Looking east, Part II.

In the October "Viewpoint," I wrote Part I of a China travelogue that included mill tours and the China Paper 2004 trade show in Shanghai--of which TAPPI and Solutions! were sponsors. This is the conclusion of that account.

Sept. 5(continued). After leaving the Chenming pulp and paper plant in Shouguang, Shandong province, our Metso Paper tour group is "on the road again" to Qufu, hometown of Confucius and Sun Paper. Of the two, Sun Paper is a bit younger, having been founded in 1982. Confucius, born in 551 BC, would be celebrating his 2,555th birthday.

Our first stop in Qufu is a yet another Chinese restaurant, to have lunch with Jiang Cheng, mayor and the deputy of People's Government of Qufu. The mayor is a friendly fellow. During lunch, we begin a series of toasts with maltai, a yellowish, malodorous Chinese liquor that should be avoided at all costs. It stings going down, and then gets worse. Since we are with the mayor, it would be impolite to refuse a toast. Fortunately, this is a low-test version of maltai, but even so, I manage to empty a few of the cups into my tea before toasting.

After lunch, it's on to Sun Paper where we meet Li Hong Xin, president & general manager, and Ying Guang Dong, deputy general manager of Sun Paper (formally known as Shandong Sun Paper Industry Corp.).

In 22 years, Sun Paper has grown from producing 400 metric tons/yr to 1 million metric tons/yr--with plans to double that total to 2 million within five years. At the end of the expansion, Sun Paper will have installed five new Metso paper machines in five years. Two of its most recent machines, PM 18 and PM 19, had excellent startup curves. PM 19, a fine paper machine that started up in August, went through a 10-day startup to deliver qualified paper. About 95% of Sun Paper's production is for the domestic market, and its main product is coated board for cigarette cartons.

After our mill tour, we enjoyed another fine dinner accompanied by, you guessed it, maltai. I managed to avoid the more perilous effects of the maltai by using the teacup trick (which I noticed one our hosts using as well). I was convinced somehow to eat an unusual delicacy, a fried scorpion. Yum!

Sept. 6. In the morning, we visit the local plantation, where thousands of poplar trees are planted in neat, straight lines. Across the street, shelled corn is being dried right on the asphalt pavement, hopefully for use as animal feed. After a quick tour of PM 19, we are off to the Confucian Temple. Built after the death of Confucius by successive Chinese emperors, the temple is a beautiful and peaceful place. Its towering stone tablets still bear the scars of assaults by the Red Guard, which tried to eliminate traditional Chinese culture during the tragic, violent Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Fortunately, temple priests convinced the Red Guard not to burn the entire temple down. We are then off to Jinan for our plane trip back to Shanghai.

Sept. 7. This is our first day at China Paper, a trade show started several years ago that is now a major gathering, alternating each year between Shanghai and Beijing. The trade show is an easy walk from our immaculate, brand new hotel. The only obstacles are the dozens of vendors selling counterfeit "brand name" watches and pens. The trade show has many quaint features that have disappeared from other shows, like the formal ribbon cutting ceremony and a brass band ably playing John Philip Sousa favorites.

Sept. 8. At the trade show, I attend press conferences; pass out the Chinese language edition of Solutions! with our Chinese partner, Ma Shihui, vice president of Beijing TAPI; and work the trade show floor, which is divided between domestic Chinese manufacturers on the left and foreign manufacturers on the right. The Chinese side has grown dramatically in recent years, so I am told.

Sept. 9. We leave China on Thursday, getting to the airport in a brand new Buick mini-van. The expressway to Shanghai's Pudong International Airport is easily the best-gardened freeway I have ever seen. Beautiful rows of shrubbery and flowers line the highway, tended by a small army of gardeners. The flight is on time, 12:45 PM, and by the miracle of time zones I will arrive in Chicago at 5:05 PM the same day. However, the timing on the trip back doesn't work well, since I get to sleep just a half hour before we land in San Francisco. After a short layover, I crankily board the flight for Sweet Home Chicago.

Summing up. I am astonished by the level of development in China. It is one thing to read about it and another to experience the country's high adrenaline transformation. The United States hasn't seen this pace of development since the boom years of the 1950s. In many ways, a trip to China is a trip to the future of manufacturing.

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ALAN ROOKS

Editorial Director

Contact Alan at [phone], or by e-mail at [e-mail]