Silk Factory

After visiting Zhouzhuang, I have also visited the silk manufacturing facilities. According to legend it was empress Xi Ling who in 2640 BC, encouraged silkworm breeding on a large scale. Trading vast quantities of material around the world, China profited massively from the industry. It remained a Chinese monopoly for the next 3,000 years or so until refugees smuggled the secret to Korea and Japan. Another story tells that a Chinese princess who married the Prince of Khotan secretly brought silkworms with her as a gift for her husband. The western world, which knew China as a Seres or Land of Silk, learnt the secret of silk production via two monks, who hid silkworms in their bamboo staffs.

Silk was originally reserved for use by the imperial household. Silk was traded extensively as an important source of income and indeed was often used as a form of payment of taxes or payment of salaries.

Thousand of years of intensive breeding have rendered the silk moth. Bombyx mori, a blind, flightless, egg-laying machine whose larvae hold the secret of silk. The genius of the Chinese lay in the discovery of the potential of its ancestor, a wild, mulberry eating moth unique to China. The eggs are first kept at 65ºF (18ºC) rising to 77ºF (25ºC) at which point they batch. Silkworms (actually caterpillars) are now kept at a constant temperature and fed mulberry leaves at 30 minute intervals day and night, until fattened they are ready to enter the cocoon stage. When they are ready to pupate, with a figure-of-eight motion, they spin their sticky secretion into cocoons. The cocoons are steamed to kill the pupae and soaked to soften the sticky gum and allow the silk strands to be separated. Several strands are woven to make one silk thread.

(Source: DK - China).

Shanghai At Night

Today Kevin and I arrived in Shanghai to have a mid project review session with Hermann, our coach. The weather was very hot since the temperature reached 40ºC, the hottest day in Shanghai for the past several decades. It was very crowded in the airport and it took 30 minute queuing for a taxi.

Lying on the banks of the Huanpu River, close to the mouth of the mighty Yanzi on China’s eastern seaboard, Shanghai is China’s largest and most dynamic city, with population of more than 13 million people. It is an autonomous municipality, and the recent explosion of economic and industrial development has med it one of the fastest growing cities in the world. By Chinese standards, the development of Shanghai (literally means “above the sea”) is a recent phenomenon. In the 13th century it became a minor county seat and so it remained until the mid-19th century when British commercial ambitions led to war with China. The ensuing Treaty of Nanking allowed the British to trade freely from certain ports, including Shanghai. The city soon became an outpost of glamour, high living and ultimately decadence. It was divided into “concessions”, where foreign nationals lived in miniature versions of first Britain, then France, the US and Japan. The Bund or quay along the Huangpu is still linked with colonial buildings, evidence of a time when Shanghai was the third largest financial center in the world. In 1949, the Communist took over and the city was stripped of its grandeur. In 1990, the Pudong area across the river from the Bund was declared a Special Economic Zone, and a revival started for the city. Investments poured in at a frenetic pace; flyovers, malls, hotels sprang up and clusters of shining metal and glass skyscrapers towered above the Huangpu. Today Shanghai is once more at the forefront of business and fashion trends, and has a pulsating nightlife, with many

clubs and bars. Some places are forever associated with a single landmark and in the case of Shanghai it is surely the Bund. Also known as Zhongshan Lu, the Bund was at the heart of colonial Shanghai flanked on one side by the Huangpu River and on the other by the hotels, banks, offices and clubs that were grandiose symbols of western commercial power. Most of the old buildings are still in place and a walk along here can easily absorb a couple of pleasant hours. There are many other places in Shanghai which are worth to be visited such as People's Park & Square, Shanghai Museum, Yu Gardens, Fuxing Park, Jade Buddha Temple, etc. However, due to time constrain, after discussing our progress on the project and the leadership development with Hermann, Kevin and I need to fly back to Hefei to continue our project there.

(Source: DK – China)

Note on the pictures:
(1) View of Pudong at night
(2) View from the Bund at night

(3) View from the Bund at night
(4) Hongkong & Shanghai Bank. Built in 1921, it was vaunted to be the most beautiful building in Asia. Inside there are some delightful restored murals. Customs House. The entrance hall is decorated with some handsome marine mosaics.

(5) Other view from the Bund.
(6) Me in the Bond with Pudong background.

