Well Tuesday began with a visit with Tyco Electronics. Our hosts spent time talking about their market in Asia and an amazing discussion on the status on HR in China. Just like in the US, every firm here is fighting to keep talent happy and employed. It is amazing that in a country of this size and population density workforce is an issue at all.

After a noodle lunch, a group of us jetted off to the Jade Buddha Temple, a truly beautiful and reverent place. When you walk in the gate the aroma of incense floods your senses and the sounds of drums, chimes, and chant overwhelm your ears. Where ever you look you see the reds and browns associated with Buddhism. Some minor exploring reveals the great guardians of the temple and peaceful Buddhas that sit in solemn meditation throughout.

In the temple it is easy to see the focus of community on the earthquake victims. Signs petitioning for donation and pictures of the tragedy flood the landscape of the villa. Even in this country where poverty nips at the heels of the majority of the citizens millions of yuan have all ready been donated and there seems to be no end in sight to the generosity of the people.

Our afternoon concluded with a tour of a silk production and for a lucky group of us a one hour foot massage, which was quit indulgent.

A wonderful evening of food and fellowship ensued but those discussions are best suited to stories told amongst friends.

Since we depart for Nanjing Wednesday morning I can't help but feel that I have not even seen one percent of this city of 20 million people. Last night I accompanied some full time students to dinner and a walk down Nanjing Road and you would have thought we were in Times Square on Friday night. The vast amount of people and traffic was endless. Regardless of the size and density everyone in the city has been nothing but gracious and polite to the point it beckons you to return. May be I can return in 2010 for the World Expo....

Combining a busy Monday with 35 jet lagged MBA students was entertaining. Our day began after a great breakfast with a visit to the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE).

The SSE's first impression proves to be a large empty room. As we quickly discovered the SSE is completely electronic not requiring traders to be present on the floor.

As you can see, leave it to creative WFU students to mount the first "take over" attempt of the SSE.

Following another family style meal at lunch and a trip up the Shanghai TV tower for some great unending views we travelled across the city to Lowe's Global Sourcing. It was in this Wilkesboro based company's office we had an interesting exposure to Chinese Culture, but before I can explain that I must take a quick aside.

Monday morning we awoke to the news that the Chinese State Council declared that the People's Republic of China would observe three days of mourning in respect to the lives lost and victims of the earthquake from last week. Now this meant that all Olympic activities were placed on hold, all cultural, and entertainment items were cancelled including television. In addition at 2:28 pm Shanghai time on Monday we would observe three minutes of silence.

At 2:28 our group was sitting in the Lowe's Global Sourcing office and an overwhelming noise of horns, sirens, and whistles arose from the street below. Traffic had stopped, people had stopped walking, and the moment of silence became a moment where everything truly stopped in country of 1.3 billion people. At last count the death toll was 34,073.

Through out the day I can honestly say I witnessed a China undiscovered to me. A place where transition is fast paced and the future is bright. As Scott at Lowe's said this "Experience has revitalized his passion in business."

Tomorrow (Tuesday): -Tyco

While stretching your legs on the plane, shuttle hops, and other periods of waiting, you spend time trying to meet the other students from the other MBA programs in Babcock. You see for the International Trips the programs are merged, so you find yourself surrounded by several new faces and some familiar ones.

So after I met my roommate and got settled I set out to find some dinner. I ended up joining a group of four very gracious evening students Carrie, Matt, Mark, and James. We were destined for the Castle Jade Restaurant recommended by Michael Lord.

Armed with a small card from the hotel that said %u21CPlease take me here:%u21D in both English and Chinese and the name of the restaurant the five of us crammed into a taxi about the size of an old VW Jetta. As we weaved along the rainy streets of Shanghai I could not help but notice that driving is slightly more chaotic than what I was used to back home, but to my amazement cabbie dropped us off without a major traffic incident.

As he drove off we looked around and noticed that we did not see the restaurant, here begins a search in a foreign land where the language barrier soon became evident. After about 15 minutes of searching, a fair amount of rain, one new umbrella, locating our first Chinese Starbucks, and finally the consultation of a map we found the restaurant and sat down to an excellent Chinese meal family style. Mark filled us in that family style meals in China were the norm and for some one like me raised on county dinners at my grandmother%u219s table that just made me feel somewhat at home.

After finishing a filling dinner, I think the day%u219s travels started to catch-up with us all. You could see the need for sleep start to drift over our all of our faces and Matt summed it up best by saying that it was time for a %u21CFood Coma.%u21D So with my appetite satiated and Matt%u219s statement in mind I think it is time to call it a day.

Tomorrow: -Shanghai Trading Floor -Lowe%u219s Sourcing