Nikki Kook- April 1st, 2nd, & 3rd- Ni Hao Shanghai!

APRIL 1-
Our Li & Fung adventures continued in Shanghai with a presentation and tour by Pamela Chan, manager of the Shanghai location. It was startling to hear about the income segmentation in China and how the modern retail business targets only about 20-25% of the population.

We then had a delcious lunch buffet in the cafeteria. A few of us were craving a taste of home, so we purchased some Dove Chocolate- it had Chinese labeling, so we figured it was still a little bit authentic.

After filling our stomachs (which we seemed to do a lot of on this trip), we ventured off to a light weave factory called Shin Sun Garment co, Ltd, which makes some of Kohl's private brands including Vera Wang, Hang 10, apt 9, and SO. Our tour guide, Benjamin, educated us about the strict Quality Assurance and social compliance standards Kohl's holds to its suppliers. Here, I was also introduced to something I had never seen before- squat toilets.

To top off the night, we went to a Chinese Acrobat show. One word- INCREDIBLE! I never knew people could bend like that or balance on so many chairs.

APRIL 2-
We started the day off with some sightseeing and practiced our bargaining skills at the markets. We saw a working temple, the famous Jade Buddha, and the tallest building in China (the Shangai World Financial Center). We also did some tea tasting, which was delicious and convinced many of us to purchase the tea and the tea pots to make back in Madison.

We ended our last full day of our trip doing something many of us students thought we would never do- eat dinner with Chancellor Biddy Martin! Not only did some of us get pictures with the well-known Chancellor, we also had the chance to network with other faculty and alumni of UW-Madison. As a night cap, we all joined in the sang "Varsity." It was great to feel so connected to the university.

APRIL 3-
Unfortunately our trip had to come to an end. Luckily our 12.5 hour flight to Chicago was reduced by an hour just like our flight to Hong Kong was. We were al exhausted from the educational and fun-filled trip made possible by Kohl's, Li & Fung, Jerry, Angie, Nancy, Sarah, and Maria. Thank you so much! Xie Xie!