Institute of Development Studies

IDS Students Visit China

24 June 2009

Nine students from the Institute of Development Studies visited China during June 2009 as part of IDS’ new MA course in Globalisation and Development. The trip was led by Dr Jing Gu who also organised the meetings the students attended in China. During their trip they met Chinese businesses, international development agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and students from a number of Chinese universities.

The students shared their feelings and experiences by blogging, see highlights below or visit their blog to read about the trip in full.

‘Through this two-week trip, we are going to witness the dynamic and emerging power of this country and their great challenge for development. Interestingly this day clashed with the bankrupt of General Motors, the symbol of the USA’s mass-production industrialization. This gives us sense of how and where the transformation for next global order is being shaped.’ Nobu Komoto

‘… for the first day we stayed in Shanghai, it has shocked us a lot by its modern architecture, fast-paced working style, and also inequality between those people living in the downtown and those in suburbs. What the Chinese need to do to alleviate these disparities is still a big challenge for them.’ Chu Xueqin

 ‘DFID, in conjunction with the British Government, the Chinese government as well as leaders of the Africa, are currently holding consultations in China on the need for agricultural development in Africa. […] The reception was really interesting and presented an opportunity for IDS students to learn from various development leaders and academic scholars.’ Ajala Olayinka

‘Meeting an alumni marked a highlight of the trip because he was not only able to share a lot of interesting facts about the Chinese society, culture and business environment or China’s development stage but also because it was inspiring to hear what path one could take after life at IDS.’ Ricarda Hirsiger

‘During the trip I mostly felt thankful to IDS for organising such a trip since we had many chances to make observation about the country and hear what both native and foreign people think about the Chinese rapid development story.’ Ayse Emanet

‘…it was more than just an interaction between myself and the sights, sounds and culture of the town. It was more than just a personal experience on which I could later reflect. For the first time in so many days, it was about experiencing China with the nine people who were previously just classmates, but now had become my friends. It was about sharing perspective. It was about conversation. And perhaps most importantly, it was about realising that together, and only together, can we understand each other in a larger effort to establish frameworks for expanding capabilities to which societies have decided to give significance and not, conversely, to impose our own moral standards.’ Jasjit Bawa

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