We have arrived in Guangzhou!

This morning we got up early and flew from Beijing to Guangzhou which is located in the southern part of China. After the three-hour flight and some much needed sleep for the group, we checked into the China Hotel and grabbed some lunch. We ate at a traditional Chinese restaurant which we are all very much enjoying (minus the sardines…)

After lunch, we took our first venture in a Chinese taxi and went to the supermarket. The supermarket turned out to be similar to a grocery store you would find in the US. However, one difference we noticed was the large amount of employees. Every aisle had someone waiting to help you pick something off of the shelf. Another big difference we found was at the meat counter, where there was a much wider selection consisting of chicken feet, whole fish, turtle shells, and much more. In addition to a grocery store, we also found it to be a shopping mall. We all did some un-needed shopping before taking another first adventure on the subway back to the hotel.

For dinner we met with the Chinese Swine Management Team, which consists of nine producers and farm managers from all over China. Over some excellent Chinese cuisine, we discussed many areas of swine production in China. We learned that the pork industry has progressed rapidly over the last few years and continues to have a great outlook. When asked about the future of pork production in China, the team responded by saying that the outlook remains optimistic, but is dependent upon the government. We also discussed pork production in the U.S. as the team will be traveling to Iowa, Kansas and Indiana over the next two weeks. We gave them some great tips on where to find some great food and places to see.

We truly enjoyed our day and are happy to be in Guangzhou!

Andy Pringnitz – Iowa State University
Michelle Euken – Iowa State University