Why Plan an MBA Trip to China?
“If you haven’t been to China in the past six months, you haven’t been to today’s China”
This quote encapsulates why you should be planning an MBA Trip to China. It resonates today and will continue in the future for many reasons that this article will outline. The exponential economic growth that China has experienced in the past 20 years is a phenomenon that intrigues economists and businesses to this day. Retaining its position as the second largest economy in the world, Chinese tech companies and entrepreneurs have complemented China’s historic traditionalism of pagodas and temples with towering skyscrapers and high-tech shopping malls.
If your students are aspiring entrepreneurs looking to leverage technology or gain a deeper understanding in how to launch a successful business, look no further than China. From transport to shopping, successful Chinese tech entrepreneurs have been responsible for making life in China fast and convenient for the average person.
For those unfamiliar with China, this article will cover how you should go about planning your MBA Trip to China so your students can make the most of their time. Whatever your students’ passions are, there are gateway cities and companies across China that have succeeded in these industries that your students can visit.
Find your Focus
First, you’ll want to consider the length of your visit in China, and the activities you can realistically accomplish during your stay – especially if you plan on visiting multiple cities.
Business, entrepreneurship, and e-commerce are vast industries that differ depending on your area of interest. If your students are interested in technology, you’ll want to visit a city which specializes in this industry. Whichever city you choose to visit, your students are guaranteed to learn an immense amount of knowledge about the Chinese economy, and discover first-hand the businesses that are helping China.
Within your MBA Trip to China itinerary, we recommend you start exploring China’s largest gateway cities: Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. Fortunately, you’ll be happy to know that these cities are similar in the sense that each city facilitates important industries such as financial services, wholesale, retail, transportation, construction, and manufacturing.
Major companies like Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, and ByteDance all have offices located in these cities. Of course, there are many characteristics of each city that make them stand out, and some industries thrive more in certain cities over others.
Shanghai is regarded as the New York or Milan of China, and is the most cosmopolitan, international city in the country. It is an overtly fashion-centric city, so expect to find the biggest domestic and international fashion labels thriving in Shanghai. Moreover, the city boasts a bustling nightlife and food & beverage industry, which means your students will be spoiled for choice when it comes to eating the best Chinese or Western cuisines. Finally, Shanghai is home to many successful entrepreneurs such as Zhang Xuhao, the founder of Ele.me (one of China’s largest online food delivery service programs), and Wang Xinwen (founder of mobile game publisher Lilith Games).
Beijing is the mighty capital of China, and also exudes a blend of historic Chinese culture with international influences in Chaoyang, Beijing’s downtown area. If you’re interested in television or media, then Beijing is the place to go. CCTV (or CGTN to the rest of the world) is China’s largest television broadcaster and is headquartered in Beijing. If you’re wandering through Beijing’s downtown area, simply look up and you’ll probably see CCTV’s office nicknamed ‘Big Underpants’ in Chinese (because it looks like… a pair of pants). Beijing is also the home of Xiaomi, one of China’s largest electronics manufacturers in the world, and ByteDance, the founders of social media sensations TikTok and Douyin.
Shenzhen is nicknamed the ‘Silicon Valley of China’ and for good reason. It is a vibrant, entrepreneurial, and youthful city – the population of elderly Shenzhen residents accounts for only 5.36%. If you’re an aspiring Chinese or foreign entrepreneur with a vision or product you want to come to life, Shenzhen provides the investors, warehouses, and manufacturing to make your dreams come true. Shenzhen is home to companies that have revolutionized how we use technology today, such as Tencent, Huawei, and OnePlus.
Set Up Company Visits
While it’s dandy to sightsee and take pictures outside the headquarters of these companies, your time and resources are worth investing into scheduling a company visit/tour where your students can actually learn from the experts themselves about said company’s business operations.
Now we understand this is easier said than done. WildChina Education uses its extensive network in China to arrange business seminars and Tech & Business Workshops with the biggest companies in China for our students. We also invite successful entrepreneurs in China to facilitate workshops for our students, in which they can understand the importance of leveraging social media to conquer the Chinese e-commerce market. At the same time, we also ensure that our students get to enjoy sightseeing the most iconic landmarks within these cities. And our track record speaks for itself.
WildChina’s Flagship MBA Program
We recommend that students start in Shanghai, where they can participate in exclusive workshops with company founders such as Gabby Gabriel, founder of Gab China – an online advertising agency, China market entry specialists such as Daphne Tujin, and women in tech giants such as Jill Tang. In their one-on-one interactions students can ask the questions that are most relevant to them about what it’s like to operate a business successfully in China. During their time in Shanghai, students can visit the Shanghai Shenmei Beverage & Food Company – Coca-Cola’s largest bottling plant in Asia – to see first-hand how Coca-Cola conducts business in China.
Once the students finish exploring Shanghai, they can head to Beijing via China’s famous high-speed train from Shanghai. During their time in Beijing, students can visit the office of Didi Chuxing (China’s equivalent of Uber) and Douyin/TikTok (owned by ByteDance) and receive exclusive insights from in-house staff about each respective company’s growth and business strategies.
In addition, a visit to the American Chamber of Commerce can be scheduled to teach students how American businesses can succeed in the Chinese market. The students also are able to soak in Chinese culture, and enjoy touring the Forbidden City and venturing out to the Great Wall of China.
Virtual MBA Trips in China
If you’re outside of China, you are probably aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated traveling to China as the borders are currently open to foreigners that hold a working visa. We eagerly await the time in which China opens its borders and regular international travel commences.
For those who can’t hold back and want exclusive China industry insight straight from the source, WildChina Education also provides students with Virtual MBA Trips in China. These immersive, online classes cover the essential and overlooked strategies you need to know about conducting business in China. And just like our in-person MBA Trips, we take students on a live, virtual tour across China’s bustling gateway cities – exploring the Hutongs of Beijing and the French Concession in Shanghai.
To learn more about what WildChina’s Virtual programs offer, click here.
Conclusion
You can trust WildChina Education to provide your students with a comprehensive in-person or virtual MBA Trip to China. We tailor each of our MBA Trips for students depending on their area of interests, educational level, and learning objectives with the help of our team of Academic Managers that hold educational-related Master and Doctoral degrees. The success of our MBA Trips has attracted esteemed Ivy League academic institutions from Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Columbia University, who have trusted in our services.
Contact us now for more information or to start your MBA Trip to China.
