The Accounting Study Mission (ASM) trip to China has been a very enriching and enjoyable one for me. From this trip, I have managed to gain lots of new insights and experiences.

I learnt a lot during my 9 days in Tianjin and Beijing. During the pre-trip seminars, I had already learnt about a brief history of the accounting system in China and how the Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS) is adjusting to be in line with the IFRS. Subsequently, during the trip, it was good to be able to gather more perspectives on this issue through attending talks by guest speakers from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Touche. Also, it was a great experience to listen to many professionals in their own fields (e.g. from CICC and CSRC) give their opinions on various issues related to accounting in China. Another interesting experience was having to attend seminars in Mandarin as the experience was something quite unique from our usual seminars at SMU. It then struck me that having a good grasp of both English and Mandarin is truly beneficial for us students, for communicating with people who speak different languages. This might be applicable in the future especially when China rises to be one of the world's economic powers.

I also liked the site visits to the FAW-Toyota and Lenovo factories. The production systems of the different items being manufactured were very interesting and it was quite an experience to be able to witness how items get produced very quickly with an efficient system incorporating human resources, machinery and high technology.

One highlight of the trip for me was the interaction session with students from Beijing University. It was nice to talk to them and learn how the education system in China was like. Also, we shared our experiences with one another (e.g. leisure activities, cultures etc.) and I managed to grasp a better understanding of their lives. At the same time, the tour of Beijing University was an eye-opener as we saw their very large campus and the different buildings housing different faculties.

Besides the learning from the seminars and site visits, I also enjoyed myself thoroughly in China. This trip was my first time to Tianjin and Beijing and it allowed me to see how China is truly developing to become a modernised city. Also, being able to go to tourist attractions like the Great Wall and Summer Palace was something I have always wanted to do. Besides the tours, during the free and easy days, we also took the opportunity to travel around Beijing on our own and visit a few places for shopping, eating and entertainment. Through this trip, I also made a lot of new friends as we went out and enjoyed ourselves.

Long story cut short: I had a really great time! =)