The Preparatory Seminar has finally started. This Seminar gives a brief introduction to the culture and business practices of China and is the ideal training for the coming On-site trip in Spring 2019.
The morning commenced with all ISP members gathered in the auditorium, were the entirety of the projects met at once for the first time. Dr. Crispino Bergamaschi, President of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, kicked off the event with encouraging words and shared valuable wisdom. After that, Marc Blaser (pictured above), CEO of joint partner Blaser Swisslube AG, gave a highly inspiring speech, stressing the importance of fulfilment and meaning in professional life.
Following the joint morning, Prof. Dr. Peter Abplanalp introduced key facts about China yesterday, today and tomorrow in an interactive manner. He incorporated an extensive quiz into his presentation to motivate and invite the audience. It posed questions such as:
- What is the official length of the great Wall?
- At what age do the Chinese children go to school?
- How many time zones are in China?
Afterwards, Dr. Yufan Jiang, Head FHNW China Centre Executive Programmes and Insight China Supervisor conducted a speech about China, its competitiveness and geopolitics, where he thoughtfully showed important pertaining events revolving China.
Having had a refreshing and energizing lunch, the afternoon continued with the first workshop of the day, Business Etiquette in China by Dr. Yingbo Seiler, Project Coordinator of FHNW China Centre. She lightheartedly taught us key behavior rules for everyday and business life in China, which will prove useful in our endeavors.
Finally, Qi Zhu-Ammann, Managing director at Confucius Institute at the University of Basel, gave us a brief but essential introduction in Chinese Language, its pronunciation intricacies, history and regional differences.
The first day of the Preparatory Seminar was filled with insightful speeches, workshops and discussions. We are excited about the coming days!
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