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May 30, 2017

Day 10 – Tranlin Mill in Gaotang

May 24th 2017 Today we visited Tranlin in Gaotang.  We started the day by learning about higher education in China from our tour guide, Steve. While we were on the bus, he told us that there are 1200 Universities in China and all high school students must take a rigorous entrance exam to determine which… 

May 25, 2017

Day 9 – Qilu University

May 23, 2017 The day started with some much-needed rest. The trip had been intense so far and day 9 was a welcome reprieve. The group was allowed to sleep in a tad, as we had to leave the hotel by 10:30 am for the University. Many rose for breakfast, but some chose to take… 

May 24, 2017

Day 8 – Qingdao City, Shangodng

May 22, 2017 Asia Symbol Manufacturing Facility We left our five-star hotel after indulging in a delicious buffet breakfast to start our day. After about a thirty-minute drive, we arrived at the Asia Symbol Manufacturing Facility in Qingdao City, Shandong, home of the world’s largest continuous digester and recovery boiler. This company holds a quarter of the… 

May 23, 2017

Day 7-Confucius Temple….so Much More Than Expected

May 21, 2017 It was 6:30am.  Nanjing was bustling and Russell was stirring.  The wake-up call came in and as I was awakened, I began to realize the extent of our KTV trip from the night before.  But to be a trooper you can’t give up; so I got out of bed and started to… 

May 23, 2017

Day 6 – Meeting Alumnus Dr. Michael Sun

May 20, 2017 Today we started our day quite early as we had a long ride to the mill from our hotel in Nanjiang. As usaul, our tour guide Steve delivered another lesson about China, and the topic was, the Chinese population. During the 1900s, China’s population ballooned from 400 million to 700 million in only… 

May 23, 2017

Day 5 – The First Glimpse of Chinese Paper Mills

May 19, 2017 We left the hotel in Nanjing early in the morning (around 8:30) heading towards the city of Zhengjiang. Zhengjiang is located ~80 km away from Nanjing on the banks of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River starts in the icy mountains near the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and flows 6,300 miles to the East… 

May 20, 2017

Day 4…..Voith Manufacturing Facility

May 18, 2017 We left Grand Central Hotel in Shanghai at 8:20am to go to the “small town” of Kunshan with only 2 million people. Steve told us that the town was predominately immigrant workers, which are known in China as “floating people.” On the way out of Shanghai, we passed the people’s park, which Steve referred… 

May 19, 2017

Day 3 – Traveling the Streets of China

May 17, 2017 The third day of the trip was the first day we were out traveling the streets of China.  The morning began with a breakfast provided by the Grand Central Hotel in Shanghai.  The breakfast had a mixture of Eastern and Western dishes.  Multiple types of fruits were available such as watermelon, dragon fruit… 

May 17, 2017

Day 2 – China here we come

Our arrival in China was very smooth!  We were all very excited to have made it through the 15-hour plane journey!  Getting off the airplane and being cleared by customs then getting our passports back, we were very eager to see the new country that we had arrived in. During this time in the airport,… 

May 16, 2017

Day 1 – PIE Travelers Arrived

Our experience began at 3:30 AM, Monday, May 15…..it was finally here!  We met at the Raleigh-Durham Airport.  Everyone was very excited to be heading to China.  The early morning arrival and the looming long flight dampened the excitement….ever so slightly.  We made it through security without any issues and spent the rest of the…