While in Beijing, the group has a chance to meet with some incoming M.B.A. students. When asked why they chose Maryland, Gupta says more than one incoming student gave the same answer. And Maryland was the best deal. Gupta's students devour books and videos about China's culture. In spite of that, they are not prepared.
China yields continual surprises.
Its sophistication, its urbanity, its capitalistic attitude. On a rare evening to relax, one student visiting a chic Shanghai nightspot says it could easily have been mistaken for a trendy New York dance club. And it wasn't just first-time visitors. Both plan to return to China after earning their M.B.A.s, so they share a personal stake in China's fate. Fung, whose family emigrated to Seattle when he was 13, has returned to visit both Hong Kong and China several times.