John DU — Recreate yourself

CHEMBA校友会/明尼苏达大学广州校友会理事会换届仪式致辞

Speech at the CHEMBA Alumni Association Transition Ceremony

My CHEMBA journey began as a challenge to myself and this challenge was to do something I disliked. In my younger years growing up in Australia I paid more attention to playing sports and doing outdoor activities than to study. I met an expat at an event in Guangzhou who was doing an MBA at SYSU. During our conversation I learnt that SYSU offered an EMBA in English called the CHEMBA program. Having worked in China for several years I felt that my personal development had slowed down since I was so far away from our company headquarters in Finland so I made some enquiries about the CHEMBA program. After speaking to the CHEMBA office I realized that the CHEMBA program satisfied all my needs since it checked all the boxes, classes were held in Guangzhou close to home, courses were taught in English, the program was focused on China and both SYSU and Minnesota University had great reputations.

CHEMBA 17 was the largest cohort the CHEMBA program had ever had consisting of 45 persons. Throughout the program we learnt a lot about each other and gained valuable insights into each other’s industries and experiences. The CHEMBA program reinforced and compliment my knowledge on how to run a business in China. Since I was not fond of studying I made sure I had a study plan for each module to ensure I had dedicated enough time to study and complete my course work. My focus for the 18 months was to get the most out of this great educational opportunity. Aside from the learning we also shared many laughs along the way. There were many memorable moments which will stay with me forever.

Throughout the CHEMBA program I was often exposed to Gobi Desert Challenge at different CHEMBA events. During a Gobi Desert Challenge presentation at an annual CHEMBA dinner in May 2021a classmate said to me “John if you do it I’ll do it”. With this in mind my second personal challenge began to ferment in my head. I have never liked running so I decided to take the plunge and joined the SYSU Gobi team.

The Gobi Desert Challenge is an annual running event in the Gobi Desert covering 121km over 4 days open to all students and alumni from business schools in China. Participants battle a wide variety of demanding terrain, ranging from rolling hills and volcanic pebbles to salt beds and hot desert sand. I knew this challenge was not going to be easy so I created a training plan and tracked my progress on an excel sheet. My first run was 3.5km at a pace of 6:40. After my first run my legs felt like jelly and I could barely walk but slowly and surely I stuck with my training plan and built up my endurance and speed. Seeing my improvement over time fuelled my drive to keep up with my training even through hot summer days and thunderstorms.

After two postponements due to Covid19 our SYSU Gobi team made it to the Gobi Desert in the first week of May 2023 for the 17th Gobi Desert Challenge where we competed against 5200 participants from business schools all over China. The conditions were harsh. We experienced high and low temperatures and an inescapable blasting desert wind over the whole 4 days.

Running through the desert you are not easily recognisable since you are covered head to toe with protective gear. While passing some runners in the last 10kms of the race on the 4thand final day I heard someone yell out “Hello John!”. I was thinking to myself, I’m in the middle of the Gobi Desert, who could possibly know me? So I politely asked “sorry, who are you?” This person pulls down his face scarf and says “I’m professor Gu, I taught you in Managerial Accounting”. Well what a pleasant surprise!

Despite the hardship we all completed the 121km race. Each participant had their own individual stories to tell but it was the collective teamwork and accomplishment which stands out the most. Both the CHEMBA program and the Gobi Desert Challenge had given me the valuable opportunity to connect with people outside of the expat community in Guangzhou. The CHEMBA and Gobi Desert Challenge has taught me to set clear targets, track performance, seek advice and knowledge from those with experience, don’t let setbacks become a sidetrack and most importantly not to make excuses.

My journey through the CHEMBA and Gobi Desert Challenge has been transformational. I have a better understanding about myself, I have more determination than I ever thought was possible. To the CHEMBA 22 I leave you with a few words of advice. You have made the right choice in joining CHEMBA. Take every opportunity to get involved, don’t let your fears hold you back, utilize the next 18 months for self-transformation, take small steps towards your goals. I highly recommend you join the Gobi Desert Challenge as a team to build cohesion, work as a team, struggle as a team, celebrate success as a team.

