Today I tour the factory in which we complete assembly of our latest product. Despite some initial start up glitches, the factory is now cranking out thousands of units and it is very gratifying to see the quality of their work. We are trying desperately to keep pace with holiday demand for what looks like will be our most successful product ever. A high quality problem as we say.
When we arrived at the airport, we learned that our flight had been cancelled and we were asked to board a bus to another airport for our flight to Shenzhen. After waiting on the bus for some time, we were told that our original flight had been restored and we were asked to go to a new gate where we found some very unhappy passengers. They had been told their flight would be delayed by 8 hours and had become convinced that the airline was given their plane to us. An angry mob gathered around the gate agents screaming at them and demanding they be permitted to board. As passengers destined for Shenzhen began to board, the mob rushed the gate and police had to barricade the entrance while we were forced to push our way past these people. A decidedly harrowing experience to say the least. Never have I seen such a lack of civility or such restraint from law enforcement. In the US, 3 or 4 of the inciters would have been dragged away to jail. I am told that the police here do not like to make public displays of force but will deal with the ring leaders once the crowds and onlooking tourists have dispersed.
My colleagues and I boarded the Maglev train which travels at 1/3 the speed of sound (270 mph). The trip to Podung Airport takes 7 minutes. Such a train would take you from Boston to NYC in 42 minutes.
These scenes are far more typical than the glitzy skyscrapers and I only wish I had more time to explore.
I bid farewell to the fish that grace the hotel’s lobby before heading out for some street photography.
At night the buildings light up. Some are subtle and elegant as shown here. Others are loud and garish. I am fortunate to find a small park where I spend the most time enjoying the views in every direction. Only extreme cold and tired feet convince me to leave this magnificent photo candy shop. I hop in a cab and return to my hotel where I promptly collapse.
The ionic Oriental Pearl Tower. At 1,535 feet high, it is the tallest completed tower in Asia. The tower features 11 spheres, big and small. The two biggest spheres, along the length of the tower, have diameters of 164 ft for the lower and 148 ft for the upper. They are linked by three columns, each 30 ft in diameter. Regrettably this was the best photo I could manage.
A short ride through a bizarrely illuminated tunnel under the river delivers you to the epicenter of the ultra modern skyscrapers which grace every block.
A visit to the Bund (historic district of Shanghai) offers magnificent views of the eclectic skyline of Pudong which lie across the Huangpu River.
China, for all its modernization, still remains a land deeply rooted in the past. It is my belief that the rate of change is so great that a major political discontinuity is inevitable.
After work is done for the day, I have several hours to myself for exploration of Shanghai. This is the future site of Expo 2010, a major international exposition in the tradition of the grand World Fair’s. It is something of a coming out party for Shanghai and the city is a buzz with preparation and construction everywhere. This photo taken through the window of a moving car was as close as I could get.
Our production line is staffed primarily by young women who constitute the vast majority of labor in the consumer electronics manufacturing industry. Although the work is highly repetitive in nature, the skills required are quite sophisticated and the working conditions are very good. Our factory employs 12,000 people at this location. To put this in context the town of Concord has something like 15,000 residents. I spend several hours watching each one of our products being assembled and tested from start to finish.
We are treated to another wonderful meal, this time at a traditional Chinese restaurant. This evening we are joined by the full compliment of General Managers from Inventec our contract manufacturer. This is a sign of great respect and we are honored by the gesture. Business meetings have gone extremely well and will conclude with a tour of the production lines tomorrow.
After meetings today at our factory in Pudong and before dinner our hosts take us to the famous TMSK bar in the Xin Tian Di shopping area. This place is a photographer’s dream and while others drank and socialized I soaked in the beautiful light. Illuminated glass is used everywhere in the design to dramatic effect.