Technology in China, game changer
|
I had the privilege to do a study-abroad in China for 2 weeks, courtesy of Prairie View A&M University and China-United States Exchange Foundation during my Masters in Business Administration graduate program. I want to create a few post about my experience and knowledge gained from the study abroad. In particularly, highlight how I see China’s utilization, advancement, and economic position with technology. On arrival, and within most lectures the Four Great China Inventions were discussed early and often. Although, I am not 100% certain if China can claim being the inventors of these movements but I can say that they took it to another level. Bike Share – Living in Dallas-Fort Worth I have seen the progression and development of bike share programs and station free rental programs, and it has been popular in many European countries for years. While in China it was on steroids! Ofo, Mobike, and the likes were everywhere! It was easy, simple, and extremely convenient. It worked amazingly in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai where public transportation and the urban lifestyle offered a natural fit for the bikes to be racked and used. Bullet Train (HSR) – I was able to speak intelligently with professors and our guides about HSR since Texas (Dallas and Houston) is racing to lay the first tracks in the U.S. Being in China gave me the opportunity to ride the Bullet Train from Beijing to Hangzhou and from Hangzhou to Shanghai. The ride was flawless and smooth as sand, very similar to trains from NJ to NY and from Fort Worth to Dallas but a bit faster! And you could not help but to admire China’s investment into infrastructure. They own patents around the development and expansion of HSR, and currently maintain about 2/3 of the total tracks in the world. Mobile Pay – AliPay is accepted everywhere, from the mom-and-pop street vendor to the upscale, boutique retail store. For example, the bikes available for bike share require the user to have a Mobile/Online Payment service like AliPay. This lends Chinese, especially the younger generation to only carry a cell-phone and a portable power pack. E-Commerce – Yes we all have experienced Ebay and Amazon on some level at this point. But imagine, everyone and everything is like Amazon Same-Day Delivery. Groceries, Clothes, services. Of course the population makes a huge impact, but learning how China has tightly coupled E-Commerce with Express Delivery and Distribution was dope. Whether that’s having someone provide you not only with the groceries to cook dinner, but the pots, pans, and any other accessories to make dinner great or having a product ordered at a morning meeting and delivered to a client that afternoon, the infrastructure, technology usage, and population lends to E-Commerce juggernaut.  |