Friday, October 25, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Censored?
Alas no. But I did lose a significant part of last night's post due to the vagaries of my email app. If I failed to mention it, Blogger is blocked in China so I have been reduced to posting by email, a feature of Blogger I had almost forgotten existed. Good thing it does.
Anyways....I was trying to tell the story of our last feast in Xi'an and the remarkable fact that we were joined for this one by a member of the CCP. When I was at NENU, I met the vice dean of the school of economics. The dean proper is actually a CCP member and has little active role in the operation of the department but has the gig in case someone's academic freedom needs tweaking. None of the students I spoke to had actually seen the guy.
But here was the CCP rep for the medical school at which C had given her talks. Sitting next to me. Of course, I was wholly fascinated by the guy. He had the easy familiarity of a politician or fraternity brother. And he spoke not a line of English.
At most of these dinners there is red wine and "white wine." You quickly learn that the white is actually mou tai, a 90 proof spirit. Nixon got hammered on the stuff during his visit.
We toast with the stuff at these banquets. And I was several shots in when I saw the party official was going to each person at the banquet and toasting with them individually. That's like eight more shots.
This guy is exactly like a fraternity brother. And this is his career skill.
Feeling the faint stirring of patriotism in my loins, I started making a few toasts myself; their contents were the usual platitudes but in my heart I was toasting rule of law, Facebook, and American football!
Needless to say, I got rocked. And yesterday morning was no picnic. A travel day no less. But we are in Beijing now and had Peking duck in the place it got its name. Not too shabby.
Censored!
Alas no. But I did lose a significant part of last night's post due to the vagaries of my email app. If I failed to mention it, Blogger is blocked in China so I have been reduced to posting by email, a feature of Blogger I had almost forgotten existed. Good thing it does.
Anyways....I was trying to tell the story of our last feast in Xi'an and the remarkable fact that we were joined for this one by a member of the CCP. When I was at NENU, I met the vice dean of the school of economics. The dean proper is actually a CCP member and has little active role in the operation of the department but has the gig in case someone's academic freedom needs tweaking. None of the students I spoke to had actually seen the guy.
But here was the CCP rep for the medical school at which C had given her talks. Sitting next to me. Of course, I was wholly fascinated by the guy. He had the easy familiarity of a politician or fraternity brother. And he spoke not a line of English.
At most of these dinners there is red wine and "white wine." You quickly learn that the white is actually mou tai, a 90 proof spirit. Nixon got hammered on the stuff during his visit.
We toast with the stuff at these banquets. And I was several shots in when I saw the party official was going to each person at the banquet and toasting with them individually. That's like eight more shots.
This guy is exactly like a fraternity brother. And this is his career skill.
Feeling the faint stirring of patriotism in my loins, I started making a few toasts myself; their contents were the usual platitudes but in my heart I was toasting rule of law, Facebook, and American football!
Needless to say, I got rocked. And yesterday morning was no picnic. A travel day no less. But we are in Beijing now and had Peking duck in the place it got its name. Not too shabby.
Ah....Beijing
Changchun and Xi'an are all here including the tree-lined streets and
bustling urban vibe. But Beijing is so much more chill.
And of course, Beijing has the wacky post-modern architecture we have
seen at each of our city stops. Where details of U.S. buildings seem
designed to address the question, "why?," Chinese buildings are all
about "why not?"
More on Beijing tomorrow. I wanted to say a little about yesterday
and the cryptic post from last night.
I gave my sixth and final talk yesterday at XISU. The talk was for
faculty primarily. I presented my RAND paper again. For the first
time this trip, I had an excellent interpreter. So that certainly
improved the experience.
After my talk, I joined Caroline at her final stop in her speaking
tour. She did three talks a day at three different medical
universities around Xi'an. For paying her own way to China, she sure
did a hell of a lot of work.
And boy do they love her. Especially the gaggle of budding female
doctors she seemed to attract at each school.
