“The UNE Business School China Study Program 2018 provided students with a wonderful opportunity to gain insights into Australia’s biggest trading partner across three key areas – its culture, its businesses and its universities. Understanding China’s culture is critical to business and students were exposed to some of China’s most ancient and impressive cultural sites including the Great Wall, a panda sanctuary and the Terracotta warriors.

Students quickly gained an appreciation of the sheer scale of the country in the first few days while visiting Beijing. It can be difficult to imagine being in a city that has the same population as Australia. However, being among the 80,000 visitors allowed per day to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, provides a sense of that at the most visceral level! While in Beijing, students also visited the Australian Embassy.

UNE students also engaged with students and academics from two universities – Beijing Agricultural University and Henan Agricultural University on our first tour this year. They were able to learn some Mandarin and hear presentations from local students who shared details about Chinese culture. Finally, in relation to how businesses are conducted in China, the tour program included briefings from the Victorian Trade Commissioner and UNE alumnus, Mr Tim Dillon, the National Australia Bank in Shanghai and Macquarie Bank and Woolmark in Hong Kong. 

The program provides all participants a developmental experience that simply cannot be learnt in the classroom or from a textbook. Accordingly, we implore all eligible students to take up this wonderful opportunity next year as our School continues to build cross-cultural relations in a very practicable, fun and formative way.” – Valerie Dalton & Tony Ramsay, November 2018

See more photos from this amazing trip via UNE Business School’s Facebook album for 2018 China Study Tour