WHAT IN THE WORLD THE RISE OF CHINA
The speed on the train’s digital display edged up over 300 km/h for the first time since leaving Beijing. I am now north of the Great Wall, officially in Manchuria, bound for a city of almost 10 million people that most westerners have never heard of, Shenyang. It is not my first time to this city situated 120 kilometers from the North Korean border. My initial visit was over 15 years ago with the U.S. Ski Team, and again when I coached China and one of Shenyang’s most well known inhabitants, Nina Li, a double Olympic medalist, in Sochi in 2014. These experiences have given me a unique perspective on the city’s meteoric growth and economic prosperity, which is also indicative of the rest of China.
I will be meeting Glenn Petty and Debbie Fuentes of the Arabian Horse Association here. After I check into the Shangri La near the city center, I make my way to the top-floor lounge with an expansive view of
