Business in China!

My first-hand experience of business in China.

Shenzhen ("The silicon valley of China")

It is a city more advanced than home, but the single robot we saw at an exhibition was a novice to the Chinese too.

We bought a robotic arm from a town that looked no more modern than Tongaat. But they can buy any electronic part they need from a store within an hour's drive away.

The e-bikes and scooter enjoy pedestrian status. And even though they appear silently out of no-where, everyone seems to work well around them. The technology is accelerating at a pace, because millions adopt and test the latest trends.

The digital print show was dominated to LED displays, disrupting the industry on which Purple Rain was built. There is a pulse in Shenzhen, that we will have to keep a finger on.

We followed the robot delivering orders to your room, because we had to work out how it communicated with its surrounding. (It must be connected to the central server.)

I don't think there are too many vegetarians in China. But yet, the availability and variety of vegetables with each meal, is greater than I am used to at home. It is amazing how vegetables are steamed to perfection.
I had the best vegetarian breakfasts - ever! If I could book myself of a breakfast tour, I could retire in China.

All services are engaged, and paid for online. (But be prepared to leave Google and Whatsapp behind.)
We scanned and paid for our goods in the super market, with seemingly an honour system against theft (or hightec security invisible to us).

While we are fined at home for talking on a phone while driving, everyone in China is on their phone, all the time - even while driving. Our taxi driver had tiktok on his personal phone, 'maps' on his work phone and the car console active. The scooter drivers also had their phones mounted for easy use while driving.

Few people speak English. We communicated with everyone using Wechat translate (and Alipay ).

When you enter your room, it draws the curtains, cleans and flushes your toilet, turns the TV and lights on.

The simple pizza and pasta was packed full of more flavour than an Italian restaurant.

You even order food online inside the restaurant. Food just appears at your table, you eat together and leave. No waiter wait-time or errors. No manual splitting of the bill.

Leya sent us in search of a unicorn. We unexpected achieved that goal.

I am not usually interested in buildings, but it is hard not to notice the outstanding new architecture, all around you.

This is the finance tower - one of the tallest in the world, covered in LEDs .

Yiwu ("Where Temu shops")

You get the sense, quickly, that scale in China is bigger than you're used to.
I have never seen this density of housing flats clusters anywhere else.
In the area we visited, there were 6 malls (called districts), each the size of Gateway, each servicing wholesalers in a specific group of industries.
The idea of having access to all these companies within walking distance from each other, was thrilling when you begin $. But by the end of day 1, you're overloaded with options, and overwhelmed into inertia (0), by the endless prospects.

Guangzhou (Home of the Canton Fair)

During our flight via Dubai to Shenzhen, the War on Iran started. While in Shenzhen our flights from Dubia to Durban were cancelled. The day before we were scheduled to leave, our flights from Shenzhen to Dubai were cancelled, and we had to depart from Guangzhou airport instead. So I got to, unexpectedly, visit the Canton Fair Complex.
Guangzhou, was a large and busy city, but not as impressive, in comparison to the cities I had already visited.

When we started on our roadtrip and camping adventures, I was put-off by the 5-star hotel, and thought that we would never need to go on an overseas trip again. I could see no point in it. I looked forward to this trip, because I knew there was a lot for me to learn, from a work perspective. However, I underestimated my need to travel overseas for personal growth. We love our new rustic experiences. But we have not, as yet, had enough of city travel.
A new farm neighbour mention recently that it is common for city kids to go in search of the wild camping experience; Then gradually enabling their experience with new technology; Until they one day wake up in a modern glamping setup.
I think we are somewhat down the same path

Dubai

During our transit via Dubai, we got a public notice to take cover. The airport staff gathered us away from the windows, but we did not actually feel fearful. We just waited patiently to be told what to do, and were happy to go back to our coffee, when allowed to go back to our seats.
We sat on the runway for 2 hours. During this time we were happier to choose what drink we wanted, over worrying about what danger we must have been exposed to. It is how odd we behave when we have little control over our circumstance.
We were grateful for just a 1-day delay in getting home, before flights were suspended again.

CTN

To top this already amazing experience, because all flights to Durban were cancelled, we got to fly to CTN, in time for Hari's 5th Birthday!
A month earlier, Hari said to Nishan: "Don't make me anything for my birthday. Come to my party."
These boys have an angel watching over them .

We spent the morning of Hari's birthday, dancing in our pyjamas to Steve Wonder singing to Hari, and Nevadna interviewing Hari's well wishers.
(I am so disappointed that this was not recorded. I hope that the sheer joy of the moment, keeps it in memory forever.)

It was a lego themed party

So we built,

... and built, ...

... a home filled with memories of family, love and laughter.