(7) Me in the Bond with building background.
(8) Me in the Bond with Pudong background taken on the cruise.
(9) The bronze statue looking down the Bund is not Chairman Mao but Chen Yi, revolutionary commander and first mayor of Shanghai after 1949.

(10) Kevin and me in the hotel.

(11), (12), (13) View of Shanghai from the hotel.

(14) Queing for taxi

Opportunity International China Program

Thank you God today is Friday. For weekend Kevin and I are going to fly to Shanghai to meet our coach for mid review of our Ulysses Program – China Project. In addition, we will also have our individual coaching session.

This afternoon, we met Opportunity International, another NGO, to share experience and information on the income generation program. In addition, we also discussed on the activities they carried out across China. Based on the discussions, basically, their activities are slightly different with SC's income generation projects in Fuyang or Heifer International. Opportunity International is dedicated to the needs and well being of the poorest of the working poor. In China they engage as a loan guarantor for small loans RMB3,000 - 50,000 that allow poor entrepreneurs to start or expand a business, develop a steady income, provide nutritious meals and education for their children and create jobs for their neighbors. As a return, they obtain the guarantor fees (the difference between interest charged to the lenders and the interest charged by bank to Opportunity International.

At night we had dinner with all SC Hefei Regional Office staff and managers.

We are looking forward to flying to Shanghai to meet our coach tomorrow afternoon.

Happy Family Club Project

Today we have visited Happy Family Club ("HFC") to discuss on the activities carried out and the challenges faced by the organization so that we can assist them in improving their operations. HFC was established by Save the Children as part of a pilot work to support community based welfare and protection of children in Sanlijie Street, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Hefei. HFC is a children’s activity centre, providing services for local children and children of migrant workers. In here, children can play together (table tennis, badminton, Chinese chess, etc) and read books together since the center also has a library. Sometimes, as a motivator, elder people will share their experience as a kid with all the children. There are 6 HFCs established in Hefei. The objective of the HFC is to provide a safe place for children to play together for local children and children of migrant workers. With "One Child Policy", many children in China is alone at home and therefore they prefer to go to the club and play together with other kids. With all the interactions among local children and children of migrant workers, the Club has also succeeded in improving self-confidence of the children of migrant workers.

Rights into Action Project

Today we have visited Rights Into Action for Youth With Disabilities ("RIA") to discuss on the activities carried out and the challenges faced by the organization so that we can assist them in improving their operations. Rights into Action serves as a platform to share information and experiences amongst children and young people with disabilities. It is aimed at raining public awareness on disabilities, enhancing social inclusion and participation and providing help and services to children and young people with disabilities.

Supported by Save the Children, Mr. Fu Sengjun, a young man with disability himself with other young people with disabilities founded Rights into Action for Youth with Disabilities. In January 2005 it was registered in Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau as a Non-Profit Organization and then registered in Civil Affairs Bureau as a Non-Governmental Organization in April 2007.

Based on the needs of children and youth with disabilities, RIA tries to influence government policies, improve social inclusion, work with parents of children and youth with disabilities and work with children and youth with disabilities.

RIA manages several activities such as:

- provide advocacy for raining public awareness on disabilities

- enhancing social inclusion between children with disabilities with normal children

- participation and providing education to children and young people with disabilities including autism

- provide training to young people with disabilities to learn how to make handicrafts

- provide weekend class for children with disabilities

- provide rehabilitation training for children with autism

- organizing parents - children games activities

- provide lectures for parents of children and youth with disabilities, etc

Kevin and I are very honored that we are able to provide this organization with certain suggestions to improve their operations.

Note on the picture:

(1) Kevin, me and RIA's management

(2) Autism class for children

(3) Painting by one of children with disabilities

(4) Painting by one of children with disabilities

(5) Painting by one of children with disabilities

Our Project in Hefei

Our first two days are a little bit slow and it was raining all days. On Monday we presented our findings in Fuyang to SC Anhui Regional Office. Today we discussed with Heifer International, other international NGO, on the activities they carried out across China. Based on the discussions, basically, their activities are slightly different with SC's income generation projects in Fuyang.

Heifer China is a participatory, community-based rural development organization that is highly respected locally, nationally and internationally for its achievement in development programs with strong accountability. Cooperating with both non-government and government organizations, Heifer China integrates available resources an implements projects, effectively and efficiently in 5 remote and minority regions of China. Heifer China will provide not only fund and technology, but also value-based holistic development approaches.

