Asia Development Bank in Manila

This three week work travel past Beijing, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Shanghai ended this week in Manila, the Philippines. We had meetings at the Asia Development Bank.

On my way back to Toronto this weekend.....

Confucius Institute global conference

Last weekend I participated in the 10th global conference of the Confucius Institutes (the Chinese version of the "British Council", the "Alliance Francaise", the Goethe Institute" and the "Cervantes Institute of the Brits, the French, the Germans and the Spanish). Seneca has since five years one of these Confucius Institutes in partnership with North East Normal University in China.

About 2,000 participants from 140 or so countries. The two day conference  was opened by youth singing a song of joint learning followed by speeches from - among others  - the President of Ottawa's Carlton University and the Vice Premier of China. Awards were given to achievements of a number of the CIs and individuals.

I attended the conference with Kong, our Chinese CI Director.

High speed train in China

China has built an impressive network of high speed trains throughout the country during the past 20 years. My colleague Nick and I took one of these trains (20 minutes) between Shanghai and Suzhou.

The old center of the new mega city Suzhou

The old city of Suzhou is also called the "Venice of the East". The photos will give you a bit of an impression of the old part of what was 30-40 years ago a small town and now has become another mega city of about 14 million people.

Starbucks was able to open a franchise but in a decently adjusted way. The Chinese younger generation is developing a taste for coffee after centuries of strong tea cultures....

Meetings in Shanghai and Suzhou

Work meetings at some of our partner schools in Shanghai and nearby Suzhou. The Chinese are working hard on higher education reform to introduce more applied vocational (college-type) training programs to sustain/maintain their fast growing economy.

IVT is a college 20 years young/old. In 1998 I visited here when they were just starting in a new industrial park. Niagara College became one of their founding board members.....

The proof of that was still on the wall of one of their newer buildings. They have created many partnerships with industrial companies who set up shop in the industrial park. They also fly the flags of all these companies in front of their main building...

Industry driven training has become their main theme very much in line with what the Canadian college system has developed as their main strength. The IVT buildings are full of fantastic labs and training rooms for students as well as employees from these partner businesses.

Recently they opened a new school for industrial design with initial focus on interior design and fashion design.

The IVT campus also houses a tourism call center of one of the two large on-line companies in China who function like Expedia in North America.

An impressive school with whom Seneca will develop jointly delivered programs in coming years.

Walking around in Shanghai

Arriving in Shanghai on December 1, a city with clear land-marks as the two high rises on this photo.

The same two high rises from another angle during a wonderful two hour walk through this mega city of 30 million people. Lots of modern new buildings but also still some older "corners" and streets.

And the famous Nanjing street, the main shopping area leading to "the Bund" on the river dividing Shanghai and Pudong. On a nice clear day "the Bund" is a board walk to make beautiful photos of the buildings, people strolling and boats passing.