While I knew that China was big, I did not really imagine it to be that BIG!

A huge chunk of our 11-day trip in China was mostly spent on the road –traveling from one city to another, visiting one attraction or office after the other, meeting and exchanging pleasantries with our Chinese hosts who warmly welcomed us everywhere we went.

While we spent almost two weeks (this is the longest out-of-the-country trip I had since I started working in this media industry 20 years ago), we were told that the places we have seen so far are probably less than one percent of what China has to offer.

We were also told that it would probably take a lifetime for a person to visit all the places in China!

Albeit short, the trip made me realize that despite all the “noise” about China, there is more to this giant country than meets the eye.

Advances in technology, economic growth

Aside from wonderful tourist attractions, its efforts in technological innovation are also among the driving forces behind China’s continued success.

While in Beijing, we visited Baidu’s Apollo Park. Located at the Yizhuang Economic Development Zone, the is home to hundreds of self-driving vehicles.

Aside from experiencing first-hand riding a “driverless” car, members of the Philippine delegation were also given a tour of the park.

The key officials of the company explained that Baidu takes pride in its autonomous driving which it claimed was “the most advanced” in China.

Baidus’ intelligent and autonomous driving was amazing! It was like something that came straight out of a sci-fi film. If we did not experience the “driverless” car first-hand, we would not even believe it was possible!

We were told that through Apollo Go, which is considered the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service provider, Baidu has been providing robotaxi and services in over 10 cities in China. People can go to places without “driving.” How cool is that?

The tour of the “Energy Valley” located at the Future Science City, Changping District also gave us a glimpse of China's new energy industry.

We were also introduced to a company named Jingle Magic. As an innovation-driven technology enterprise, Jingle Magic was one of the earliest companies in China to deploy Web 3.0 (Metaverse).

Since I cover the education beat, Jingle Magic offerings were very interesting to me because they provide solutions that could help make learning easier and more enjoyable for students who have different needs.

Its AR Intelligent Desk, for example, is a “smart classroom” equipped with a blackboard and desks which can be adjusted according to the number of students. In China, the AR Intelligent Desk is used for teaching experiments without exposing the students to risks in traditional physical or chemical laboratories.

The AR Intelligent Desk can be used alongside the AI Smart Blackboard to create an “inclusive smart classroom” for schools. For younger kids, there’s the AR Smart Learning Companion for early education learning experience.

I could not help thinking about how the products for a while after the tour.  The products can potentially solve challenges in the Philippine basic education such as the curriculum and shortages in resources like classrooms, teachers, and even learning materials.

In Shaanxi, the Philippine delegation was allowed to visit the ShaanGu Group, a leading system solution provider in the field of distributed energy in China. The company vowed to continue improving utilization efficiency of its products and processes to help solve energy-related problems.

The BROAD Group based in Changsha City, Hunan is also another leading company in China. In a meeting, Chairman and chief Executive Officer (CEO) Zhang Yue told the members of the delegation that his company “can help solve” the problem of affordable housing in the Philippines.

Zhang offered to help the Marcos government to address mass housing problems in the country. The current administration has promised to build a minimum of one million houses a year.

By the third quarter of 2023, BROAD Group is set to build a high-rise building in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao.

What struck me the most during the meeting is BROAD’s capability to erect a 10-story steel apartment building in 28 hours!

Through the use of its modular construction method, the company built its “Living Building” in 2021. Seeing its potential to address classroom shortage in the Philippines due to lack of buildable space, I asked if the company would be open to such collaboration, to which its officials said: “Not now but maybe in the future.”

The delegation also visited the Hunan Iron & Steel Group Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of steel products in China.

To know more about China’s developments when it comes to research and technology, we visited the Huawei Shanghai Research Center.

During the visit, we saw first-hand what the leading Chinese company is up to. We also got to learn about its current programs and projects in the Philippines.

Members of the Philippine delegation also had the opportunity to visit the Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG) headquarters with over 7,000 employees. It owns 22 newspapers and magazines, two publishing houses, several phenomenal new-media brands, and distinguished new-media clusters.

By the end of 2022, SUMG’s new-media forms have over 900 million users.

The experience of SUMG was something that many of us, journalists, could relate to as we also had to adjust to the new media and learn how to adapt to its ever-changing landscape.

Still in Shanghai, we visited the NIO House.

As a global smart electric vehicle company, NIO has established sales and service networks in China, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark –providing products and services to users in over 300 cities worldwide.
 

Since we’re mostly on the road, one of the things I noticed while traveling is that more and more people have been using electric vehicles (EVs).

NIO Head of User Relations Vice President Calvin Shen shared that by June 2023, NIO has delivered over 340,000 smart EVs. The company also hoped to make its EVs available to more countries such as the Philippines.

Bei Zhaojian, the Shanghai Municipal Government Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office, also gave some updates on the economic recovery of China’s biggest city.

“Despite the slowdown caused by the pandemic, Shanghai’s economy still achieved a remarkable accomplishment,” Bei said. Shanghai, as the economic powerhouse of China, enjoys the largest economic output in the country.

During our visit to all these companies, I could not help but compare the two countries. While there’s a big gap for now, I remain hopeful that the Philippines would be able to overcome the challenges and provide better opportunities for its people. (Photos by Merlina Hernando-Malipot)

PART ONE

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/3/11-days-in-china-stepping-back-in-time-and-viewing-the-future

PART TWO

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/5/a-journey-of-understanding-china-officials-welcome-ph-group