Baltimore made its way onto the travel agenda of a Chinese entrepreneur on a three-week tour of the United States.
Ping Ding, 31, publisher and general manager of the Energy Culture and Communications Center in Beijing, was selected by the World Trade Center Institute?s International Visitor Leadership Program to visit America and study U.S. business and cultural trends.
The purposes of her visit are to research the U.S. media industry, to understand how the Internet has affected the U.S. media and to compare the success of female entrepreneurs in America to those in China.
The U.S. Agency for International Development manages the international visitor program, said Nina Bankova, a program manager.
“The purpose of the program is to introduce foreign professionals to their American counterparts and discuss issues of their interests while simultaneously promoting citizen diplomacy,” Bankova said.
Her tour began last week in Washington, D.C., and continues this weekend in Baltimore. Over the next two weeks, she?ll visit New York City, Minneapolis and San Francisco.
“I feel very at home here, even though it?s my first time,” Ping, who speaks English, said Friday at the World Trade Center. “Baltimore is a very active city.”
Ping has been following U.S. media and politics for several years. She wants to learn how the Internet has influenced American media.
“People in China are saying they?re not reading the articles, because they?re more interested in the reader comments about the articles,” Ping said.
China is the world?s second-largest Internet market, behind the United States. In 2006, the revenue of search engine providers in China was $207 million, increasing by 69 percent from 2005, according to Analysys International, a Chinese media and technology adviser.
“I?ve learned a lot from this program,” Ping said. “I?m impressed with the openness and the freedom in the U.S.
“You have to be open to all cultures, and the U.S. know how to promote its culture.”
VISITOR PROGRAM
» Each year, the World Trade Center Institute arranges programs for more than 200 visitors from countries ranging from Lesotho to China.
» For more information, visit www.wtci.org.
