By Tatjana Linggi and Priyanthiny Balasingam

For the first time the delegation members had the great opportunity to take the high-speed train from Lanzhou to Tianshui. With an average speed of 240 km/h we had the chance to enjoy a fascinating scenery. Afterwards we went to Tianshui Normal University (TNSU), where we were warmly welcomed by Ph. D. Cai Wen-hao, President of the University and Professor of Economics. Followed to his speech our Head of Delegation, Michael Puelz, had a briefly speech about our school (FHNW) and especially he pointed out the Swiss dual education system. After his speech, we were keen to getting to know our Chinese partner students, which were responsible for the entire day.

After a joint lunch at Students’ Canteen with delicious traditional Chinese food we explored the Huo Songlin Art Gallery, which was established in June, 2010. The sight of the museum was written by Mr. Shen Peng, a very famous Chinese calligrapher and the former president of Chinese Calligrapher Association. This museum has a collection of more than 3000 books and 240 calligraphy and paintings, which are donated by Professor Huo and his students.

In addition, we continued with the painting exhibition at art gallery of TSNU, where the school collects the final projects of art students. Especially the paintings and the creative works of TSNU students were quite different then we are used to know in Switzerland.

Later on, we had cultural exchange activities, where TSNU students performed for the Insight China delegation. For us, this was the highlight of the day. Hence, we could enjoy traditional art, dance, singing and Chinese opera. It was a spectacular and absolutely amazing show, where we were encouraged to participate on the stage in different games. For example, we learned some Chinese sentences and had a blind-drawing competition. Furthermore, the entire delegation was invited to show up on the stage to take pictures with all artists.

All good things come to an end. This day ended with another joint dinner and many new friendships. It was touching for us to see how the school appreciates our visit. We hope in near future a relationship can be build up between TSNU and FHNW.

By Rebekka Renold & Cristina Scarnera

The Great Wall is clearly one of the most famous sightseeing spots in China. Therefore, it could not miss on our Insight China program in Beijing. The day could not be better since the sun was shining and there was no Beijing smog to affect the sight. After arriving at Mutianyu Great Wall we had a delicious typical Chinese lunch with a perfect view at the Great Wall. Full and starched we were finally ready to climb the Great Wall. We headed up via cable car and we had an incredible view of the surrounding area. Our tour guide Jessy brought us to a part of the Wall with fewer tourists, so we were able to fully enjoy our stay and take a lot of beautiful photos. Over all we walked approximately three hours and we passed some towers, which in the past prevented the Mongol horses from advancing. Even though our hike was only a tiny fraction of the total 8’800 kilometres of the wall, we were really impressed, and every sight was more incredible than the one before. Some of the delegation used the Toboggan to get back, others walked. On our last evening in China’s capital we tried the Beijing duck and it was amazing.

By Jürg Steudler

Our on site-trip has finally started. The whole delegation of about 25 students as well as several university lectures is visiting China. The study trip mainly focuses on transferring knowledge between senior executives, government officials, Chinese universities and FHNW students. This will be achieved by visits of companies, public institutions and universities. Regarded as an outstanding journey, it is a must for everybody who seeks to broaden one’s horizon in a unique manner and who would like to discover how Chinese do business in real.

After a long and quite exhausting journey, we arrived in the afternoon at our first destination Beijing. Right after landing, we changed our clothes at the airport for our visit at the Swiss Embassy in Beijing. For dinner, we already started with traditional Chinese food in a restaurant close to the embassy. After dinner, we rounded off the evening with some drinks in a bar.

The next day started in the early morning with our first company visit at Lenovo.

Having arrived at the Lenovo Campus, we got a short introduction into the history of Lenovo. Furthermore, they presented different devices and some new technologies like changeable smartphone covers for different purposes. Afterwards we got an insight into the Lenovo testing lab, where the devices get tested. The visit was closed by a marvelous lunch at the Lenovo cantina.

After a short break at the hotel to change into some casual clothes, we went further to the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing. Jessy, our Chinese tour guide, told us a lot of facts and figures about the famous palace complex. After an hour walking tour through the famous building, taking a lot of pictures by ourselves or getting used as a photo object for other tourists, we moved further to the Tiananmen Square. The square contains the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. After a short stay at the square, we headed off to get our dinner.

In a traditional Chinese restaurant, we had our dinner, which was a fantastic Chinese hotpot. Later in the evening, we went to a karaoke club to finish the day with some funny interpretation of different songs and grab some beer together.