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Mayor Norm Durflinger recently returned from a trip to China, where he met, networked and learned about Morton’s sister city, Tiantai.
Most of the trip was filled with press conferences and presentations with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, where he discussed the Chicago Convention Center.
“This was a process for these investors to spend on this development,” Durflinger said.
Durflinger made presentations about Morton and the Peoria area, trying to get corporations such as Zhejiang Yinlun Machinery Co., which will open in Morton soon, to open headquarters in the area.
Durflinger, with his wife, Cathy, visited Tiantai, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong while in China.
The group visited the Yinlun Corporate offices, where he compared the factory to a Caterpillar factory.
“I was expecting more use of small shops. This was a factory. I was somewhat surprised-only because of my ignorance and not being over there before,” Durflinger said.
Durflinger also noted he was surprised by all the high-rises in Shanghai.
“One of the residential buildings in Shanghai contains 17,000 people — that’s the same size as Morton — all in one building. That’s pretty dense,” he said.
Durflinger said that even though two different languages were spoken, there was not much of a language barrier.
“I was surprised. Basically whenever I felt like I needed to take a breath to go to my next point, I stopped and they went on,” he said of the interpreters. “You always have the concern, ‘Are they saying what you’re saying?’ And you don’t know that they are, but our interpreters were very educated.”
Durflinger said one major thing he learned from the Chinese culture was patience.
“They seem extremely patient in some respects in their long-term goals. Short-term, they have a goal and they are going to get it done. I think their drive to meet their goals is unbelievable,” he said.
Durflinger said he heard from multiple people in the community who were not happy with his decision to go to China.
“I appreciate where they’re coming from. It is a communist country and we must never forget that it’s a communist country, but I also understand business,” Durflinger said.
“I truly believe if you ignore a competitor that competitor is going to pass you up.
“I would have to say that I fear that the state and federal government in the United States does not have the goals and the drive to get to those goals that China has,” he said. “What I see from them is something that is very much like me — goal-oriented and how are we going to get it done. I don’t see that in the United States.”
Mayor Norm Durflinger recently returned from a trip to China, where he met, networked and learned about Morton’s sister city, Tiantai.
Most of the trip was filled with press conferences and presentations with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, where he discussed the Chicago Convention Center.
“This was a process for these investors to spend on this development,” Durflinger said.
Durflinger made presentations about Morton and the Peoria area, trying to get corporations such as Zhejiang Yinlun Machinery Co., which will open in Morton soon, to open headquarters in the area.
Durflinger, with his wife, Cathy, visited Tiantai, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong while in China.
The group visited the Yinlun Corporate offices, where he compared the factory to a Caterpillar factory.
“I was expecting more use of small shops. This was a factory. I was somewhat surprised-only because of my ignorance and not being over there before,” Durflinger said.
Durflinger also noted he was surprised by all the high-rises in Shanghai.
“One of the residential buildings in Shanghai contains 17,000 people — that’s the same size as Morton — all in one building. That’s pretty dense,” he said.
Durflinger said that even though two different languages were spoken, there was not much of a language barrier.
“I was surprised. Basically whenever I felt like I needed to take a breath to go to my next point, I stopped and they went on,” he said of the interpreters. “You always have the concern, ‘Are they saying what you’re saying?’ And you don’t know that they are, but our interpreters were very educated.”
Durflinger said one major thing he learned from the Chinese culture was patience.
“They seem extremely patient in some respects in their long-term goals. Short-term, they have a goal and they are going to get it done. I think their drive to meet their goals is unbelievable,” he said.
Durflinger said he heard from multiple people in the community who were not happy with his decision to go to China.
“I appreciate where they’re coming from. It is a communist country and we must never forget that it’s a communist country, but I also understand business,” Durflinger said.
“I truly believe if you ignore a competitor that competitor is going to pass you up.
“I would have to say that I fear that the state and federal government in the United States does not have the goals and the drive to get to those goals that China has,” he said. “What I see from them is something that is very much like me — goal-oriented and how are we going to get it done. I don’t see that in the United States.”
Durflinger added that the more other countries get involved with one another, the more they can exchange and become dependent on each other and the less they will have to worry about them.
“I respect what the people are saying, but I just have to say that I don’t feel we can ignore China. It’s too big. It’s too goal-oriented and has too much drive,” he said.
“They like the United States. They respect what we’ve done.”
Durflinger said during the trip, he invited the city and county mayors and representatives from Zhejiang Yinlun Machinery Co. may be visiting in November.