During our stay in Hefei, PwC will work with Save the Children to conduct an in-depth analysis of two of Save the Children’s NGO partners, Happy Family Club (HFC) and Rights into Action for Children with Disabilities (RIA) as to the sustainability of their business models and the possibility for replication of their work.

Rights into Action for Children with Disabilities (RIA). With support from SC, RIA, the non-profit organization was voluntarily founded by a group of youth with disabilities in Hefei, with providing support to children and young people with disabilities as its mission. It provides a platform of information sharing for people with disabilities and promotes social inclusion through advocacy. Apart from this, it also provides some basic services for disabled children and peers, e.g. handcrafts training for children and young people with disabilities, rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy, mentally handicapped and autism, etc.. Its successful registration in the Hefei Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau as an independent local NGO in 2006, with the Hefei Municipal Disabled People’s Federation as its sponsoring agency, is a significant breakthrough, which symbolizes a flagship of an organization initiated and managed by a group of young disabled children trying to advocate for and fulfil their own rights in China. In collaboration with local partners in different places, Save the Children is helping the replication of RIA approach in China.
Happy Family Club (HFC). The club was established by Save the Children as part of a pilot work to support community based welfare and protection of children in Sanlijie Street, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Hefei City. The club is a children’s activity centre, providing services for local children and children of migrant workers. With minimum support from Adults, children are now managing the club themselves. In 2005 the Club was successful registered in the District Civil Affairs Bureau as a local NGO. Due to its good impacts and wide recognition from the local community people, the model has been replicated to the whole street (with many neighbourhoods) by the local government. In addition, some other street offices have also learnt the experience and adopted the approach in their own streets.

Note on the photo:
(1) PwC Team, Heifer China and SC during the discussions.

Our First Day in Hefei and Hefei, A Brief Story

After taking a train to Hefei, we arrived in Hefei in the afternoon. Hefei is a much bigger city compared to Fuyang. During our travelling to Hefei we passed Huaihe River which was flooding. At present there is a severe flood in Fuyang. In Hefei we stay at Hilton Hefei Hotel. This a much better hotel than Buckingham Palace Hotel in Fuyang. It is equipped with a new gym which was just open today.

Hefei (Chinese: 合肥; Pinyin: Héféi; literally: "Junction of the Fei Rivers"; former names: Ho-fei, Luzhou, Luchow) is a prefecture-level city and the provincial capital of Anhui Province, China.

The prefecture city of Hefei administers 7 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 3 counties.
- Yaohai District (瑶海区)
- Luyang District (庐阳区)
- Shushan Disctrict (蜀山区)
- Baohe District (包河区)
- Changfeng County (长丰县)
- Feidong County (肥东县)
- Feixi County (肥西县)

The name Hefei was first given to a county set up under the Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC. Because of its location on a mountain saddle between northern and southern states, Hefei was frequently fought over in the 4th to 11th centuries AD.

The city was known as Luzhou (庐州; pinyin Lúzhōu) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The famous Three Kingdoms battle, Battle of Hefei, was fought at what is currently Leisure Ford (逍遥津) in Hefei. General Zhang Liao of the Kingdom of Wei commanding 7,000 picked cavalry defeated the 100,000-men army of the Kingdom of Wu. Several decades of warring in Hefei between Wu and Wei followed this battle. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Hefei was a frontier strategic town against the Jin Dynasty.

Hefei was the temporary capital for Anhui from 1853 to 1862. It was renamed as Hefei County in 1912. Following the Chinese victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Hefei was made the capital of Anhui.

Hefei was a quiet market center until 1949, serving as a collection center for grain, beans, cotton, and hemp. Since then has become an industrial center through the development of a cotton mill, a thermal generating plant, chemical plants, an iron and steel complex, and an aluminum industry.