Reunited and in the company of faculty from our two respective
schools, we headed out for the last our "feasts" for this trip. These
have really been a highlight. The food changes but the setting is
similar each time. We go to a fancy hotel and are escorted into a
plush private room with a large round table. The room often has a
private bathroom for the diners. At times, the room features a glass
booth where multiple servers watch over the group to be sure all their
needs are met.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Guest Post by Caroline
Hello from Xi'an! This post is being written by Caroline Wilson, Kyle's wife.
When Kyle first mentioned this opportunity to visit China, I decided I had to go with him! Always up for an adventure, I also wanted to keep Kyle out of trouble and make sure he didn't forget bags in taxis (oops). Late this summer, I learned the Confucius Institute contacted Xi'an Medical University (XMU), and that I too would be representing UAA by giving a series of lectures. So here I am giving lectures about life in the US, my research on neural and muscle development, and team-based learning opportunities to the staff, faculty, and students of XMU.
I did not know what to expect for my visit to a foreign university. Would I need a translator (Yes)? Would I be expected to translate (No, luckily!)? Would my hosts be overwhelmed by my visit or excited (EXCITED!)?
All my fears were alleviated by my hosts. I cannot stress this enough: if you ever have the opportunity to give a lecture in China, you should jump at the chance. My hosts have been so kind and generous the entire visit. It started with our first series of lectures on Monday at the first affiliated hospital where the Dean of XMU presented me with a bronze sculpture and flowers. The lecture was followed by a giant, formal lunch where we raised our glasses many times with white wine spirits and red wine (drinking at lunch!!??) Yesterday, I visited the second affiliated hospital where I got to visit the neurology and critical care units. The staff went out of their way to entertain me and were very supportive of my work. I am adding some pictures to show everyone this wonderful hospital. The hospital reminded me of most facilities in the US - modern equipment, clean, and many supportive staff to help the patients. The only big difference was that many people were often placed in one room, whereas our hospitals seem to have more private rooms for recovery. And the ambulances are tiny!
Today is my last day at XMU where I will have the opportunity to talk to the students. The medical students here begin their studies right after high school after they score incredibly high on their high school exit exams (brightest students in the country). The students then study for 5 years before becoming medical doctors. The process here is much quicker than in the states, but the doctors are not paid quite as well. Most hospital staff works 9am-5pm but emergency care is also available.
I am very happy we had this opportunity to visit China and hope to continue conversations with my new colleagues.
When Kyle first mentioned this opportunity to visit China, I decided I had to go with him! Always up for an adventure, I also wanted to keep Kyle out of trouble and make sure he didn't forget bags in taxis (oops). Late this summer, I learned the Confucius Institute contacted Xi'an Medical University (XMU), and that I too would be representing UAA by giving a series of lectures. So here I am giving lectures about life in the US, my research on neural and muscle development, and team-based learning opportunities to the staff, faculty, and students of XMU.
I did not know what to expect for my visit to a foreign university. Would I need a translator (Yes)? Would I be expected to translate (No, luckily!)? Would my hosts be overwhelmed by my visit or excited (EXCITED!)?
All my fears were alleviated by my hosts. I cannot stress this enough: if you ever have the opportunity to give a lecture in China, you should jump at the chance. My hosts have been so kind and generous the entire visit. It started with our first series of lectures on Monday at the first affiliated hospital where the Dean of XMU presented me with a bronze sculpture and flowers. The lecture was followed by a giant, formal lunch where we raised our glasses many times with white wine spirits and red wine (drinking at lunch!!??) Yesterday, I visited the second affiliated hospital where I got to visit the neurology and critical care units. The staff went out of their way to entertain me and were very supportive of my work. I am adding some pictures to show everyone this wonderful hospital. The hospital reminded me of most facilities in the US - modern equipment, clean, and many supportive staff to help the patients. The only big difference was that many people were often placed in one room, whereas our hospitals seem to have more private rooms for recovery. And the ambulances are tiny!
Today is my last day at XMU where I will have the opportunity to talk to the students. The medical students here begin their studies right after high school after they score incredibly high on their high school exit exams (brightest students in the country). The students then study for 5 years before becoming medical doctors. The process here is much quicker than in the states, but the doctors are not paid quite as well. Most hospital staff works 9am-5pm but emergency care is also available.
I am very happy we had this opportunity to visit China and hope to continue conversations with my new colleagues.
Forest of the Stone Tablets
Panoramas:
http://photosynth.net/view/56d36282-0be3-4c88-a79d-e63a4cb7cc26
This facility is a storehouse for carved stone tablets featuring crucial works in Chinese calligraphy. Most are from the Han dynasty 1400 years ago.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Last lecture at NENU
On Friday, I had the chance to bookend my Wednesday lecture on the
instructional power of economic experiments with one describing the
more traditional use of lab experiments in research.
I presented my 2011 paper on collusion and demand shocks which I
authored with Katya Sherstyuk from Hawaii.
As I mentioned before, the English language limitations of the
students were a bit more than I had been led to believe. But as the
week went on, I think I was able to adjust my style and, most
importantly, my speed. I tried to phrase my English like the English
of the students with all its quirks.
Because of the need to slow down, my talk on Friday stayed at the
level of broad overview with an increased emphasis on the
storytelling.
In other words, just my style.
This group on Friday were mostly post-graduate students but they were
even more demure than the undergrads. But they did seem quite
engaged.
At one point in the talk, I was discussing the difficulty subjects
have with tasks involving backward induction. It occurred to me to
spice up the talk by pulling out a 100 yuan bill ($17) and proposing
that someone play me for it in the "Game of Twenty" Bart Wilson showed
me years ago. In the game, a student and I take turns advancing the
count by either one or two. The person to say "20" wins.
After some hiccups and several failed attempts, one girl nailed it and
won the bill. It was a great chance to spice up an otherwise boring
topic.
At the conclusion of the talk, I was appointed a guest professor at NENU.
instructional power of economic experiments with one describing the
more traditional use of lab experiments in research.
I presented my 2011 paper on collusion and demand shocks which I
authored with Katya Sherstyuk from Hawaii.
As I mentioned before, the English language limitations of the
students were a bit more than I had been led to believe. But as the
week went on, I think I was able to adjust my style and, most
importantly, my speed. I tried to phrase my English like the English
of the students with all its quirks.
Because of the need to slow down, my talk on Friday stayed at the
level of broad overview with an increased emphasis on the
storytelling.
In other words, just my style.
This group on Friday were mostly post-graduate students but they were
even more demure than the undergrads. But they did seem quite
engaged.
At one point in the talk, I was discussing the difficulty subjects
have with tasks involving backward induction. It occurred to me to
spice up the talk by pulling out a 100 yuan bill ($17) and proposing
that someone play me for it in the "Game of Twenty" Bart Wilson showed
me years ago. In the game, a student and I take turns advancing the
count by either one or two. The person to say "20" wins.
After some hiccups and several failed attempts, one girl nailed it and
won the bill. It was a great chance to spice up an otherwise boring
topic.
At the conclusion of the talk, I was appointed a guest professor at NENU.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
L/K
In Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center is an opportunity for
tourists to be exposed to an exotic culture. I don't mean the floor
show and luau buffet. Though entertaining, these are mere shadows of
the real thing and evoke more 1960's kitsch than genuine island
customs.
The exotic culture I mean is Mormon culture. BYU-Hawaii in Laie runs
the Center as way to finance the school. The first thing you notice
when you visit is the unique preponderance of labor. Students are
required to work at the center and there are lots of them. This makes
for some very interesting and dynamics in the way the Center is run.
Labor is often used in ways you'd never see in enterprises that pay
even modest wages.
China has a lot of the same features. There are jobs here you might
have forgotten existed. At one blind corner on a road near the campus
of NENU, three uniformed workers signaled cars when they could make
the turn. Caroline reported this morning that she had seen a worker
removing individual leaves from a running track. And at the airport,
there are large banks of employees there to help you navigate the
check-in kiosks.
As you would expect, labor-intensive goods and services are far
cheaper here than in the U.S. Restaurant food is approximately half
the price of a comparable in the lower 48. And an hour massage is a
mere $10.
Reading Tyler Cowen's "Average is Over" during this trip has certainly
cast these issues into another context. The students I speak to here
can hardly imagine what all these workers will do as increased capital
renders them obsolete. And this is despite having the West's
experience as an example.
tourists to be exposed to an exotic culture. I don't mean the floor
show and luau buffet. Though entertaining, these are mere shadows of
the real thing and evoke more 1960's kitsch than genuine island
customs.
The exotic culture I mean is Mormon culture. BYU-Hawaii in Laie runs
the Center as way to finance the school. The first thing you notice
when you visit is the unique preponderance of labor. Students are
required to work at the center and there are lots of them. This makes
for some very interesting and dynamics in the way the Center is run.
Labor is often used in ways you'd never see in enterprises that pay
even modest wages.
China has a lot of the same features. There are jobs here you might
have forgotten existed. At one blind corner on a road near the campus
of NENU, three uniformed workers signaled cars when they could make
the turn. Caroline reported this morning that she had seen a worker
removing individual leaves from a running track. And at the airport,
there are large banks of employees there to help you navigate the
check-in kiosks.
As you would expect, labor-intensive goods and services are far
cheaper here than in the U.S. Restaurant food is approximately half
the price of a comparable in the lower 48. And an hour massage is a
mere $10.
Reading Tyler Cowen's "Average is Over" during this trip has certainly
cast these issues into another context. The students I speak to here
can hardly imagine what all these workers will do as increased capital
renders them obsolete. And this is despite having the West's
experience as an example.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Random Observations
People rarely wear sunglasses in China. But the women wear the most stunning felt coats.
Chinese babies are the cutest race of babies.
The produce that I have seen, from supermarkets to roadside stands, is absolutely gorgeous.
Don't get me started on the driving. It is so passé to be shocked by the driving in other countries. But I can tell you that the Chinese have evolved driving customs that occupy radically different strategic equilibria - starting with role the horn.
We were dragged to a Pizza Hut and it was as awful as the American version. But the decor was a step up. KFC does have pretty solid egg tarts though.
I was shocked to hear how much speculating is going on in the housing market. Shocked and terrified for the world economy.
Chinese boys really love the NBA.
A book I am reading about the early incursions of Westerners into China in the 1970's often mentions the difficulty of escaping the retinue assigned to tour them around. I can certainly sympathize. Our stay in Changchun was highly regimented with a cadre of students always hovering, eager to help.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Goodbye Changchun
It is Saturday morning, 5:30 in the morning. I managed to sleep until 4:30. A new record.
Being an experimentalist has always allowed me the privilege of telling people something new and interesting. But ignorance of the field is at an entirely different level here. They know of Vernon Smith and so I am shamelessly name-dropping for the sake of legitimacy. But I don't think the students and faculty are merely being polite when they say what a revelation it has been to see experiments at work.
On Wednesday, I had planned to run the smartphone double auction software, but after successfully testing it with the wifi network there, I decided the language difficulty with the client interface would make a mess of it. The language proficiency if the students varied widely and I had visions of trade numbers far lower than the equilibrium. By running the hand-run, I was able to have the payment sheets translated and use large teams as buyers and sellers with the thought that at least one person in the group would understand enough to make it work.
C and me fly to Xi'an today. It has been a very fruitful week in Changchun. Three lectures in five days. On Wednesday, I discussed the use of experiments in the economics classroom. Yesterday, I discussed my paper on the anti-trust exemption in the Hawaiian airline industry to show the power of experiments in research.
I have never seen a double auction run like this one. The students were so demure. I spent a full few minutes coaxing the first bid.i usually have fight the students to keep quiet such that I can hear the bids and asks. But when the students did finally warm up, the presented their bids and asks with great solemnity and only after standing.
Meanwhile, I am doing my usual manic routine, urging them on. It is safe to say they had not experienced anything like it before.
The results were some of the worst I had ever seen but it mattered little to the students. They still flipped out when I explained how their induced values created supply and demand curves for the experimental good. And they were absolutely engrossed in the dynamics of how their actual prices formed.
And though I had explained carefully that some of the students would be paid their earnings, when it happened, the place went nuts.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)