Continuing on with my Asian business oppotuinities fest, the journey out of Shanghai was fun, we decided to catch the Maglev train, which was very clean, bright and comfortable and hit 431 kph (268 mph) for a short time on the trip to the airport, which was so fast as it shot past houses and trees but the wildest bit was when another train coming the other way passed us at an intercept speed of over 500 mph ! I do find it amusing how a country most of us have backwards perceptions of has one of the most advanced transport systems in the world and actually makes the UK look out of touch with technology, it just compounds the feeling that all the progress is happening out east while the west soldiers on in economic quicksand.
We left a cold Shanghai on a Dragon air flight and were very well attended by a staff ratio of one to one as we were the only passengers in first class so the two and a half hours passed quickly in luxury and we arrived in a far more temperate Hong Kong around 3pm, the taxi ride in was uneventful and noticeably stress free, the fear and constant thoughts of “oh my god… what the %£$”%…. is this guy doing” were gone too.
Even though I’ve only spent a short time here I can’t really say as I’m that a big fan of Hong Kong but I think I’ve been spoiled in Shanghai so may have a different perception than if I had arrived straight here but it seems far more stressed and concentrated but then again there are millions of people trying to live in a very small area so traffic jams seem far more claustrophobic when there are 50 story buildings everywhere you look mere feet from each other, sometimes the only way to see the sky is to look directly upwards.
On the Plus side the shopping here is amazing and so well organised that in the mall we plundered for a couple of hours you can shop till you drop and check your luggage or shopping in for your flight, get your tickets and then go to the airport later without having to queue to check in again, hows that for superior service !
Hong Kong is well positioned as a stepping stone to access China’s vast business assets, where thousands of Chinese companies all looking to export their wares, thus growing the Chinese export market, ploughing more cash back into the Chinese economy in taxes and wages, many of these factory owners are already very wealthy by western standards and the way it’s going out here I think “rich” will soon be a benchmark that’s defined by eastern standards !
There’s an awesome looking China Sourcing Fair happening in April 2008, with around 7,000 booths where suppliers for sectors such as fashion, household and gifts, electronics and components will be offering their products, the airport shuttle train was plastered with information for the fair and it looks like it’s going to be a huge event and definitely worth attending if you are looking to get access to the factories and suppliers directly to maximise your profit as a merchant rather than dealing with importers or wholesalers.
There is a feeling of trade waiting to happen all around, the financial market news is quite prominent too so it’s like being in New York but not as spread out or as abrupt but still quite in a full on experience and I get the vibe that the dog is wagging it’s tail here and China is the dog and Hong Kong is the high visibility tail wagging frantically although I don’t think it’s going to be too long before China is going to be inundated with new customers flying out directly to look for suppliers on the ground themselves when they realise just how well set up things can be with a little effort and the resulting ROI this can add to a company balance sheet.
Next installment is Macau.. the Vegas of the east ! which just may be a touch more pleasure than business .. I think 