Sightseeings surrounding Hefei:

• Li Hong Zhang's Former Residence. Li Hong Zhang was born in Hefei in 1823. As Governor General of Zhili (now Hebei Province), he was referred to as "the first man to advocate the open-door policy in China". His former residence is the largest existing and best preserved former residence of a VIP in Hefei. It is a key cultural relic site under the protection of the Anhui Provincial Government.
• The Cultural Tourism Zone of Bao Zheng. Known as Lord Bao, Bao Zheng was a famous corruption-free official in the Northen Song Dynasty. He was born in Hefei in 999AD and died in 1062AD. Hefei Bao Gong Park ranks at the top of "the 10 scenic sights in Hefei".
• Hui Garden. It is located in the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Hefei, covering an area of 20 hectares. It displays the historical & cultural attractions of the 17 cities of Anhui Province as well as their contemporary construction achievements by means of landscaping. The townscape shows the great achievements of the social & economic development in Anhui Province.
• Sanhe-an Ancient Town in a Region of Rivers & Lakes. Sanhe (Three Rivers) town is located on the Hefei-Huangshan-Jiuhuashan golden tourist route, 40km from the city of Hefei. The town has a history of more than 2,500 years. It is a typical ancient town full of rivers and lakes, together with small bridges, flowing water and local dwellings. There is an often-quoted saying about Sanhe which goes: "To make a tour, one should go to the Huangshan Mountain; to sample food, one should visit Sanhe".
• Mingjiao Temple. Located above the Jiaonu Rostrum, it is a key temple in the city. Founded during the Southern Dynasties (420 - 589AD).
• Xiaoyaojin Park. Located in the north-eastern part of the old town area. It used to be a battlefield during the period of the Three Kingdoms. In 215AD, the brave General Zhang Liao, who led a crack troop of 7,000 cavalry, defeated an army of 100,000 men from the Wu Kingdom.
• Daishan Lake. Located 57km from Hefei, it is located on the border between Feidong county and Quanjiao county. The Daishan Lake Scenic Area has a total area of 19km2, of which 6 km2 are covered by water. The Swan Island in the center of the lake occupies an area of 12 ha. The whole scenic area is divided into the following parts: holiday making and recreation center, water sports center, angling center, religious center, camping site, hunting ground, VIP's cultural zone and sightseeing agricultural park.
• Mt. Tianzhu. At a distance of 160km south of Hefei, Mt. Tianzhu is one of the first-listed key national scenic areas and a 4A grade scenic spot as well as national civilized forest park. Mt. Tianzhu is rich in cultural relics and is the very place where the twoo great love stories in ancient China took place - Peacock Flying Southeast and the Newly-married Younger Sister Qiao.
• Mt. Jiuhua. A holy land for Buddhists, Mt. Jiuhua, one of the four famous sacred mountains in China, is only 220km south of Hefei. As a key national scenic spot, it covers an area of 174 km2, with 99 mountain peaks, and the main peak being 1,342 m above sea level. At present, there are 90 Buddhist temples and over 600 monks and nuns residing in the mountain area. It is an ideal place for sightseeing and spiritual relaxation.
• Huangshan Mountain (Yellow Mountain). This mountain under the heaven, which is second to none, is 260km south of Hefei. In China, there is an old saying about Huangshan Mountain, which goes: "When someone returns from the Five Sacred Mountains, one does not want to see any other mountains; but if one returns from Huangshan Mountain, one does not even want to see the Five Sacred Mountains". In 1990, Huangshan Mountain was placed in the list of "the world natural and cultural heritage" by UNESCO.
• Mt. Tiantangzhai. At a distance of 220 km west of Hefei, Mt. Tiantangzhai is a key national scenic spot and national forest park. With its unique natural conditions and ecological landscape, the mountain enjoys the reputation as the realm of plants, paradise of animals, a cool and pleasant world, sea of clouds, domain of azalea, and native place of baby fish. It is a wild and miraculous eco-tourist attraction and valuable natural heritage site.

(Source: Wikipedia and Hilton Hotel Guide)

This week end, Kevin and I have not had a chance to visit the city or those sightseeing place since it was raining. As such, I cannot post any photo. However, I will post the photos later after I visit those places. However, it appears that I will not be able to visit all the places due to the lack of time in Hefei.

Note on the photos:

(1) SC Team, PwC Team and Students from Hefei University. Students from Hefei University are temporary working in Wangjiayu School for 10 days. They teach English, dancing class, and other activities to the Wangjiayu's students.

(2) Kevin, He Yao (SC Project Manager) and me in the train station before we departed to Hefei.

(3) Kevin, Xu Qifeng (SC Project Assistant) and me in the train station before we departed to Hefei.

(4) Kevin and me on the train.