Before my trip to China, I had little idea of what my experiences would hold. I set off with an open mind and a mission to compare marketing strategies used in China, particularly the internet, to those of the United States. To accomplish my goal, I began by asking a Chinese marketing teacher about his idea of internet marketing in China in comparison to the US. He felt that China has a long way to go to compare to the quality of the United States, but they are on their way. I feel they make up for their marketing in different ways. From catchy commercials and alluring advertisements, China still has a strong marketing field. During my studies, I saw many of the typical Billboards and posters in subways and bus stops. Marketing is still highly prevalent in China, but I feel their stronger powers are still in ways different than the internet.

Overall, the attitude in the workplaces in China was very positive. Workers seemed happy and thankful for their jobs. The work ethics exhibited were very good. I did not see anyone standing around waiting for things to do. People at work seemed to have well-defined tasks. I respect that the workers seemed to have a mind-set that working is a fact of life, and they were simply doing what they need to do, and happy to be doing it. I was also very impressed with how our group was welcomed into the businesses that we visited. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with warm smiles. I never felt that we were a nuisance or intruding on their workday. Instead, I felt as though it was a highlight in their day to be able to host us.

I was expecting a language barrier to pose a problem in my travels since I do not speak Chinese. The language could pose a problem at times, especially when communicating with taxi drivers, but overall, it wasn’t too bad. People were very helpful in communicating. It was very refreshing that the people were not impatient or annoyed with me for not speaking their language. I never felt unsafe in any of the places I visited, and if we ever got turned around and didn’t know how to navigate the area, it was easy to find people who were willing to help.

Something that is undeniably prevalent in China is their strong culture. It is obvious that Chinese culture plays a role in everything they do. I find it admirable that important cultural aspects are still being passed down from generation to generation. I could tell just from observing that there is a very collective culture. From the workplace, to the schools, to just watching people on the streets, you can see their collective nature. People are very close to each other, all around. Maybe it comes with their high population, but people are not afraid to be near one-another, even complete strangers. I feel that everything relates back to respect toward others and working together as a whole. Most people even talk to complete strangers as if they know them. Since the United States is very individualistic in most ways, this was something very different for me to see.

My trip to China had a big effect on my attitude and knowledge about international diversity. I can genuinely say that it opened my eyes to a new way of living. Going into this trip, I knew that things would be different, but it was a whole new experience to actually live it. I now have a great appreciation for Chinese culture. I admire their ability to hold onto their culture throughout many generations, and keep their focus on their desire for peace and harmony.