我的CHEMBA之旅始于对自己的挑战，那就是做一些我不喜欢的事情。我年轻的时候在澳大利亚长大，喜欢参加体育运动和户外活动，而不是学习。在广州的一个活动中，我遇到了一个在中山大学读MBA的外籍人士。在我们的交谈中，我了解到中山大学提供了一个名为CHEMBA的英文EMBA项目。在中国工作了几年后，我感到由于与公司总部相距甚远，我的个人发展放慢了速度，所以我咨询了一下CHEMBA项目的相关情况。在与CHEMBA办公室交谈后，我意识到这个项目满足了我所有的需求：课程在广州举行，离家近，课程以英文教授，项目专注于中国，而且中山大学和明尼苏达大学都有很好的声誉。

CHEMBA17是该项目迄今为止人数最多的一届，由45人组成。在整个项目中，我们彼此了解了很多，对彼此的行业和经验获得了宝贵的见解。CHEMBA项目强化并补充了我在如何在中国经营一家企业方面的知识。由于我不喜欢学习，我确保为每个模块制定了学习计划，来保证我有足够的时间学习和完成课程作业。我在18个月的时间里专注于充分利用这个教育机会。除了学习，我们在这个过程中也共同度过了很多快乐的时光。

除了学习之外，在这个过程中也充满了很多开怀大笑的回忆。有许多难忘的时刻将永远留在我的记忆中。在整个CHEMBA项目中，我经常在不同的CHEMBA活动中接触到戈壁沙漠挑战。在2021年5月的一次年度CHEMBA晚宴上，一个同学对我说：“John，如果你去参加，我也去。”在这样的想法下，我头脑中开始酝酿着我的第二个个人挑战。我从来不喜欢跑步，所以我决定冒险加入中山大学岭南学院戈壁团队。戈壁沙漠挑战是戈壁沙漠上的一项年度跑步活动，历时4天，全程121公里，面向中国各商学院的学生和校友开放。参与者要应对各种严峻的地形，包括起伏的山丘、火山碎石、盐沙和炎热的沙漠沙地。我知道这个挑战并不容易，所以我制定了一个训练计划，并在Excel表格上记录我的训练情况。我的第一次跑步是3.5公里，配速为6:40。跑完第一次后，我的腿感觉像果冻一样，几乎无法行走，但我坚持按照训练计划，并逐渐增加了我的耐力和速度。随着时间的推移，看到自己的进步，激发了我坚持训练的动力，即使在炎炎夏日和雷雨天气中也不例外。

经历了两次因COVID-19而推迟，我们的戈壁团队终于在2023年5月的第一周来到了戈壁沙漠。条件十分恶劣，我们经历了高低温和四天内无法逃脱的沙漠狂风的折磨。

在沙漠中奔跑时，由于全身都被防护装备所覆盖，你很难被轻易辨认出来。在比赛的最后10公里里，当我超过一些选手时，有人喊道：“John，你好！”当时我心里想，我正在戈壁沙漠中间，谁可能认识我呢？于是我礼貌地问道：“抱歉，请问你是谁？”这个人拉下他的面巾，说道：“我是顾教授，我在CHEMBA教过你管理会计课。”哇，真是个愉快的惊喜！

尽管困难重重，我们都成功完成了121公里的比赛。每个参与者都有自己独特的故事，但最令人印象深刻的是集体的团队合作和成就感。CHEMBA项目和戈壁沙漠挑战都给了我宝贵的机会，让我能够与广州外籍社区以外的人建立联系。CHEMBA项目和戈壁沙漠挑战教会了我设定明确的目标，追踪绩效，向有经验的人寻求建议和知识，不让挫折成为绊脚石，最重要的是不找借口。

通过CHEMBA项目和戈壁沙漠挑战，我经历了一次转变。我对自己有了更好的了解，拥有了比以往更强大的决心。

对于CHEMBA 22的同学们，我给你们留下一些建议。你们选择加入CHEMBA是正确的选择。抓住每一个参与的机会，不要让恐惧阻碍你们，利用接下来的18个月进行自我转变，朝着目标迈出小步。我强烈推荐你们作为一个团队参加戈壁沙漠挑战，以建立凝聚力，共同努力，共同庆祝成功。