Greetings from where the sun rises in Eastern China! 🌄 I stumbled upon an intriguing adventure this week – we ventured out beyond familiar ground to explore the Yangtze River Delta. Thinking of the Shire River back in Malawi and how these regions might benefit from similar delta management for crop irrigation... 🌾💧

We started our journey in the bustling megalopolis of Shanghai, stepping from skyscrapers to paddy fields. It was this contrast, the transition from an urban jungle to the green landscapes, that truly fascinated me. In the rice paddies, farmers were using ancient techniques side by side with modern technological advancements, a testament to innovation and resilience.

Traveling through waterways, our small group found unexpected similarities to the lake systems of Malawi. Imagine water channels working as roadways for barges – akin to our fishermen navigating using the sun and stars. Multitudes of bridges, reminiscent of our own smaller footbridges spanning channels, yet here, gigantic structures carrying both mind and machine.

Whether treading through these ancient paths or contemplating how they could inspire solutions for our homeland, this trip has been eye-opening. 👀🌍 Connecting these dots may awaken opportunities yet to be imagined.

#ChinaExploration #bridgingcultures

Yo, made new friends, it was quite easy making new connections, not just people to talk to, but people with various possible opportunities to offer. With this 3 things you could connect quickly when you meet new people, remember in china, and basically anywhere in the world, to be ahead you need people who know more than you do in such a field or pursuit.
1 - when you say hi/hello ( basically greetings) remember to comment on something they're wearing or something you could highlight about them. eg " hi, good day, I love this blazers though, looking real good" then your name and blah blah blah you go on
2 - make sure you have quality questions planned always, (create a frame work) many people don't have any sort of frame work, they say " just go with the flow" as much as this sounds doable, make sure you have a framework, eg firstly ask where they're from, second, their name, then repeat Thier name twice and up to 4 times in the conversation ( very important).
And lastly but not the least
3 - ask about what they do, and listen like your life depends on it, then you can ask if you could take a picture, (after the whole discussion though) then ask for their WeChat/WhatsApp so you could send it to them, remember you are trying to build a connection, so enjoy the whole thing👋,
Give us some of your guidelines on how to reach out to some new.