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| Executive MBA students in front of the Pudong skyline |
Paying little attention to their
fatigue after an exhausting journey to China, the group went exploring Shanghai
on a beautiful Sunday morning. Some students went shopping and sightseeing in
small groups, while others gathered for a guided tour of Shanghai. We began the
tour with a walk down one of the most recognizable landmarks of Shanghai. The
Bund is a section of Zhongshan Road that runs along the western bank of the
Huangpu River. A stroll down the historic waterfront revealed a distinct
contrast between the modern life and the past: many different
styles of European buildings form a startlingly beautiful skyline view
of Pudong on the other side of the river.
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| "Cheers for a successful RP3!" |
We then explored Shanghai’s urban
development from its origins to the contemporary infrastructure at the Urban
Planning Museum. Multiple visual exhibits, including a massive miniature model
of Shanghai, documented an impressive evolution of this dynamic city. Finally,
we visited the Jade Buddha Temple, which is a key reminder of the Buddhist
history and an active Buddhist monastery in the northwest of Shanghai. The
temple is famous for its impressive two-meter-high, jewel-encrusted, white jade
hand-carved statue of Buddha. A private tea ceremony wrapped up our Sunday tour. We discovered the art of smelling,
drinking and tasting tea and learned about its unique medicinal and spiritual
properties.
The third residence period (RP) was
officially kicked off late Sunday afternoon. Dr. Shay Scott, the RP’s faculty
leader, gave students an overview of the next two weeks. The group then spent
some time socializing on the 64th floor of the Royal Meridien hotel,
where the panoramic sight of Shanghai’s spectacular view is the perfect scenery
to enjoy before two weeks of the global seminar.
