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• Pioneer in China is fighting two problems: counterfeit bags and piracy. The counterfeit bags uses Pioneer's bag design, but sells a non-Pioneer seed. The pirated hybrid seeds come from a parent plant like Pioneer's seeds do, but don't have the same results as Pioneer's. The demand on corn to be used as animal feed will increase because the growing middle class demands animal protein.
• One of the stops that I looked forward to was the Femur Head Hospital. Here they treat and cure femur head necrosis using traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture, herbal medicine, tuinal massage), Qigong (exercise and meditation), cupping and steam/hot water baths. We were greeted by some of the hospital's staff, their own photographer and videographer. We were given a tour and even able to take pictures of patients during their treatment. Some patients even took pictures of us as we were taking their picture. We were shown a presentation documenting their successful cases and told their success rate was 97 percent. A normal treatment lasts 2-3 years and costs about 40,000 yuan (Chinese currency) or $7,000US.
• The one stop that we heard many things about from the previous year's class was the meat market. We had heard what they thought of it, but actually experiencing that it was taken to a new level. The market was in the middle of the city. We went to the meat division first and was surprised at what we saw. There were rows and rows of venders that had cuts of meat either hanging from the ceiling or laying on the counter with no refrigeration and flies were everywhere. The meat stays like his from 5 a.m., when the animal is slaughtered, to as late at 6 p.m. During the morning, the price is high because the meat is fresh. Towards the end of the day, the price is cheap because the meat has been sitting outside all day. We learned this is when many people buy their meat. There was also a fish division.
• I know we are grateful for the food regulations and quality control we have in the United States.
• Once we got onto the bus, everyone had hand sanitizer out and using it heavily.
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