ON AN early Sunday morning, a team of Laus Group of Companies (LGC) officers, along with several members of the Laus Family and their resepective clans, converged at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for a 5 day and 4 night trip to Beijing, China.
PAMPANGA. The Laus Group of Companies and Laus Family led by Chairman Levy P. Laus and wife Ma. Theresa Laus at the China 2010 Auto Show in Beijing. (Contributed photo)
The group was welcomed by the cool, misty breeze of Beijing, arriving slightly before midday, albeit a 14 degree air temperature. After lunch, the team headed to Holiday Inn Express in the suburbs of Beijing, specifically Mihnzuyuan. Boarded on a tour bus, it was a pleasant half hour ride throughout; seeing the city side of Beijing to the background of the tourist guide's jolly and fairly fluent English monologue about their culture.
Later in the afternoon, the team went to visit the Bird's Nest Stadium – the host arena of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. By far, the stadium's architecture and engineering, along with its high tech lights and visual magnificence is still one of the most awe- inspiring structural feats to date.
The day culminated over a hearty dinner in one of Beijing's more popular local restaurants. There the group sampled authentic Chinese delis that were delivered upon the table every 10 minutes until no space was left. The restaurant featured some live entertainment, certainly not Western – but rather cultural. There were song renditions, dance, and even instrumentals. Basically, it wasn't just an experience for the taste buds, but quite a lot to appreciate for the other senses as well.
Early the following day, the team, along with Chairman Levy P. Laus and wife Tess Laus, headed to one of Beijing's more popular annual events: The Beijing Motorshow.
This time around, the event is entitled AutoChina 2010. The team found out courtesy of Leslie, the Chinese tour guide (he had to stress that he's a real man in spite of a girly western name) that the automobile business is one of the top industries in China today. According to him, the China we see today is overwhelmingly far progressed as compared to 25 years ago, when China's major population was not yet attuned to cars and several other types of motor vehicles.
Most of us had been living longer than that, but how quickly the Chinese can prosper in a short amount of time. With the presence of manufacturing and assembly lines of major European brands all over China, cars have become an iconic industry in this part of the world.
AutoChina 2010 featured several different European, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and other car brands, housed in several different buildings where an open, park-like square connected the 5 different venues. The event showcased the best visual set ups in well designed booths and show areas, where you could imagine the total spending invested in each truly world-class exhibit. Several brands carried by the LausAutoGroup took their share of the spotlights: Mitsubishi, Ford, BMW, Kia, Suzuki, Chevrolet, Hyundai and Haima – one of China's more popular and multi-awarded brands.
It was spontaneous enjoyment from thereon as the team continued the tour.
Visiting the Forbidden City, Tian'en men Square and last but not least, China's global icon the Great Wall. In China, there is a saying that one who does not climb the Great Wall does not prove himself to be a real man. Fortunately, there wasn't any Chinese among the team. The evening drew to a close over a sumptuous dinner, courtesy of LGC's chairman, Levy P. Laus (he was more than generous every meal time anyways), who made sure nobody left China without having sampled the famed Peking Duck. Peking by the way, is Beijing's old name, and would make one wonder while savoring that special flavor… why didn't they change its name to Beijing Duck?
Wednesday, the following morning meant everyone had their time free to their disposal. In short, that meant shopping for gift items, souvenirs and "bring home" goods. Part of the group headed to the nearby mall, which was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Others trooped to the popular Silk Street Bargain Center, even if it took them a 30 minute taxi ride that cost about 40 Yuan.
Thursday morning, the 29th of April meant the team had to pack up and check out. Heading back to the airport en route to Manila, there was silent laughter that crept inside the tour bus. A very pleasant experience indeed, as each member of the group had his share of moments. Stories of their personal adventures and experiences in one of the oldest civilizations in the world were more than bagfuls to take home and share with friends, families and peers. Of course that comes with similar bagfuls of souvenirs and memorabilia from one of the finest places in China's great country. (Christian D. Gabrillo/LGC)