JC June 5th

I awoke early, around 6AM and was greeted with intermittent sunlight through our sleeper cars windows. I pushed the door open and took several photographs of the countryside. The area was unique to any we had seen thus far. Many areas were undeveloped and poor. Agrarian lands were separated by hedges, irrigated fields, garbage, and occasional old buildings. Generally, any areas where small populations of Chinese resided, were accompanied by areas of garbage strewn around the land. While much of the countryside was beautiful, it was also apparent that the population had no disposal system. Often garbage was spread across a plot of land to decompose naturally. A few areas also had garbage piled around decomposing concrete buildings where rust, rebar, mold, and crumbling yielded signs of age and use. It saddened me to think that over 2/3 of China’s population lived in a state a poverty unimaginable to most American’s.

Occasionally, a man and a woman would be barefoot in a field. The early morning hours must have been the most bearable given the humidity and stifling wet heat. Still, I had a sense that the fields were probably tended much of the day, starting at sunup. It reminded me of a summer in which I helped put a new roof on a home – and how sore and hot, sunburned and blistered I was. It made me appreciate the field of construction and how lucky I was to not be burdened with a hard life. But here, it seemed more real – because, many of the people were likely to have little relief from a hard day or a hard life. Sometimes, the beautiful countryside seemed deceiving, because it must have hid many of the field workers from sight, and its peacefulness was inconsistent with the disparity of actual life.

At 7:10AM our train promptly arrived at the Wuhan station. When we left the train, luggage in tow, we were greeted with a new level of heat and humidity, and old concrete soiled with water, dirt, and a filthy stench. We walked by some Chinese workers who were fixing an area of the train platform. There arms were thin, muscled, and body somewhat emaciated and very thin. Dozens of Chinese men tried to take our luggage – to assist us – hoping for some remuneration through a few RMB. We all pushed our way through, saying no and shaking our heads. One class member was nearly forced to give up her luggage, and when our host came back to reclaim it, I heard a small argument which I could only assume was our guides dismissal of the man’s help and obligation to pay.

I was relieved when we arrived at the bus, but also exasperated from the walk, the evidence of poverty around us, and the filth of the train station and surrounding city. Once again, garbage was everywhere, left to decompose and rot around the homes. Mildew was prevalent, given the high humidity, and the smell of sewage was everywhere.

Once our baggage was loaded, our bus drove a few blocks and deposited us in front of a hotel for breakfast. Most of us were still adjusting to the new smells of the city. Some of the class was able to eat well – given their hunger over the train ride. Many others ate little and were more interested in coffee and toast

It was at this point in time during our journey that I really began to give some serious thought to sustainability and the tremendous challenge that China had in ridding its stores of garbage. The affects that overpopulation and flooded cities would continue to have on its resource consumption.

Already, it seemed that everywhere we went, a street vendor wanted to sell some small piece of junk for a few RMB’s. I could only assume that this life was what constituted survival. We loaded the bus, and continued for approximately 30 to 40 minutes to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

The university, host to 50,000 students annually – larger than many cities, was difficult to measure visually or mentally. Given the large expanse of the university, it was not immediately clear to the human mind just how large the campus was. It was not until 2PM – when we began our tour that Chico students began to get a flavor of the enormity of where we were.

From 10AMish to 2PM, we had free time to unload our luggage, take a breather, pay for our student cards – similar to a wildcat card; they allowed us to draw down a predetermined amount of RMB’s. Some of us wandered a little before our tour. We happened to run across one student grocery store (of several) that was the size of a small holiday market. Some of the students took delight in buying several Chinese snack products, wondering just what would be inside. Most of us were hot and unaccustomed to the humidity – which made it difficult to breathe, and our lungs felt unsatiated because there was no freshness or crispness to the air. The sun was never out in full form, but rather, a ball of yellowy orange light that hid behind a curtain of smog and pollution.

At 2PM, we followed our tour guide and another member of the Chinese university to see a small portion of the campus. On our way, we stopped at one of the language classes and were invited to come introduce ourselves and to chat for a few minutes with first year students. Later, we found ourselves in front of the university entrance, where a larger than life statue of Mao, hand raised, greeted any who entered the universities main gates.

Next stop. We all crammed into a small windowless shuttle (a few sitting on the lap of another student) and were whisked back to the dorm area. The instructor, Mark Levine, invited MBA students back to his living quarters to discuss changes in the itinerary, the MBA requirement as dictated by our advisor, and his hope for some suggestions from the MBA cohort about ways to engage undergraduates given the fact that we would ‘not’ be visiting any factories as was included in the original itinerary. We were told that – unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances outside of Mark’s control, the itinerary had changed and we would not be visiting factories during the day. Instead, the class would have lectures during the day (i.e., calligraphy, Chinese dumpling making, etc.). We were disappointed at the changes.

After our discussion session with the professor, we headed back to our rooms to refresh and met outside the dorms in search of a restaurant. We found, perhaps, the best Chinese food we had eaten yet in the main lobby of a large hotel. It appeared that this was a busy spot for locals, and I enjoyed the boisterous nature of all the laughing, drinking, and talking around us. We did run into a minor challenge – attempting to order off the menu. We were fortunate to have a young man directed to us who patiently helped us order a family style meal.