harder to tell which is which. The Chinese machines now at least look as good as anyone's CNC machines.
Lots of laser cutting and marking machines. One laser was cutting 1/4" thick steel. The laser cutting machines work on huge sheets of thin metal. They excel at making many varied shaped holes, as seen on the back of a desktop computer.
Many of the laser marking machines would not be suitable for import into the US. Look carefully at the photo. See that bright dot? See any guards or shield? Tip: I did not take the photo through a glass or clear plastic panel. They almost invite you to swipe your hand through the beam just to see if it is hot.
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As always, this show has some pretty big equipment. Some companies make a full range, from the smallest to the largest.
And some machines are simply huge.
Here's a booth I found interesting because of the "architecture".
Here's another large machine with a not atypical salesman ready to answer any question.
As at trade show everywhere, vendors strive to gain attention. I've never seen an electric cello before.
And finally, the Me Hoo both. Me Hoo is Henry's company that sells American tools in China.
On my first trip to Beijing, about six years ago, Henry's niece Rue (say "Ray") took me to the Silk Market. At that time it was in an alley with a flea market feel. Now all those outdoor markets have been moved into buildings, and we visited one today.
It's pretty much an indoor flea market with 5 or 6 stories of flea market booths. You can buy all kinds of clothing, handbags, luggage, watches, small electronics and jewelry. There are many booths selling each kind of merchandise.
Our purchases included silk scarves, T-shirts, Tommy Bahama shirts, shoes, purses, and a suitcase. You can guess why the suitcase.
Many of the products have prices marked. For example, the Tommy Bahama shirts have a price tag with $110. Like right.
First thing is you better get your head around working in Yuan, and what the exchange rate is. Luckily, a Yuan is worth just about 15 cents. Actually, 14.6 cents. So converting Yuan into dollars is pretty easy. Take one and a half times the price in Yuan and divide by 10. So 400 Yuan is $60. (Actually $58.40, so you can see how close this horseback estimate is.)
Something that makes these calculations easier during negotiations is the language barrier. The globally universal way to communicate numbers these days is the calculator. Ask for a price and they will show it to you on a calculator. Next step is to ask what you will pay. How? By handing you the calculator. Do whatever math you want, then hand the calculator back with your first offer.
And if it is over 10% of their initial price you have lost already.
These folks know how to negotiate. They do it all day long every day. That clerk may look like a sweet little Chinese girl, but she has more experience negotiating than most traders on Wall Street.
If you are a good negotiator, you might get it for 25% of their initial price. But their bottom line is about 20%. The only way to find out if you have really reached their bottom line is to walk away. If they don't accept your last offer as you leave (and I mean you are at least two booths away), then you are below their bottom line.
But a lot of the fun is the negotiations. These folks are having fun and you can too. And we are not talking mega-bucks here, so if you overpay a few Yuan, just chalk it up to the experience.
For example, I purchased a $2000 Tachymetre Carrera watch today for about $30. I'm sure it is authentic, because the girl told me so, with the nicest twinkle in her eye. That's 200 Yuan, down from an initial price of 800 Yuan.
I could have gotten a similar watch for a quarter that price on the street, but there are different grades of fake watches, and the ones in the shops are somewhat better. (Or so I am told.)
Anyway, we had a fun afternoon, I spent less than $200, and came away with a watch, a nice pair of shoes, and gifts for everyone on my list. Can't do that at the local mall.
There are lots of people at Expo 2010. Luckily for us it drizzled rain all day yesterday or we might have experienced this.
Rain is no problem. Henry had folding umbrellas for each of us when we met for breakfast (less than $3 each). It's 20 degrees (68°F), so it is the most comfortable I have been Shanghai.
We went on a tour bus so we could see the Chinese pavilion. About the only way to see it. The tour guide did an amazing job of herding us from the bus we arrived on, through security, onto and off of two packed Expo buses and to the pavilion.
Yes, it is big.
During the day we passed a sign by a queuing area that said "Wait from here 9 hours." That's for Saudi Arabia, the prime draw. And that was not the end. Japan & the US are also big draws. The US pavilion is reportedly pretty lame. Just a few videos.
Yet we walked right into the Libya exhibit. Very nice portrait of Qaddafi. (And not much else).
As you would expect, these things are big PR exhibits. The Greek exhibit sure made me want to go back.
Today we are going to visit the commercial area across the river. Hopefully a little more interesting than some of the countries.
Amazingly they have enough food and bathrooms for all these people.
I'm even more amazed at how well they designed that place.
Best pavilion we saw? General Motors.
Over the last few days I have spent more than a few hours on the freeways of China. Chinese freeways are built pretty much to the standards of American freeways. The look is very familiar. But don't be fooled by the look of the road. We have all driven on a relatively busy freeway where traffic is moving about the speed limit, but there is one guy swerving from lane to lane doing 80.
OK. On Chinese freeways everyone is that guy swerving from lane to lane, trying to pass everyone else. Except for two very timid drivers who are always in the fast lane. And a few (or sometimes more than a few) trucks, who are swerving from lane to lane, but are simply not able to go 80. Say maybe 15.
Need to exit the freeway? That is generally done from the fast lane. Not sure which exit? Simply stop at the point of the gore and study the signs. It's the best viewing angle on the signs, and there is no need to worry that you are blocking two lanes.
One truck passing another? If the passer hasn't caught up with the passee, you can run up the right lane and switch to the left lane between the two trucks. Easy. Best done at a relative speed of at least 50 km/h.
Now add in a micro van from time to time. These miniature, underpowered, vehicles look like a 15 passenger van shrunk to half size. They are so underpowered that they are not allowed on freeways. Just that no one told the drivers. ALL drivers in China give these things a wide berth. No one wants their car to be anywhere that a micro van can hit them no matter which way the van goes, because there is absolutely no way to predict. I've been in a car that went from 120 km/h to 25 km/h just to pass one of these things on the freeway. Straight road, no other vehicles in sight. They demand respect! Breakdown? No need to pull to the side of the road. Stop in whatever lane you are in and pop the hood. Stand in front of the car so you can't see oncoming traffic. Might scare you. (Should scare you.) Oh, by the way, the freeways are clean. Thanks to the nice ladies that sweep them. Yes, in the lane with traffic. But they have safety equipment. Those faded orange vests give them Kings X, I'm pretty sure.
