March 28, 2018
From March 25 to 27, 2018 I visited Chengdu, Sichuan as part of an unofficial delegation promoting technological cooperation between the Western Chinese city of 14 million and Silicon Valley. I was invited because I currently serve as mayor of Mountain View, California—the historical center of Silicon Valley—a city of 80,000 people. The trip was sponsored by a non-profit organization that appears to receive funding from local or regional Chinese governments.
The flight over was uneventful. Following the great-circle route, we seemed to spend hours over Siberia, and It was only a fraction of Siberia. Early in Spring, I was pleased to see that most of Alaska and Siberia are still covered with snow. (1)
Though we had a meeting on day one, our hosts first took us to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding: the Panda zoo. It was Sunday, so the busy grounds seemed more like Disneyland than a research center. (2) I saw giant pandas, giant panda cubs, a red panda—which also eats bamboo but is unrelated, a peacock, and some swans. Despite the atmosphere, the Center has a serious purpose, to restore an animal population decimated by human population expansion.
During my visit, the only sign of the Communist Revolution that I noticed was a large statue of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung in front of the Science Center, in the center of the city. (3) It appeared to me that the Chinese see Mao the way many of us view slaveowner George Washington. He is the founder of modern China, but his politics are no long appreciated.
Our group was joined for most of the visit by Mrs. Yanhuai Liu, a former government official specializing in intellectual property. She was treated as a VIP by our hosts, somewhat for her own accomplishments, and also because her little sister is one of five Vice-Premiers of the entire People’s Republic. She told me that their father was a top officer in the Peoples Liberation Army during the Revolution. I thought she was going to talk about the Long March. Instead, she told everyone in both the American and Chinese delegations that her father’s troops had made great sacrifices saving American Flying Tiger pilots during the war against Japan. She wants to revive the history of that cooperation. I was less than enthusiastic. If I recall correctly, the Flying Tigers went on to conduct the secret CIA wars in Indochina.
Chengdu is going through an impressive period of growth that would make many California politicians jealous. (4) Construction is grandiose, rapid, and imaginative. They are building apartments and hotels, offices, and a new subway. We were told that the Global Center in Chengdu’s High Tech Zone is the largest building in Asia. (5) Inside it has a small ocean complete with waves and a beach, but it was drained for cleaning when we visited. (6) It contains hotels, offices, and shopping. (7) This is not Mao’s China.
I remember Chinese construction scenes from decades ago, where scaffolding was bamboo and thousands of workers wielded shovels. Today most of the work is done with tower cranes and earthmovers. (8) I doubt that local residents have the power to influence construction plans. I don’t think there are any environmental impact reports. And I have no idea how many workers have been killed or injured building these edifices.
Chengdu is home to factories that produce many high-tech products, including smart phone screens, laptop microprocessors, and iPads. We did not visit the factories, and we were not briefed on working conditions—though I must say our movements were not controlled when we were not at events.
The official highlights of our visit included sessions in which four California entrepreneurs made presentations seeking investment, production, and markets from Chinese partners. The Chinese are interested in obtaining Silicon Valley technology, and our visit served as a positive counterpoint to President Trump’s declaration of a trade war. There was also a signing ceremony in which a Caifornia-based venture established a conceptual memorandum of understanding with the Chengdu High Tech (CDHT) zone. (9) After one of the meetings a host lawyer-engineer showed us his law offices. At least 100 young lawyers were sitting at computer screens, doing intellectual property (IP) work.
My role, as well as that of two other Bay Area elected officials, was to lend credibility to the venture. I kind of felt like Prince Phillip in the TV series, “The Crown.” We gave speeches filled with platitudes about cooperation, but I also explained how Silicon Valley has succeeded as the world’s leading tech center because of the free flow of ideas and people. I am coming to realize that the job of Mountain View’s mayor—as opposed to serving on the city council—is to sign documents (not on this trip), have his picture taken (lots and lots of group photos), and chair meetings (again, not on this trip).
China’s capitalist leap forward comes at a cost: widespread pollution. There was a constant haze over Chengdu, presumably smog. (10) Beijing, viewed from the airport, was much worse. (11) The Jin Jiang, Chengdu’s river, is severely polluted. (12) Our hosts said that they are trying to address these problems.
We had several group meals. I tried to avoid the spicier dishes. The Sichuanese cook a wide variety of vegetables unfamiliar to me, and they utilize parts of animals that I’m not used to. One night we had “hot pot”: Chinese fondue. Diners dip food in hot oil pots.
Some of the restaurants have solved the problem of background noise from other diners, a frequent irritant at meals on Mountain View’s Castro Street. Diners, even small parties, are sometimes able to eat in small rooms, shut off from the noise from the rest of the establishment. (13)
At the hot pot place, we were treated to a brief traditional Sichuan “face change” dance. The woman magically switched facial masks as she moved around. (14)
