He was a student on a research grant, embarking on a year-long stay in Shanghai. There was one building in all of Shanghai that was bigger than 12 storeys. It really stood out. Today, there are something like 2,000 buildings in the city that are just as large or bigger. Young people have careers that they more or less control.
People can buy cars.
When I first went to China, buying a bicycle was often next to impossible. Enough liberalization to generate new wealth, but not enough to threaten the powers that be. It's a fascinating tightrope act and one which St-Amand and other members of the Faculty of Management are getting to see up close. The faculty's Centre for International Management Studies is spearheading an award-winning program aimed at providing hundreds of Chinese professionals with the skills they'll need to help modernize their country's economy. The program, which also involves the Royal Bank, Great-West Life Assurance Company and the Canadian Association of Graduate Management Schools, has just earned a prize from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.