Greater Albuquerque Chamber Goodwill Trip To China

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Last week, I visited China with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. In an earlier post, What does your Chamber of Commerce do For You? greater albuquerque chamber of commerce: What Does Your Chamber of Commerce Do for You? I mentioned that the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, http://www.abqchamber.com/ provides a wide range of opportunities for members to develop expertise, grow their business, save money, retain emplouees, help each other and help their community -- opportunities that include networking, advertising, education, advocacy, and leadership training. I also mentioned that many people recognize chambers of commerce in general as portals into cities, a first stop in seeking information about a region.

Every month the Greater Albuquerque Chamber responds to queries from people at home and abroad who want to learn more about New Mexico. The Chamber goes beyond simply sending out information. Chamber members host business and government leaders who visit and share their expertise and ideas and in return, Chanber representatives visit other cities to observe best practices and build goodwill. This month, the Chamber took another step. It took 200 business people to China on a ten-day tour of four cities--Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

It was memorable to stand in the largest square in the world, Tian An Men in Beijing - a city with noticeably clean streets, and see the blend of old and new landscapes while walking through pages of history at the Forbidden City, the Summer Place, and the Ming Tombs. I enjoyed the energy of Shanghai as I experienced it standing on the waterfront with visitors from around the world intermingling with a sizable throng of homegrown tourists. And despite their population of 2 million and 3 million respectively, I could appreciate the pastoral setting of Suzhou, the Oriental Venice with its canals and gardens, and Hangzhou with its tranquil lake, and tea plantations. A visit to a Buddhist temple with an orderly throng of tourists and local worshippers produced the largest, most colorful display of umbrellas I have ever seen.

Considering that the population of New Mexico is just about 1 million, it was mind boggling that small cities in China had populations of 2 and 3 million people. Beijing reportedly has 16 million people, and Shanghai, 18 million.

I was impressed with the massive size of buildings in Beijing and Shanghai, with the high level of development of the country in general, and with the continuing development evidenced by the number of construction sites and projects, and as the Chinese government and people prepare for hosting the Olympics in August, the widespread promotion of the event. It seems inconceivable that the country could have carried out so much construction and achieved so much in the relatively short period of 20-30 years.

I was touched by the friendliness and hospitality of people I met on the street. More than once, I had requests to pose for pictures and more that once, invited to go first in line.

I returned home with a favorable impression and an enlightened view of China. The trip was a wonderful opportunity to learn, to establish relationships and promote goodwill and friendship. In answering the question, what does my Chamber do for me, I'll add that it also helps to educate its members through travel and direct experience, that it keeps expanding the range of of opportunities for participating. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, many pictures must be worth many thousands. With thanks to a follow traveller and and a member of the Chamber, here are several more pictures. http://www.abqchamber.com/content/mmm/china%20ppt/Microsoft%20PowerPoint%20-%20Membership%20and%20Board%20China%20Presentation%20show.pdf