This story is written by Foo Chi Jao, 2016 Intake, SMU School of Information Systems
Having missed the past 2 learning trips to Myanmar and Korea, I am glad to have been given the opportunity to embark on this year's trip to China with 9 other SIS students. It was a one-week long trip to Hangzhou and Shanghai, that provided immersion in China's rich cultural experiences as well as learning opportunities at a wide range of Chinese organisations.
The trip format provided us with an immersive perspective of some China IT-based organisations. We visited 2 large Chinese corporations (UniView and HIK Vision) that specialise in video analytics, allowing us to appreciate the technological advancement in China. Our visits to several Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) also helped us to gain better understanding about China’s government-led initiatives and efforts in nurturing these SMEs. These experiences gave us a broader overview of China's efforts in developing and growing technology and businesses, while staying true to their vision of "从中国制造到中国创造", meaning the push from "made in China to create in China".
Our next visit took the form of an in-depth lecture on the security analysis of Internet of Things (IoT) at Ant Financial, where the speaker shared some of the security concerns behind popular protocols such as Bluetooth and Zigbee, which are commonly used in IoT devices.
Next up, we went to faculty of Computer Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to interact with their professors and students, who showcased their Industry 4.0 prototype whereby machines were augmented with wireless connectivity and sensors, connected to a computer system that can visualise, and control the entire production line, as well as make decisions autonomously. As our curriculum in SMU SIS focuses on the software aspects of an IT system, we found the faculty of Computer Science and Engineering’s focus on the integration between hardware and software systems to be very insightful.
We had the honor of being invited to a networking lunch with the members of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) where invited guests included Singaporean entrepreneurs who have been living in China for many years, some of whom have been based there before I was even born! These fellow Singaporeans shared their initial fears, obstacles they faced, and how they adapted to and overcame them. I believe that my peers on this trip were genuinely inspired by their tenacity and found the experiences shared by them incredibly valuable lessons in life for us. A common thought among the guests was that despite all the difficulties and challenges, they truly enjoyed working in China and were grateful for all the opportunities this country had offered them.
Armed with our new understanding of the difficulties faced by Singaporean entrepreneurs, we then visited the Singapore Enterprise Centre (SEC) to learn how the Singapore government offers a lot of provides help to Singaporean entrepreneurs though grants, the provision of basic understanding of China’s business environment. One big takeaway for us from our visit to the SEC is - although it is commonly thought that businesses mainly fail overseas due to having bad products integration into the particular country, companies actually fail abroad due to poor talent acquisition and management or failing to find the correct foreign partners to work with.
To round off our trip, we visited Microsoft's AI and IoT lab as well as IBM’s Research Lab to better understand the roles of MNCs in China. My personal takeaway – MNCs serve as enablers of technological innovation – for instance, IBM research lab constantly aims to breakthrough in latest technologies such as AI and quantum computing, while Microsoft provides the necessary infrastructure such as cloud computing to allow companies to focus on developing their innovative business ideas. Microsoft's AI and IoT lab even goes a step further to coach companies on the possible technologies they can leverage on, to hasten their development process.
Despite our busy schedule learning about the different businesses and government organisations in this vast country, we made time to unwind and explore famed attractions in the region such as 西湖 (West Lake), 上海外滩 (The Bund) and 田子坊 (Tianzifang). Most importantly, I had the opportunity to forge strong friendships with the group of students that embarked on this learning journey together with me.
