After concluding my business in Wenzhou I had planned to visit Beijing for a couple of days on my way back to the US. How could I miss an opportunity to see the Great Wall, one of the wonders of the ancient world and the Forbidden City immortalized in Bernado Bertolucci’s epic movie ‘The Last Emperor’! According to plan, I landed at Beijing’s vast, sprawling airport primed for an exciting trip.
From Guangzhou we flew to Shanghai. Shirley, a bright young woman who spoke excellent English met us at the airport. I had expressed a desire to see the historic Bund. A trip was arranged.
The magnificient buildings of the Bund, Shanghai
Shanghai, the current business capital of China has a history that goes back a thousand years.
In March of 2019, I had to make a second trip to China, on business. There, with a few companions, I visited Zhuhai, Shanghai and Beijing, three cities on the eastern seaboard with very different histories and geographies.
Continued from My China Trip, Part 9.
I woke to the gentle chimes of my iphone alarm, rubbed my eyes and looked outside. It was still dark. I forced myself to get up. It was time to say goodbye and head home.
Continued from My China Trip, part 8
The day dawned bright and clear, my last full day in China. I felt a little sad but there was no time to indulge in that feeling. I had a long meeting with the students scheduled and a talk to give. There was a little free time that morning and I used it productively to finalize my presentation and do a little packing. The car arrived and I headed off to Wenzhou University to join the others.
Continued from My China trip, part 7: A Chinese Halloween, WeChat and lab tete-a-tete
The 60th anniversary celebration of Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) was on October 28, 2018, a Sunday and a big shindig befitting the occasion was planned. I never let a party go to waste so decided to join the festivities and hoopla. “This is a fortunate coincidence, when will I get this chance again”, I thought to myself.
Continued from My China trip, part 2
I woke up next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the first conference. I made a cup of coffee and looked out through my hotel window. It was a bright day.
View from my hotel room in Hangzhou
I saw tall buildings, green trees and broad roads with orderly traffic. I was used to that sight in the USA. But there was a preponderance of scooters relatives to cars. This allows for less congestion, pollution and comparatively cheap transportation in a country of over a billion people, a sensible approach. After breakfast I headed downstairs for our first set of meetings.
