September 22, 2022
Volume 52 - No. 39
by Bruce Krider
Editor’s Note: Bruce Krider is a past member of the Board of Directors for Palomar Pomerado Health and was Past Chairman. He is also a former hospital administrator and presently serves as an international consultant to hospitals. He is also, as you shall see, a lover of animals, particularly dogs. In addition, he writes a mighty good story. February 24, 2004: I left San Marcos, California, for my 5th trip to China on business. This trip was to be different. This time, I was scheduled to speak at two separate conferences on western hospital management, one in Shanghai at a conference on hospital management at Ruijun Hospital and another in Wenzhou at a conference at the South Asia International Hotel. Following the conferences I was off to Zhuhai for a day, then to Haiko on Hainan Island on other business.
My partner, Edward Chen, met me at the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. The weather was telling at that point. Gray skies, chilly though not “cold” and threatening rain most of the time. On more than one day, we would be caught in downpours which might have had something to do with generating a cold at the end of the trip.
The hotel was one of the old and better known in Shanghai, the Jin Jiang Hotel, a 5 star hotel, once the host to international visitors and diplomats. My job at the conference was to provide Chinese healthcare professionals a glimpse of western hospital management. That is pretty hard to do in 20 minutes with breaks for translators but I gave some highlights and at the next conference in Wenzhou I would have The Paper - 760.747.7119
website:www.thecommunitypaper.com
email: thepaper@cox.net
a half hour and an opportunity to add some more clarification.
On March 1st I flew to Wenzhou where the balance of this article takes place where I spoke at “The Peak Symposium on Modern Hospital Architecture and Development” in 2004.
Wenzhou is a coastal city of about 7 million people. Leather goods are a major industry as well. Westerners are infrequent here. The looks from locals tell you that.
Wenzhou is not Beijing or Shanghai where westerners abound. There is not a lot to attract westerners there. On March 3rd, I had finished my presentation and our group of Americans, together with interpreters who were actually medical students from one of the host hospitals, went shopping. I am not a shopper but unless I wanted to sit and vegetate in the hotel or unless you
The Spy and The Puppy Continued on Page 2
have some other way to get about, you need to go with groups to venture out.
In Wenzhou it’s a bit tougher to communicate with cab drivers because they are not used to driving for those who don’t speak their own language as in Beijing or Shanghai. One of the translator/medical residents assigned to our group was Yu Shuru, a 28 year