We woke up early in the morning to rain after a soothing night on the train to Wuchang train station.  The train station did not have any escalators or elevators so we all carried multiple suitcases up and down several flights of stairs.  Now we know what the packing list was referring to when it said pack light.

Jack, our tour guide, gave us a brief introduction to the city and its history.  We learned about the first bridge being built in 1957 and about two proud achievements in Wuhan. The first one was that Wuhan was the location where the revolution in 1911 overthrew the last dynasty and eliminated the feudal system and the second one is that Wuhan is literally situated at the center of China: 1,000 km from Beijing, Shanghai, and Canton.  Immediately, we knew that Wuhan would be very different than Beijing.

On our way to Xiantao, we got to-go breakfast at McDonald’s for a nice American breakfast to start our day.  McDonald’s had a promotion for limited edition FIFA World Cup 2010 glasses for those who opted to order a large drink. Without our Mandarin speakers, none of us would have been able to order what we desired.

After another hour bus ride, we reached Wang Wang Foods Company Hubei Plant in Xiantao.  Upon arrival, we were escorted to the office and given umbrellas to cover us from the constant rain.  The manager, Zhigou Guang, welcomed us to the city and gave us a reception guide with the day’s itinerary.  He guided us through a tour of the candy factory.  We all looked in awe at the cleanliness of the plant.

Following the candy production tour, we followed Mr. Guang to the Fudi Logistic Industrial Park where we learned about the company’s way of managing their inventory.   Contrary to consumers in the U.S., who often purchase daily necessities in bulk, consumers in China tend to go to the grocery store daily to satisfy their needs. Because of this different type of demand from the market, retailers usually do not stock up their inventory. Thus, the warehouse company has no need to stock up since the retailers come to restock every day instead of purchasing a massive amount of inventories at one time.  In addition, Fudi treats their employees very well: around 30% of their employees, or 220 people, currently live in the dormitory right next to the warehouse, and the rest who live in the city can take the company’s bus to go to work every day.

Our stomachs were satisfied shortly after arriving at the Hubei Kan-Pak Ice Cream Manufacturing Co., Ltd.  The General Manager greeted us with an array of samples of their products.  Chih-Hao enjoyed the ice cream and commented that it was “tasty, smooth, and melted in his mouth.”  The ice cream was a good snack before lunch.

Before feasting on an elaborate Chinese buffet, the mayor of Xiantao, Mayor Xinchi Liu, expressed how happy he was to have faculty and students from the University of Illinois visit his city.  Mayor Liu wants to maintain a long lasting relationship with us.  It was a true honor to have been invited to eat lunch with the highest-ranking official in the city.  We understand the fact that this meal was truly a rare opportunity and very unique.  We will be forever grateful.

To conclude our day in Xiantao, we made a few stops at local farms to see the  living conditions of  the everyday Chinese farmer. We visited an eel-breeding farm.  To our surprise, it takes 100,000 rmb to set-up the farm, but after the first year, the farmer breaks even on their initial cost.  Every year after is profit.

The following stop taught us about a waste disposal operation that turned pig manure into useable energy for the village.  This waste fuels the village free of charge.

The group really was able to see what a farmer’s life is like while visiting Shaowan New Village.  A family was generous to invite us to see their home.  The house was very simple and small scaled in contrast to farmhouses in the United States, which are very large and developed.

To conclude the day, we drove a few miles up the road to a chicken farm in Guohe Town.  After putting on our biohazard outfits, we walked into the farm to see over 15,000 chickens in a coop.  The chickens looked very healthy and content in their surroundings. It was interesting to see the amount of chickens and eggs in one place considering that a majority of us had never been to a chicken farm before.

By the end of the day, the only regret we had was not being able to see what else Wuhan had to offer. Since we are departing for Hangzhou tomorrow, other interesting places, including the Yanjing Beer (Xiantao) Ltd., will have to wait until another visit in the future.

It was a wonderful day, and we are extremely thankful towards Rico. Without his help, we would not have learned about the heart of Chinese agriculture.  He did a wonderful job organizing the trip from Beijing to Wuhan.  The amount to time and effort he put into planning the day’s activities is greatly appreciated.  Without his dedication and efforts, we would not have the same impression on Chinese farms as we do now.