By Philippe Muff, Insight China PR Team
The financial and commercial powerhouse Shanghai provided a remarkable blend between exciting nightlife, tradition and big city feeling. The Western touch and beautifully shining skyline soon enchanted many of us, especially those who have not yet been introduced to the bustling metropolis.
It was the longest stop of Insight China 2019, filled with six days of numerous company visits, sightseeing, and leisure activities, most often towards the evening. On Friday, after the members have freely familiarized themselves with the hottest bars, most fashionable shopping lanes and picturesque cityscapes on the day before, our guide, Jackson, kicked off with a tour of the culture hotspots in the city. Namely, the historically rich French Concession district, the ancient Yu Garden, the quirky craft shops of Tianzifang and finally the 1.5km long Bund promenade, providing the iconic scenery of the financial district high-rises, allowing for some snazzy group pictures and selfies! We then spent an amazing evening, dining in the Thai Gallery Restaurant, which by itself is a beautiful sight to behold (picture at the bottom).
The following Saturday was spent in nearby Suzhou, a city known for its industrial prowess as well beautiful canals and gardens. After a scenic strut through the Lion Grove Garden, we were able to explore the Venice-like canals in the old town by ourselves, peruse peculiar shops, munch on not-so-familiar sweets and snacks or just rest, absorbing the unique atmosphere, despite teeming tourists and chaotic noises.
After some more well-earned resting and independent roaming of the city on Sunday, the Saturday resumed the program with what marked the first of a series of three exciting company visits. This first stop was Kühne + Nagel, which we spend the whole day with. Our hosts Mr. Michael Fromm and Mr. MarcAndrew Paul had enthusiastically shown us all about their company and given valuable facts pertaining to this year’s topic “40 Years Opening and Reform in China”, before taking us to the enormous Shanghai port, the busiest port in the world. We were all highly impressed not only by the information presented as well as the port itself, but also the 32.5km Donghai bridge, which we had crossed.
On Monday, we spent the morning at Swiss-Swedish company ABB, viting their Robotics division in Shanghai, where Mr. Stephan Schärer graciously welcomed us to present the latest facts and figures about the company with his colleagues, before leading us through the manufacturing halls, allowing us to learn about the business in and out. Their impressive technology and cordial openness have left us amazed by the multinational enterprise.
Afterwards, we spent the afternoon the Blaser Swisslube office, where we were warmly received by Mr. David Liu, Managing Director, and given an extensive insight. We learned about Blaser’s value proposition in Asia and were surprised by how little it differed from the philosophies they represent Switzerland. Moreover, we were given a quick tour of the premises and had relaxed conversations with the other employees, resulting in an invaluable experience.
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