May 20, 2019

We started our day with a site visit with Richard Hadded from Options Group. We took a fairy to the site visit. The views from the fairy were very scenic. Once we arrived, we were put in a small room where they had hot water which was strange. Thankfully, they brought us cold water. Richard Hadded gave a very educational lecture. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. It was really fun to learn about Crypto and Fintech from the perspective from someone in the field.

We had lunch on our own and then we went to Bloomberg for our second site visit of the day. There was a lot of security to go through before being able to sit down with Francis Chan who is an expert on Fintech. Once we got through security, we had a very informational session with him. He pulled up an article he wrote and talked about different sections of it that he thought we would be able to understand (which was nice). It was interesting to see his take on Fintech as a whole and where Fintech is going in the future.

After our site visits a group of us went to see Tian Tan Buddha. We took a cable car which had amazing views. Once we arrived on the island, we climbed 250 steps to get to the base of Buddha. After walking around Buddha, we headed over to a monastery. The architecture of it was so intricate and pretty. Overall, everyone enjoyed their time visiting Tian Tan Buddha.

May 19, 2019

Our Sunday in Hong Kong was started by the city tour of Hong Kong. The tour consisted of 3 visits/activities: (1) Victoria Peak (2) Repulse Bay (3) and Aberdeen Harbor. The trip up to Victoria Peak was the perfect way to start our day; we drove via motor-coach near the top of Hong Kong Island to the observatory. The view from Victoria Peak was surreal, as the city of Hong Kong was sprawled out below us.

Our second visit was to Repulse Bay, which is on the southern part of Hong Kong island. Going to Repulse Bay was like leaving the island; instead of continued efficient and busy downtown area, Repulse Bay was a spacious and calm beach-resort town, highlighted by a Buddhist temple right near the water. Most of crossed the Longevity Bridge; which locals say adds 3 years to your life!

Our third visit was to Aberdeen Harbor, characterized by it’s famous floating restaurant called Jumbo Kingdom. The tour guide told us this restaurant was very famous – even Queen Elizabeth had eaten there, along with Hollywood stars Jon Wayne and Bruce Lee. About half the group went on a short boat ride to see this floating restaurant, as well as some of the floating homes near the harbor.

After finishing our city tour, we headed over to Central: a business and retail district on Hong Kong Island. In Central we visited a bunch of different retail stores with the intention of absorbing the customer experience and detailing differences between the environment, products, layout, etc in comparison with retail in America. A couple people from our group went to the Nike and Adidas store, as well as a handful of other clothing stores and a cell phone store.

After comparing experiences with the group on our retail activity, the group separated and went our own separate ways for dinner. A couple from our group headed to a Korean barbecue, where we were given unlimited meat to cook for 45 minutes; the tables we were at had burners built within the table. All in all, it was a full, but great day in Hong Kong!

May 18, 2019

We kicked off day 3 with our tentacles on the ground, using our Octopus Cards to navigate to CityU on Hong Kong Island. Upon arriving to CityU, we found an interconnected system of gardens and terraces which provided wonderful peace and quiet in the middle of a bustling city center. As we traversed campus, we saw students collaborating on academic work and enjoying the company of their peers.

Introduction to Chinese Culture

Brian Boyd, an American department director at CityU, presented us with a plethora of social and cultural norms, some of which were contradictory to those we are used to back in the States. The most interesting concept was that of “Face” or “Mainzi”, which has to do with the status and reputation between two individuals. Face is a crucial element of social interactions in many Asian cultures and stands as the foundation of success in business.

CityU Tour with Alex

Following our informational introduction to Chinese culture, we were given the opportunity to tour CityU with an active student, Alex. She gave us insight into the daily lives of students in Hong Kong as well as her future aspirations in the world of business. Next year she plans to study abroad in Canada at the University of Toronto. During our tour with Alex, we found a campus center where students are able to vote on current issues taking place around campus such as the construction of a dedicated elevator for the University’s president. To wrap up our time together, Alex brought us to her favorite place to grab a bite to eat on campus, where we ate an entire chicken!

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Symphony and Kowloon Light Show

To finish off the evening of Day 3, we ate a variety of traditional dishes at a well known restaurant called Symphony by Jade. We had the opportunity to try duck, tofu, goose, squid and a sweet red bean soup for dessert. During our feast, we stepped out onto Kowloon Pier to gaze at the Kowloon light show which was created to draw tourists back to Hong Kong after the Sars outbreak in 2003. This unique light show has continued to capture the attention of tourists worldwide since its inception.

May 17, 2019

Day 2 of our trip covered the second half of our LONG plane ride and arrival to Hong Kong. With tired bodies and excited minds, we boarded the bus to travel to downtown Hong Kong and our hotel. We were privileged to have our guide William to fill us in on Hong Kong’s history and structure, as well as tips to make sure we had the best trip possible. After we arrived, we all took to the streets to get an initial look of what the city was all about and most importantly grab some food.

Our first impression of the city was that it was HOT. The level of heat and humidity is not something we were used to, especially coming from Minnesota. Other than that, we found it to be a lively city with a large variety of stores and food options. As William said, it seemed to be a city that never slept. After night 1, we are more excited than ever to see more of what the city has to offer.

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May 16, 2019

All of our days started at 5 or 6 AM Central Standard Time, when we woke up early in order to get to the airport by 7:15 AM. We met Anne at the United counter in terminal 1 to check in for our group reservation. After we finished checking in and getting through security, we had time before our 10 AM flight. Some of us wandered the airport for coffee while others waited at the gate.

Our first flight was only an hour and a half to Chicago. After landing at noon, we had a short layover where we were able to get food in O’Hare before our flight for Hong Kong boarded at 12:30.

The 15-hour flight to Hong Kong was rough. It was pretty much what you would expect a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong to be—cramped seating, boring downtime, and growing anticipation. Some of us slept, some read, and some watched TV shows as well as movies from the large collection of entertainment United provided. We were served two primary meals, a dinner and a breakfast. For dinner, we had a choice of rice and chicken or vegetable noodles and, for breakfast, we had a choice between blueberry pancakes or an omelette. In between dinner and breakfast we got a turkey sandwich and M&M’s. Overall, we agreed that the food wasn’t great but some of us thought it was better than expected. 

Although we still had aways to go at the end of the first day of travel, we were excited to be one step closer to Hong Kong and China.

Thanks for joining us on this adventure in China!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton