On March 30th, under the guide of representatives of Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK), 28 MBA students from Carnegie Mellon University(CMU) visited our education center for short-term exchange and study. Zeng Yuran, the Associate Professor of the School of Business, Liang Yan, Supervisor of International Affairs and several MBA students of GDUFS warmly welcomed our guests.
Dr. Zeng Yuran’s wonderful speech, titled the Book of Changes--Philosophical Foundation of Chinese Culture, unveiled the exchange and study program. Within only two hours, Mr. Zeng had given an in-depth and penetrating elaboration about the philosophy of the Book of Changes, which is extensive and profound in Chinese culture. She explored deeply the management wisdom underlying our traditional culture, from the evolving process of Chinese characters, the origin of the Book of Changes and the philosophical thoughts of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism that derived from the Book of Changes, to the main idea of the Book of Changes that takes root in Chinese culture--the theory of Yin and Yang, Taichi Eight Diagrams, the five element theory of gold, wood, water, fire, earth. She believes that these theories have provided effective management tools and technology platform for organizational reform, operation innovation, strategic decision-making of modern enterprises. These days, they still have strong instructional meanings for our personal development as well as enterprise management and operation. In the end, Mr. Zeng talked about the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) culture based on the theory of Yin and Yang and taught American students on the spot some simple TCM self-treatment methods. These students were very interested and experienced in person how these methods work under the instruction of Mr.Zeng.
Throughout the speech, American students were surprised by the profound and extensive Chinese philosophy and amazed by the magic of TCM. They raised their hands often and asked questions actively. Professor Zeng answered their questions by giving examples of modern enterprises.
Accompanied by teachers and students of our education center, the group went visiting Baiyun Electric Group, an enterprise with a history of more than 50 years. First, they visited the old place of the stithy that witnessed the founding period of Baiyun Electric Group. Later, following the direction of the staff, they visited Baiyun electrics exhibition hall and the production workshop. Students saw circuit switches, high-voltage capacitors and relays that are applied in fields like electric power, industry and petroleum. And they also saw how intelligent grid and overall plan of energy conservation and environment protection are provided. On the way, the employees introduced the Group’s layout with the characteristics of Fengshui. Mr. Zeng explained that this is a typical example of how the philosophy of the Book of Changes integrates into Chinese society.
After visiting the factory, American students watched the advertising video for development of Baiyun Electric Group and enjoyed a deep and comprehensive understanding of its development and operation. They also brought up questions related to its management and development as well as the relevant products, then the staff answered their questions carefully.
Finally, we had a group photo taken to mark the occasion and waved goodbye to each other, which indicated the wonderful and satisfactory end of the exchange and study program of American CMU MBA visiting group in Guangzhou.
During the exchange, our MBA students actively interacted with foreign students. The visiting group expressed strong interests towards Chinese culture and development. Students on both sides exchanged their contact information, hoping to have further understanding and cooperation opportunities. This exchange activity is beneficial to deepen the cooperation between the two universities and promote various international exchange and cooperation.
