May I firstly thank you for giving me such an opportunity as to participate in the China tour. The only way I can describe it - truly amazing!!! The effort that both you & Austrade put into the organisation of this trip was second to none. Maybe it was extra special, being the inaugural tour, but as far as fulfilling the spirit of Nuffield, it surpassed every dream that any of us envisaged.

All the visits were so informative. The hosts, the workers etc were unbelievably enthusiastic & hospitable. We began the week perfectly by visiting a rural village & seeing domestic peasant farming at the coal-face (sic). This, above all, left me feeling very, very humble. Their sense of family & community spirit laid the foundation for the rest of the week. I, and others, had a tough decision to make on the Friday. Brewery & Supermarket vs teaching in a school & kindergarten? I chose the supermarket. Although very applicable to my study, a chance to spend a day teaching English would have been a memory for life. Unfortunately we are unable to be two places at once.

My main observation after the trip would be that our knowledge of China, prior to the visit, was quite limited. I don’t know how aware you are in Australia, but here in Europe, we are getting the US / Western spin & its way of the mark. This is not a second world country, as we were led to believe.

To see the fastest growing economy in the flesh was such a privilege. Their willingness to both inform & enquire was excellent. Their hunger for new information & innovation was frightening. Also, their whole work ethic was not one of obedience, but more one of pride, no matter how trivial. We have a lot to learn from this nation.

As you were aware, 5 of us left Guangzhou for Shanghai, were we had some visits to supermarkets, fresh meat & veg wet markets & a meeting with a poultry processor.

The poultry processor seemed to think we were a group of potential European investors & only wanted to tell us what we’d get for our buck! We were bombarded by financial info, but very little about their processing/production. Every time we’d try to come back to what made them tick, they would ask me what type of products I made?? Great experience & learnt very quickly 1st, don’t rely on others to forward your precise particulars prior to a meeting. 2nd, ensure your interpreter can translate technical terminology & information. Then we went up to Beijing were Tracey linked up with us. We done all the tourist attractions, inc. the Great Wall etc, which were all mind blowing. On the Thursday, Bord Bia set-up 2 very high level meetings, one with the China Meat Association (CMA) & the other with the Chinese Animal Agricultural Association (CAAA). Invaluable. Both parties have expressed a great interest in setting up direct links between Nuffield & them. We must explore these further.

May I suggest that for the tour in Sept (& future trips), that it be extended (or made an option), to take in Shanghai & Beijing. We definitely could expand the scope & number of visits in these two regions. The ground work has been done. Arable, bio-energies, white & red meat etc are all within easy access form either city.

Once again, thank you very much for the experience. (Austrade have kindly offered to translate our thank you letters to all our hosts & these are currently being sent to them)