D’Angelo Diaz
Dr. Sheehan with the cover slide of his long-awaited third lecture.
Ni hao! The third day of class kicked off to the rhythm of Chinese singer Rosie’s “Zen Me Hai Bu Ai (Why Not Love?)”. Two of our fellow classmates – Sarah & Kerrigan – are in the middle of traveling back home this week. The main topics for today were dissecting a marketing research report on Chinese brand power & understanding how the world shaped China (and vice versa) during the 1800s and early 1900s.
The “BrandZ 2019” report provided a list of 50 Chinese brands that are well-known throughout the world, from Alibaba to Zenjoy. This list will prove helpful for the class with selecting a Chinese product to research! The report also highlighted a few key themes that brands will need to focus on in the future, including drawing in local business talent & leveraging transnational partnerships to better convey a company’s mission.
The top 50 Chinese global brands of 2019 – how many do you recognize?
The lecture delved into the rise of colonialism, and how China was impacted by these changes. An example mentioned in class was the tale of the British opium trade with China. This supply of opium was made possible due to colonies in India controlled by a British corporation, the East India Company. The flow of opium into China severely impacted the country’s public health and economic prosperity and would lead to the Opium Wars between Britain & China during the mid-1800s.
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- A Chinese print from the 1800s depicting opium being destroyed.
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- The dramatic reversal in trade profits in China after opium.
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- Colonial Empires in Asia during the 1800s.
Dr. Sheehan also discussed the expansion of the Japanese Empire, as this was an important factor that influenced Asian globalization. One of the many interesting anecdotes he shared about this time is how Qingdao’s famous beer has Germanic roots since Qingdao (Tsingtao) was previously a German colony.
A geographical overview of China
After the class discussion concluded, it was time to assemble our research teams! With the majority of students interested in technology, Dr. Sheehan created a few breakout rooms for students to parlay with one another over possible research topics. What Chinese brands & products shall we choose? Stay tuned for future updates…
And now for an update from our class members:
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- Sophia is shopping for chic Chinese fashion companies to research about.
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- Kerrigan makes an unplanned pit stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Texas.
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- Despite the circumstances, Sarah is doing A-OK & staying safe during these times.
