2008年04月30日
长江商学院MBA代表团圆满结束了韩国之行，留下了美好的回忆。
这里所辑录的就是长江07MBA卢嘉为（Gary）的行程中的片段记录。
April 27, 2008
Yesterday we finished the Macroeconomics final exam which embarked a full stop to the module 3 and this morning we boarded on a plane of Korean Air to Seoul. I woke up quite early at 6:00 but kept staying in bed till 6:20 and when I got all preparation down the clock arms pointed to 7:10. I decided to start off early so that I could help carrying the luggage boxes which contained some materials for our info session in Seoul to the shuttle bus. Since it is Sunday, the traffic to the Pudong airport is OK and though we set off a few minutes behind the schedule, we still arrived right before the 9:30 appointment.
Korean classmate sent us a letter yesterday after he arrived home to alert us about the tight security check at the airport but maybe because we are clearing as a tourist group all procedures were fairly smooth and we gathered at the boarding gate quite efficiently. It was a Boeing 777 plane and the food (a good mix of seafood and vegetables) and service quality were quite satisfactory. Their uniform looks more tender and stylish than that of domestic airliners do. I got a little bit surprised that they have middle aged male attendee as well.
Money exchange for Korea won is convenient either at the airport or in the local banks. You may also rent a CDMA mobile phone at the airport.
Korean classmate met us at the airport and brought two other volunteers who might be his colleague or friends as our guide. He is a really awesome guy! We drove a long high way from the Incheon（仁川）airport to our hotel Rex in downtown near the Seoul railway station.
Though a 4-star hotel, the lobby is not as spacious as that of domestic ones and the room is just clean and far from luxury. The plug-in was two hole and concave therefore didn’t fit my computer power. I asked for a switcher but they were running out of them and the only internet connection available was at the lobby with just one desktop computer. After a simple check-in, William’s friend took us away from our classmates and we started our Korea sightseeing from the subway line 4 Hoehyeon（会贤）station to some local shopping streets (Namdaemun market and Insadong alley) and we passed by the area (Cheonggyecheon青溪川) where the current president, who was then the mayor of Seoul, torn down a viaduct and restored it into a stream-featured walking road. It led to a major commercial area and was surrounded by many headquarters of big Korean companies. Xizong introduced us a popular local snack: Niangao, which did not taste better but appeared much more inviting in color and shape. They also made teas in very special flavors which were more like seasonal beverage made out of fruit and grain than the traditional tea in our concept.
The most impressive part was to witness the backlash of the Olympic Torch Relay, which was such a coincidence that thrilled all of us. Though we didn’t see the torch actually passing by, we saw a huge “red sea” composed of our national flags along the relay route. A lot of young people, most of them overseas Chinese students, were organized in different-sized groups, stamping a flag mark on the cheek, wearing the logo T shirt of the 2008 Olympic Games, covering a flag on their shoulders and back and holding and waving a big size flag in 1 or 2. They talked with Chinese in various provincial accent and this almost turned the downtown area into a Chinese occasion. A lot of Korea policemen were guarded along the roads to maintain order and make sure the traffic was flowing. It was indeed in good order while enthusiastic and made us proud.
When finally got through the crowd following the slow pace of the flow, exhausted, we took the subway back to the hotel and Xizong drove us to a traditional Korea restaurant which was famous for its palace standard food. We sat on elevated floor with our legs crossed. This is a traditional posture while contemporary Koreans only eat like this during grand events. The food was really good, well-assorted, light and delicious! We then went on a boat trip on the Hangang cruise at night. When we back to the hotel, Leo and the group hadn’t come back yet and I asked the frontdesk to open the door for me and had a shower.
I don’t know whether it is my camera problem or the fakeness of the battery. I’ve changed 4 pieces of battery this single afternoon while I knew well that this is just the beginning!
May 3, 2008
General Impression:
Korea words take-away: hello (a-nio-ha-sell), thank you (ham-sum-hamida), 泡菜/ pickles (kim-chi), Hurry, hurry! (Bali-bali)
Natural blessing: scarce in natural resources—almost no natural resources except water, less than a quarter (20.5%) of the land is usable
National character: Taikongdou vs Taiji, straightforward and quick in action; Korea students and employees are hard-working, which are the foundation of the prosperity of the nation; private education is the largest industry in Korea, almost 20~30% of household income goes to education; border with North Korea is 50 km from Seoul; example of patriotism: nationwide gold donation by normal citizens during the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis to try to help revive the economy—government paid little to get the gold; domestic brands dominate most of consumer goods market, such as fast food, beverage, daily care etc. –brand life cycle is half of that in Korea. Korean companies use speed (fast to switch) to beat MNCs; “Did you try?” spirit exemplified by the founder of Hyundai Group—start from impossible
Good manners: cars on the road with no hush beeping (Korea streets were narrow and the geometric type was hilleous with a lot of ups and downs. Our shuttle bus was clumsy on the road especially during a turn-around and other cars were just patient and always pedestrian first)
Environmental governance: Seoul was not a self-importance city which was evidenced by its avoidance of too many sky-risers as well as by the 23 humble bridges built across the Hangang. Budget was implemented on a district basis and therefore in the wealthier districts the standards would be higher. Noise-proof walls were twice the height of those in Shanghai, some of them covered with ivy and it were built not only along the highway but also along some high-end residential areas. Fast track bus lane in the middle of the road, not many garbage bins on the road
Family harmony: parents with children, cradle children were brought out to some public occasions to feel the atmosphere. It was not a demonstration but a normal life that they are enjoying every day.
Weather: cooler and dryer than that in Shanghai
Beauties: eye-feasting, good at maintaining their appearance, girls and women are accustomed to play with clothes and cosmetics, slim figure and shanks (reasoning behind: climb mountains every day and digestive diet)
Korea food: healthy (more balanced: vegetable-dominant and usually meat is eaten with vegetable leafs, far less cooking oil, emphasizing more on variety and slim sized, side dishes to make the course look more inviting and diversified—sometimes more colorful, digestive soup—Da Jiang Tang or side dishes—Kim Chi or vinegar preserved luo bo), major flavor (cold—most of the dishes are cold with a few exceptions on rice, soup and main courses such as beef and pork, sour (first soup), spicy (could be side dishes or some main courses in cold; an explanation for slim figure—burning up the calories), sweet (always fruit tea or second soup which could be very sweet, which could also be plain—just to get rid of the strong flavors of the dishes and help to pacify the stomach with something not so radical, and the main course—my favorite one: sliced beef and stewed mushroom pot), implication: it takes a long time to prepare the dishes, especially for those hot ones, such as noodle, to cool down; the layout on the table is magnificent, held in many small bowls), inviting appearance (shape and color) and clean for snacks as well
Kevin is all too great in leading us through the way in Korea: he dealt with the bus rental company to obtain a good price with a guaranteed driving service; he uses his power to earn us a free night at W-hotel (the only 6-star hotel in Korea and the only W-hotel chain in Asia) with all river-view rooms reserved for the SK corporation; he invited his family, mainly his wife to prepare us one dinner and one breakfast; he was always the last to dine and the first to serve. He not only accompanied us all the way, briefing us about local knowledge and helping us to find out what we want but also arranged all the lunches and dinners to save our time, money and energy. With his help we got our agenda more smooth, squeezed more free time to look around and enhanced significantly our impression on Korea and Korean people and he was very polite to say that within five years our country would be able to perform as well as they did. Rigid task it is! He showed us by his own deeds about what is true leadership, brotherhood and responsibility. He has a happy family: beautiful wife and two lovely daughters.
