My experience in China
1. Introduction
My name is Gadzikai Kizito Masere and I am a student at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute and I am currently pursuing a master's degree in professional Accounting. I work at the Office of the Auditor-General, Zimbabwe as a Value for Money or Performance Auditor. I came to the People’s Republic of China in November 2022 and I had great experiences and some perceptions I had about China that were cleared.
2. Free Environment/Food/ safety
Generally, I like traveling, doing business, experimenting and when I was considering coming to study in China, I remember telling the Department not to consider me for the scholarship though I did not tell them the reason. The reason was however that the media that I was generally exposed to was all criticizing China and I came here with the perception that People’s Republic of China was less developed (I was wrong), and the media used to portray China as unsafe. The reason that was being cited was that cameras were all over, therefore, it meant that there was no privacy and the environment was not free. Later, I said to myself I needed to go and see it for myself. I wanted appreciate how one of the fastest-growing economies be unfree and unsafe.?
I could not even take out my camera or to take photos, but within a short space of time after staying in Shanghai, I realized that it was not true that China was not safe. The truth is cameras are there in the streets or buildings but to me, they are for my security because even if you forget your stuff on a train or bus, the law enforcement officer will apprehend the suspect.
Another thing is the presence of police in the streets, it used to scare me too and I would think I would be arrested if the Western media had been telling them that there is limited freedom of space. I was surprised as I was taking my videos and sharing my experience in China the local people gathered around me and some were saying 我們歡迎你外國人 (We welcome foreigners). The police had to come and disperse people and this made me feel that China is secure. I discovered that my security was guaranteed and their presence was for the security of the people. In addition, I may come back to my school late but to a large extent, the least of my worries is insecurity.
I used to hear that the People Chinese eat cats, dogs, and snakes which in our country people do not eat. I was actually very worried about what I would eat when I came to China or maybe I am yet to experience the part of China where I am staying (Shanghai) However, when I came to China I noticed that my perceptions were very wrong. All the food we eat back home is available here in China.
3. Trains experience
The first time I took a bus and a train I was a bit scared that maybe I could be robbed, attacked or rejected. I got onto the metro train and the atmosphere in the train was totally opposite to my prior experience on trains (in Europe and some other Asian countries). Truth be told, I felt like I was having a heart attack, however, I learned very fast and adapted to new environments. My first experience on the metro train was very exciting and with confidence, I took my seat. My fellow passengers who were seated around me were nice and made an effort to speak to me. It was very welcoming and heartwarming and consequently, this made me feel comfortable.
When I take a bus around Shanghai, the bus drivers and passengers are hospitable, and Chinese parents like to introduce their kids to the people of my race and offer me food too.
Below is a photo on the bus in Shanghai where I met teachers with kids whom they brought close to me to shake my hands, speak English and I would respond back with “budding” Chinese language to their delight.
I see China soon being the undisputed heavyweight of high-speed trains with laser focus and pushing boundaries of what is possible in the Chinese economy and the world.
4. Payment (Cashless society)
Before I came to China I used to read that China is a cashless society. This was one of the issues that I really wanted to confirm when I came to China. When I arrived at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute Campus I was handed over a brown envelope stashed with around 11,000 RMB cash and this disappointed me since it was not my expectation. However, I later learned it was well calculated move by the Chinese Authorities to manage the spread of COVID-19. When I deposited the stipend in the bank between November-December, 2022, that was the last time I got hold of cash and as I write this article I never got hold of cash. The digital payment trend seems to have accelerated in the past 10 years or so, thanks to the visionary Belt and Road Initiative that was introduced by President Xi Jinping.
5. Work ethic
I have watched the Chinese people work and I have fallen in love with the way they do their work. They work so hard and very fast and efficiently. I have observed this from my lecturers, factories, and manufacturing. When I came to China in November 2022 there were a lot of buildings around my university that were incomplete and I remember my friend making insinuations that they were not going to be finished anytime soon. We were very surprised at the rate at which the construction is taking place. One of these days I deliberately went out to the construction sites around my school. I was surprised to find out that the employees were working even at night at around 8:00 P.M. This inspired me and I will take this with me to my beautiful country, zimbabwe.
In addition, when I came left Zimbabwe, I came along with samples of products that I wanted Chinese manufacturers to manufacture for me. It did not take long for them to produce a sample of the products that I sent to them and even suggest more features on the products. I think they do well in high-pressure environments.
6. Made in China are Substandard goods
In Zimbabwe, I had a small business and most of my products I get from China. I used to believe what I used to hear that Chinese products were substandard. After my stay in China and moving around, my view is now totally different.
Substandard products
From my experience so far dealing with Chinese factories, I realized that business people should be specific about the products they want when they bring samples or designs to prospective manufacturers. I learnt that Chinese people are also into business, so if a customer wants low-cost and sub-standard materials, manufacturers have no choice but to produce as per value. I also observed that if the buyer is not specific about the material quality and standard to be met, the standard will not magically happen.
Furthermore, I also learnt that Chinese product customers sometimes do not work closely with product designers which to a large extent leads to low-quality or faulty goods. You will come to realize that Chinese factories may be wrongly blamed at the end of the day. This being a problem, I have learned that the best is lowering total or overall costs by making use of a supplier network that you negotiate with that can reduce cost with no compromise on the quality of goods. I believe this can be achieved by attending the Canton Fair or China Import and Export Fair which is organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre and the co-hosting done by the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) and the government of Guangdong Province. I have never attended this fair physically but I have attended online, but I wish I could attend in person. If I fail to attend during my stay in China when I go back to my country I will apply and come back to attend the Canton Fair because most business people I deal with have been encouraging me to attend in person. I think I will encourage a lot of African people to attend it too. The reason why I will encourage this is that you meet with the supplier directly.
My experience is that there are a lot of factories in China that are capable of exceeding customers' expectations to the extent that if there is no stamp of origin the probability of guessing the source wrong is high. I was very surprised to learn that a lot of world-class products are being produced in China. Surprisingly, when I moved around factories in Shanghai and when I went to Zhejiang province, I met business people from around the globe including the West buying made-in-China goods.
7. Field Trips
When I got out for field trips in China, I learned a lot, the photo below was taken when I went to Hangzhou for a field trip. In the photo, we were at the Team Museum in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.
8. Learning Chinese as a none native speaker
From my research before I came to China, I learned that Mandarin Chinese is the most difficult language and looking at Chinese characters, it looked very difficult. I felt it was a non-starter and it created some resentment in me to consider coming to acquire Chinese education. Now that I am in China, I am learning Chinese and although it is a bit challenging, it is all about attitude and it is a language that any person can learn. Considering how well China is performing economically and with a possible change in the balance of power through other thrusts like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it is a good opportunity for me and I will be able to talk to Chinese people businesswise since I like doing business. Although it is a challenge to learn Chinese Mandarin it is possible to be able to learn.
The teachers are very friendly and very dedicated. I like the way some teachers who do not take us for Chinese classes do it. The classes are intensive and there is a lot of dedication from the teachers. They also teach us Mandarin Chinese classes for example in management accounting and international business classes, the teachers teach us indirectly especially when it comes to numbers.
After school activities during the day, I explore around the area that we would have visited and meet local people, especially children. I realized that Chinese children can help when learning Chinese. The photo below is a photo of me and Chinese kids that I met and they were very excited and I said 你好 to them.
9. Chinese Holidays
There are a number of Holidays in China but I enjoyed and liked the Chinese National Day celebrated on the 1st of October. I attended the Celebration that was held at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute. Below is a photo of me and other Chinese revelers at SNAI taking a photo after a military parade while waving the Chinese flags.
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