From Eugene to Shanghai and beyond--on the first Saturday in September, a group of second-year Oregon MBA students embarked on the college's eighth annual Engaging Asia study tour.

When the students arrived in Shanghai, they met up with five MBAs from the sports business track who had spent the summer interning at the Singapore Sports Council.

Along with stays in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore, this year's study tour included an intriguing new destination: the city of Hangzhou, the fourth largest metropolitan area in China.

Students from the Oregon MBA's sustainability, entrepreneurship, and finance tracks traveled to the historic city to spend a day visiting the Alibaba Group--China's largest e-commerce company--whose planned initial public offering could value it at more than $75 billion.

This visit was one of several that came about thanks to the help of Ocean Yuan '93, founder and CEO of Eugene-based solar panel company Grape Solar. A frequent traveler to China, Yuan used his extensive contact list to open new doors for the Oregon MBA students.

Yuan's generosity is just the latest example of the support Engaging Asia has enjoyed over the years. Thanks to the generosity of alumni, donors, and other friends, this ever-evolving initiative continues to provide our MBAs with unparalleled exposure to business and cultural practices in a vital area of the world.

View photos from the trip, see #EngagingAsia tweets, and learn how you can support the Engaging Asia Initiative (PDF).