Intern China recently opened its third office in the city of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. The Intern China team is now spread out between Qingdao, Zhuhai, Chengdu and England. But this past weekend, the management teams from Qingdao, Zhuhai and England converged onto Chengdu to celebrate the opening of the new office, take care of business and experience some of the city’s highlights.
First, Yours Truly and the Zhuhai Team were flabbergasted at the stunning amount of taxis waiting to whisk of us out from the airport into the city. A sea of green taxis with welcoming red lights reading “空车“ or “empty car”.

This massive taxi availability would not be repeated.

While waiting for the Qingdao team to arrive, the Zhuhai, Chengdu and England teams went out to catch up over a meal. Running into long time friend of Intern China- Rudi!

Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about being a part of the Intern China family, there is always a place for you at our table.

Saturday with all offices fully represented, a morning full of face-to-face about business talk (and Peter’s Tex-Mex) was put aside and Intern China hit the streets of Chengdu.

Renmin Gong Yuan (人民公园 People’s Park) in the heart of Chengdu was the place to be. One of the most famous places in Chengdu to watch people and drink tea,  families were out in full force to take advantage of the lovely weather. There was candy, pineapple on a stick and ear cleaners. The IC team put local ear cleaners to the test. For 20 kuai, could they really clear the wax and help you hear better? Chengdu Intern Till tested. While Leo and Zhuhai Office Manager Phil remained skeptical.

Sichuan province is famous for its spicy food and Saturday night, the team was taken to a classic hot pot restaurant. In addition to testing everyone’s tolerance for 辣椒 – spice, everyone was tested in proper business dinner etiquette. The main points of the evening included: identifying the most senior person at the table, proper gestures of respect and how to make a toast.

Chengdu is home to the Giant Panda Research Base and one simply cannot go to Chengdu without stocking up on panda gear. Panda-themed souvenir shops are everywhere. While the IC team failed to see the giant pandas in person, IC General Manager Jamie did his best to lessen our disappointment.

As much fun as we had, all good things must come to an end. Come Monday, with a renewed sense of camaraderie and a slew of wonderful group photos, the teams returned to offices from whence they came. GM Jamie lingered to support the Chengdu team before heading over to Qindao.

If you want to come and explore China with the InternChina Team, then send us an email or apply through our website.

by Morgan