I am in Asia

I will be in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Suzhou during the last two weeks of May. The Pittsburgh Technology Council has worked with the Pennsylvania ¶ Department of International Trade (not the correct name but close) to set up a trip for PA companies to meet companies that they might be able to do business with. Not bad to have a state helping in business to business matchmaking.

Will be in Beijing and Shanghai from May 15 to May 29.

Question - My company’s email service is based within Gmail. has any had luck getting on your Gmail account when in China? If not I can find another way to get the email but just curious.

I havn’t problem accessing my gmail account in Shanghai. So it might be good for you.

I’m not sure if this proves it will work: my work email is also based on gmail, and my supplier in China can send to and receive from my email just fine. Too bad I’ll just miss you going to China. I’ll probably be in China around early to mid June. Safe travels.

I figured there would be no problems but just wanted to check.

Sorry to miss you davidhu.

Mei wen ti in South China. Good reception in Shenzhen.

I’m just curious: are you getting by in Shenzhen with English? Or do you speak Mandarin? Funny thing: I visited Hong Kong once and I actually had an easier time getting around speaking English than I did with Mandarin–and I’m fluent in it!

one word plastics - Wow the knowledge of the Shanghai reception is getting around. Tse Tse, or Mgoi Sai depending on where you are.

davidhu - While Hong Kongers are learning Mandarin, Cantonese is the language of the SAR.

I’m ashamed to say… After 25 years of traveling in the Shenzhen area I only know about 100 words of Chinese. The reason is simple - I’m always surrounded by English speaking people. And with picture menus, phrase books, iPhone translation apps, and a few other tricks I’ve never been pressed to learn very much Chinese. I really should know more Chinese.

I think that’s Xie Xie. That’s one of my 100 words.

I expected HK would speak Cantonese, but I thought I would be able to get around with Mandarin (I had assumed it was a three-language region, including English), but actually very few people whom I asked for directions on the street understood it.

Let me guess: Tse Tse is thank you and Mgoi Sai is no problem/it’s ok in Cantonese?

Don’t feel bad: back in high school, I met a girl whose parents were Portuguese working in Taiwan, was born and raised in Taiwan (she was 16 at the time), went to an international school in Taipei, and still spoke no more than 10 words of Mandarin. She lived and got around just fine.

one-word-plastics ; There are different spellings for just about every word in Mandarin. Both your spelling and mine are correct.

davidhu: Hong Kong is trying to be trilingual but as their Mandarin goes up their English goes down.

I live, work and design in Singapore. I run my boutique Strategic industrial design agency of 3 there. Hit me up if you are in town?

I am in Beijing. Jet lagged, but not as bad as usual.

Hey what about South Korea? I am a professor of design here in Seoul. Anyone in Korea?

Motorcycledog…I’m in Seoul. Industrial Design Teaching and consulting.

designbreathing & motocycledog:

I’m in Seoul. I’m actully not here following the design career path. I’ve moved here for taekwondo, but I’m teaching English to get by. I would love to get design work here, but the closest I found was working at Hongik University.

If something came up, I’d be interested.

Nice to meet both of you
oh hey I teach at Hongik in the Digital Media Department. @epic Where are you studying Taekwondo? @designbreathing where are you teaching and how is the ID consulting going? I am at motocycledog at yahoo.com.

mcd: I am training near Gangnam stations - private lessons through someone I met back home. I got told that I’m going to be turned into “Taekwondo robot, like terminator”.

I can’t wait.

Regarding work, what’s the process like to get work at Hongik? I don’t have a masters or any university teaching experience.