Learning expedition in China: an immersion to understand the innovation and culture of a changing market

Why is immersion becoming an essential step before launching a business in China?

Understanding the Chinese market from within China

The Chinese market attracts companies from around the world due to its size, capacity for innovation, sustained growth, and vast opportunities in cutting-edge sectors. But China is also a complex market with its own dynamics, unique business culture, and rapid changes. For foreign companies, it is not always enough to consult reports or follow trends from a distance. Field experience can therefore be an asset in preparing for expansion in China, enabling informed decisions to be made and strategies to be adjusted.

This is why learning expeditions are a valuable tool for better understanding the Chinese market. At VVR International, our teams in France and China design and organize these immersive trips tailored to each project, in order to offer groups of companies a precise and strategic vision of the Chinese market.

What is a learning expedition in China?

The concept of a “learning expedition” is a short trip (usually between 4 and 8 days) during which a group of decision-makers, executives, or business managers meet with key players in an ecosystem: companies, institutions, incubators, start-ups, R&D centers, etc.

A learning expedition is not just a business trip punctuated by a series of visits; it is designed to be an immersive experience, with strategic objectives defined in advance with the help of our teams of Chinese market experts:

• Explore a sector or market,
• Identify opportunities,
• Understand local practices,
• Draw inspiration from models of innovation,
• Establish initial contacts.

This format is particularly relevant in China. The country is vast, diverse, evolving at a rapid pace, and often operates according to principles that are very different from those of Western markets. Immersion, direct observation, and contextualization provide a better understanding of China and its potential for development in this market.

It should be noted that for nationals of many countries, including France, visas are no longer required to enter China for stays of 30 days or less (for more information, read our article “Making a success of your first business trip to China”).

Immersion in the heart of the Chinese industrial ecosystem: what are the objectives for foreign companies?

The learning expedition enables companies to reduce uncertainty about the Chinese market by providing a concrete understanding of it. Each mission is built around several key objectives that enable participants to improve their understanding of China:

1. Decoding the specificities of the Chinese market

Chinese consumers do not have the same expectations, purchasing practices, and preferences as consumers in European countries. Regulations and the competitive landscape are also very different from those in European countries. By meeting with local companies, experts, and institutions, participants gain a direct understanding of the realities on the ground:

• How do consumers make their decisions?
• What are the rules for accessing the market in a given sector?
• How are local partnerships built?

2. Draw inspiration from Chinese innovations

China is now a global driver of innovation in sectors such as green tech, automotive, smart cities, energy, healthcare, and logistics. Seeing these innovations at work, both in industry and manufacturing and in marketing and distribution, allows participants to challenge their own models and identify opportunities for collaboration or adaptation.

3. Make useful contacts

A learning expedition opens doors. Whether through B2B meetings, site visits, or informal exchanges, companies can forge initial links with potential partners, suppliers, customers, or local influencers.

4. Become familiar with Chinese business culture

In China, understanding cultural customs, negotiation mechanisms, and social codes is important for success. Immersion allows you to grasp these subtleties, which are often invisible from a distance but crucial for building a relationship of trust.

5. Refine your development strategy in China

Upon returning from China, participants have tangible elements to adjust their strategy: which regions to target? Which entry model to adopt (distribution, partnership, JV, subsidiary, license)? Which products or services to adapt? The learning expedition thus becomes a decision-making tool. The VVR International teams then assist participants in analyzing and adjusting their development strategy in China.

China: a laboratory for innovation and a market of the future

China is a leading technological player. It invests heavily in R&D, actively supports the emergence of cutting-edge companies in many strategic fields, and develops innovation hubs across all its regions.

Some particularly innovative sectors:

• Tech and digital: ultra-integrated e-commerce, mobile payment, AI, connected objects.
• Mobility and energy: electric cars, batteries, shared mobility solutions.
• Industry 4.0: automation, robotics.
• Smart cities: urban flow management, big data, connected infrastructure.
• Agri-food: traceability, food safety, food tech.
• Medicine

Observing these trends from the inside allows foreign companies to better understand market expectations and potential levers for differentiation.

How does VVR International support companies in their learning expeditions?

A tailor-made and locally-based approach

Organizing an effective learning expedition in China cannot be improvised. VVR International offers federations, professional organizations, business associations, and clusters tailor-made support. Our experts have in-depth knowledge of China and its industry, mobilize the right contacts, and provide high-quality cultural support.

With more than 25 years of experience in China, VVR International designs learning expeditions that are tailored to the objectives, sector, level of international maturity, and schedule of each group of participants.

Our services include:

• Upstream strategic framing: understanding objectives, selecting priority geographical areas and sectors.
• Complete program organization: identifying companies to visit, experts to meet, and building an optimized itinerary.
• On-site support: professional interpreters, intercultural consultants, turnkey logistics (transportation, accommodation, catering).
• Daily debriefings and final summary: putting things into perspective, key lessons learned, strategic recommendations.
• Post-mission follow-up: connecting with partners, analyzing identified opportunities, support for the next phase.

What participants take away from a learning expedition

Learning expeditions are often “trigger” moments, allowing you to move from intention to action, or, conversely, to readjust a strategy and avoid costly mistakes. The strength of a learning expedition lies in the combination of concrete observations, informal exchanges, cultural discoveries, and collective reflection.

Understanding China to effectively prepare for development

Expanding into the Chinese market requires serious and meticulous preparation. Learning expeditions are a strategic step in the process of reflection and acculturation. These well-prepared trips, accompanied by experts in the Chinese market, are a valuable tool for field analysis that can be decisive when considering or initiating a development project in China.

For more than 25 years, we have been helping foreign companies succeed in their industrial or commercial development in China, supporting them at every stage of their project: market analysis, identification of opportunities, search for partners, institutional networking, legal and operational structuring, intercultural management, etc.

Contact our experts to build a strategy tailored to your sector and the realities on the ground in order to secure each stage of your project in China and thus sustain your activities in the Chinese market.