Monday and Wednesday saw the China Studies Master’s students from JNU visit two very exciting places in the local area. Students in the China Studies master program were given exclusive tours of Nansha Pilot Free Trade Zone on Monday and the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone on Wednesday.

At the Nansha Pilot Free Trade Zone, students were able to visit logistics companies, duty free warehouses, cargo loading and unloading zones, marinas and more. However, more importantly students were able to meet with executives and managers at all of these up-and-coming areas in Guangzhou and ask questions, not only about the specific company or product but about the development of the Pilot Free Trade Zone as a whole.

Armed with this knowledge, the China Studies master students went to visit the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone with a lot of information. In the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone, students were able to visit the exhibition hall, which is run by the local government, and talk to representatives there. This exhibition allowed students to see what companies had invested into the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone, why companies would invest, and what the next step forward will be. Having already visited Nansha, students were able to connect the parallels between what was happening in Nansha and how that correlates and coincides with the plan for the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone on the whole.

It was an enlightening week, as students were able to see just how fast things are growing up around Guangdong Province, and what the landscape for the local and global economy might look like in the next few years.

Revised by Samuel