China offers great growth for turfgrass industry

By Karl Danneberger The Ohio State University

The Peoples Square in Dalian is the focal point of the city's main visitor area.

ecently, I attended the 2001 Inter- From a global perspective, national Turf and Golfing Confer- Rence and Expo in Dalian, China the turfgrass industry — from August 29 through September 1. whether in parks, sports turf This was the second visit I have made to China in the last year. or golf - has the greatest My hope is to provide you with some potential for growth in of my observations of China and the turf- grass industry. Given the few visits I have China. made, my observations could be construed as rather myopic. I would say however In China, Dalian is known as the "Black that I think the turfgrass industry - Pearl" due to its beauty. Approximately 10 whether in parks, sports turf, or golf - years ago, the city focused its attention on from a global perspective has the greatest enhancing its beauty and the surrounding potential for growth in China. areas through a massive landscaping pro- ject. Dalian landscape project The focus of the effort was to create Dalian is located in the northeastern part of green spaces through the creation or ren- China (northeast of Beijing) along the Yel- ovation of parks, large city squares and to low Sea. The city itself is not that old, a lesser extent golf course development. around 100 years old, with a population of Turfgrasses used are not much different between 3.5 to 5.0 million people. The than what we would use in the temperate architecture of the city strikes me as being regions of the United States. quite western and is considerably more "laid In parks and large recreational areas, back" than Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen. Kentucky bluegrass is the turf of choice. J INTERNATIONAL REPORT

One of the golf courses under con- struction in Dalian. This course is being built along the Yellow Sea. Typically one finds perennial ryegrass tees and fairways and creeping bent- grass on greens.

The varieties of choice on golf courses Knowledge levels (at least the ones I saw) are predominant- The knowledge base for maintaining turf- ly Kentucky bluegrass in the roughs, grass is growing but is still not at the level perennial ryegrass tees and fairways and found in the United States. Thus, turfgrass creeping bentgrass on greens. conferences that are staged around China In Dalian, and also in Beijing, summer are extremely temperatures are usually quite warm. I Golf course important in pro- observed many of the diseases we would viding informa- associate with warm weather like summer superinten- tion for maintain- patch (Magnaporthe poae) on Kentucky dents in ing turf under bluegrass, brown patch [Rhizoctonia local conditions. solani) on perennial ryegrass and dollar China were The turf grass spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) on creeping enthusiastic, conference that I bentgrass. As you move farther south attended in through Wuhan (transition zone) tall fes- willing to ask Dalian was start- cue is used more and into the southern questions and ed to help pro- coastal regions bermudagrass and zoysia- vide information grass. share experi- to golf course On some of the golf courses that I vis- ences even superintendents. ited, the water issues — both quantity and The confer- quality — are major concerns (not much with a lan- ence in many different than here). guage barrier ways reflects the Soccer (as in much of the world) is the potential of the most popular sport played on athletic turfgrass industry in China, initially a turfs. Little, if any, turfgrass is used on moderately attended conference but the sports fields below the professional or potential for growth is great. The confer- elite team situation. The traffic and wear ence itself ran for three days with both that most of the school fields are subject- educational sessions and a trade show. ed to is so intense that sustaining turf is One of the great things that I like about nearly impossible. the turfgrass industry in the United States is the quest for new information and a

Turf Grass Trends OCTOBER 2001 willingness to share ideas and new infor- with customers, and also served as tour mation. This was demonstrated with the guide. These translators were English range of speakers from academia (both majors at the local colleges and universi- the U.S. and China) to industry represen- ties who had a chance to "practice" their tatives (again from both the U.S. and English. The vast majority of Chinese stu- China) and Chinese golf course superin- dents from grade school through high tendents. school study English. My experience from traveling globally is the universal quest for turf managers to English is common learn as much as they can. The golf course I was surprised how many people "on the superintendents in China were enthusias- street" have some sort of English profi- tic, willing to ask questions, and share ciency. Interestingly, university students in experiences even with a language barrier. the United States often complain about The facilities for the conference facili- their dormitory rooms, in China almost all ties and hotel accommodations were of the students living in dormitory rooms excellent. The hotel I stayed in was simi- share them with six to seven other stu- lar to any Marriott or Hilton. I could dents. watch HBO or CNN (in English) on the The friends that I have made in China room TVs. In Dalian, as in other major have the same personal concerns that we cities in China, hotels that cater to an have. Parents worry about how well their international clientele provide amenities children score on the national tests and like restaurants and shops similar to those which college or university their children found in any European or U.S. city. If you will attend. They worry about their jobs get away from the major metropolitan and making money as much as we do. areas it gets a littler rougher. There is a strong work ethic among the And, yes, I found the food to be excel- Chinese in that they are always "busy" and lent! working. The Chinese put a lot of time in The international speakers and developing relationships and these rela- exhibitors were provided (if needed) a tionships become cornerstones for doing translator who helped in translating business. speeches, helped exhibitors communicate

The Dalian Expo Center was the home base for those attending the International Turf and Golfing Conference. ¡INTERNATIONAL REPORT

The biggest change for me personally in visiting China is reconciliation of my prior preconceptions of China (those per- ceptions developed growing up in the 1960s and 70s] with how it is now. What strikes me about China is the contrasts in the country are so startling, that it is almost impossible to take in at once. China has undergone a massive change in the last 20 years. The economic growth path that China is currently on will make it a global force in the future. It does however have major problems in dealing with growth (economic discrep- The sessions held at the conference were aimed at pro- ancies), and its population. viding information to golf course superintendents. From a turfgrass perspective, how China develops this industry will be Market potential something we should all watch. China has developed free trade zones that encourage capitalism as a means for Karl Danneberger was an invited speaker to the first annual International Turf and expanding their economy. These zones and Golfing Conference and Expo in Dalian China the general positive attitude of the govern- August 28 through September 7, 2001. He ment toward free trade have provided spoke on managing creeping bentgrass opportunities for trade with China includ- greens and maintaining turfgrass in shade. ing the turfgrass industry. Dr. Danneberger has traveled and spoken Given the market (population and land throughout China over the years. size), there is tremendous potential in China. However, as businesses opportuni- ties expand, understanding the culture and how the Chinese work becomes crit- ical for reducing frustration and increasing success.