This past week have seen the start of phase two of the Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship in Shanghai. We are now based in the Sino British College, working with Chinese peers on action research projects, and also teaching spoken English to students. It has shown us a completely different perspective on the Shanghai we thought we were starting to get to know – working alongside and talking to many more locals has allowed us to gain a totally new insight into the city.

The action research projects have allowed us to investigate in more detail an area of Chinese life of our choice. There is a broad range of topics, from engineering and economics, to learning and linguistics. Our project is based on the ambitions of and opportunities for a cross section of Shanghai society. This project has allowed me to meet and talk to various members of the public. I spent several hours in a park with many retired people, discussing the hopes and dreams from earlier in their lives and how reality has reflected this. We met one fascinating lady who told us many stories of her childhood, growing up and watching the evolution of Shanghai. The impact of this growth on her life has given her many opportunities she would otherwise not have had, and although she has not achieved the ambitions of her youth, she loves the life she leads.

For our project we are working closely with five students from SBC. It has been fascinating to see the different approaches to the projects taken by British and Chinese students. I mentioned last week the controlled manner in which the Chinese approached their pastimes whilst the British fellows always attempted to go bigger and faster than the person before; and the differences are just as marked in approaches to study. Whilst we look for the next opportunity for a break, I’m yet to hear a Chinese fellow ask to go to a coffee shop; whilst we think that data can be collated tomorrow, the Chinese are more than willing to stay up past midnight to complete it. Some of these differences may be a result of the language barrier, as we rely on translators to appreciate interviews. We have been by no means lazy over the past week, but different approaches to study have certainly become apparent.

Alongside our research projects, we are also teaching English to Chinese students working towards their IELTS exams. We received some useful tips on how to teach in China, but there are still many challenges to over come, the standard of English in the classes is very varied, as is the apparent enthusiasm to participate. It is interesting to see a class of 18 year olds split completely down the middle, and be unwilling to cross the gender divide.

Over the last couple of days, we have experienced the warmth and generosity of a Chinese family as we lived with one of the students. We were given further opportunities to sample more of the traditional food available in China. A day trip to Hangzhou gave us a taste of the natural beauty that this huge country has on offer, and further whetted my appetite to travel throughout China.

This last week’s activities have opened our eyes further to Shanghai. On the surface, we have a new local area to explore and discover, whilst the variety of people we have met have given us a more ‘real’ image of Shanghainese life. As we finalise the findings of our action research projects and progress towards our business placements hopefully our perceptions and experiences will increase in both accuracy and volume. And hopefully my A level results – that come out on Thursday – won’t scar what is proving to be a brilliant journey.

I have now spent two weeks in Shanghai as part of the Prime Minister’s Global
Fellowship. This vibrant and bustling city never ceases to amaze, around each
corner is a startling contrast, from skyscrapers towering over small, twisting
alley ways, to neon signs advertising traditional Chinese remedies.

As part of the fellowship scheme, we have spent each morning having Taiji
lessons and learning Chinese at the Shanghai Foreign Service Company. These
have been fascinating – mandarin is an incredibly complex language, as one
would expect, although not having to conjugate verbs is something of a godsend,
the characters and tones provide enough of a challenge! We have been ably
assisted in our learning by inspirational teachers, enthusiastic assistants
from the British Council, and Chinese peers of our own age, who have all had
their own stories to tell. They have also been able to provide us with an
insight into what it is like to be Shanghainese, conflicting with many of the
stereotypes that are present in the UK.

Throughout the city, people have been interested in us, where we come from, and
our stories. A trip to Jing’an Park one morning proved this – the locals were
more than willing to teach us their traditional drumming, fan dances and Chien-
Tsu (a game involving a feathered shuttlecock which you kick), as long as we
told them about the way we played sports at home. One fellow commented on the
different attitudes between the Chinese and British people – the Chinese
emphasis was on controlled and steady movement, whilst we attempted to go
higher, faster, and more impressive than the person before. The atmosphere in
the park was incredible; it was so peaceful, with old men singing traditional
Chinese songs hidden in a pagoda, Taiji overlooking a lake filled with lilies;
yet as soon as we stepped out of the gates, we were greeted by the now familiar
taxi horns blaring, people busy rushing around the streets and the general
hubbub that you would expect from such a rapidly growing city such as
Shanghai.

A trip to the China – Britain Business Council provided a valuable insight into
the Chinese economy; its history, present state, and possibilities and problems
that the future may hold. The discussions about the impact of foreign direct
investment into Shanghai and China as a whole were fascinating, and the ability
of companies to ‘re-invent’ themselves when entering such a different market
was quite astounding. I had never appreciated the possibility to enter a new
market with a completely different image. However, it appears that many firms
are attempting to and succeeding at this. It was suggested that at present, it
is highly attractive for firms to expand into China; however, the impact of the
global economic slowdown is yet to be determined. Furthermore, China has its
own economic problems – rising inflation and an increasing disparity between
the rich and the poor may impact on the development and growth of China over
the next decade. The discussions we participated in at CBBC enabled us take a
more considered look at the Chinese economy, and the extent to which Western
companies can influence the state of China.

These first two weeks in Shanghai have fascinated me, and increased my desire
to delve further into China, both into rural areas and to other major cities.
Furthermore, it has inspired me to find out more about this incredible culture,
the people who live here, and the complexities of the Chinese economy. The next
four weeks, in the Sino-British College and KPMG will hopefully provide
opportunities for this learning, as we work directly with Chinese colleagues to
complete a comparative research project about China and the UK, and work as
part of an international firm which has expanded into China.