Bullet Train
Day 4
The train ride to master kong was quicker than expected. I got up to around 200 MPH. After an exhaustive 3 days, this one felt much easier. We toured 2 of master Kongs production plants. They were very clean and tidy, which makes me think that these are used as fronts or PR instruments, but I’ll never know. Master Kong is focus on the domestic market and with 1.3 billion people, their growth potential is huge. According to the speaker, they’re anticipating an annual growth rate of 20 percent.
Jokes about the other night were rampant. One things i forgot to mention is that james, david and i were outside and these little kids ran up, hitting an empty coke bottle on e pole next to us (very loud) and tried to sell us flowers. David speaks mandarin and asked why three men would buy flowers. The kid responded with ” you buy one for him, he buys one for him, and he buys one for him! You buy now!” what a young entrepreneur.
We all decided to get a massage when we got back to the hotel. About 14 of us darted off to what is apparently the largest massage parlor in china. They told Jonathan that they employ 300 massage therapists, and have 100 on premises at all time. Ilya and I occupied one room, where the massage therapists kept talking and giggling to each other. So naturally, we began talking and laughing about certain things that will remain under wraps.
Now I’m sitting on the train with my fellow classmates at the front heading back to Beijing from tianjin, just behind the driver. Hopefully a panda doesn’t jump onto the tracks because if they do, then we’re toast.
