I've just arrived back from Hunan and I'm in the cybercafe passing the time until midday when I can check in to my hotel and have a shower! I've got lots of photos but the cyber cafe I'm in doesn't have the right slot for me to fit my digital camera into! So, photos will come later (so keep checking this post!)
Last monday I got on the overnight sleeper from Shanghai to Changsha in Hunan province. The overnight trains are about 18 carriages long and are seperated into seating carriages and sleepers. I took the sleeper, there are about 60 beds per carriage, split into 6 per compartment. There were two girls from Shanghai in my compartment so we chatted until lights out (10pm!).
I arrived in Changsha the next morning and was met by a student from Zhong Nan Da Xue (Central South University, apparently one of the best in China, possibly the best outside of Shanghai and Beijing) called Xie Wei, and taken to the university. I met the professor who had organised everything for me (it turns out he is very famous, one of the 12 school teachers who's photo hangs in the library). He is the president of the 'Hunan Science and Technoilogy Association' which helped with the organisation and invited us to lunch with them which was at a very nice restaurent with our own room and attendents. The food was very tasty, and I ate lots - in fact, I was the last one eating at the end, although not least because Chinese people eat VERY fast. They also don't hang around after a meal, as soon as I finished, we left and headed to the farm that I and Xie Wei would be staying at, near Yiyang city about 45 minutes drive north of Changsha.
Our farm was about 6km outside of Yiyang, in a very nice little area with lots of rice, fruit trees and fishing ponds. There was a restaurent nearby that a lot of the local aspiring middle classes from the city escaped to at the weekend - we saw a lot of them wondering around (and met a few - see later!). We stayed in a small building that had two bedrooms, each "ensuite" Chinese style (if you don't know you can wait for the photos!). I thought it was great.
We called the farmer Uncle Tang (here uncle and aunt are used as familiar terms for respected older people. Often people will call their cousins or even their good friends brother and sister, which can be confusing at times). He seemed to be an admirer of the great helmsman, whose picture hung in many places throughout the building. He was also a dab hand at Chinese chess: Xie Wei and I played him many times, he only lost once (to me!!). (Chinese chess is a little different to international chess in the number of pieces, the way a few of them move, and the board is a slightly different shape, but a lot of the concepts are transferable. I got tought to play on my last day at Shanghai by one of the other students)
The next day we went for a walk around the surrounding area. Although there are lots of people, because it's not harvest season there is a massive surplus of labour so a lot of people get on the train and go to Guangzhou for a few months to work as labourers. Nevertheless, there were still lots of people about, mostly building things. There is also a power station being built in the background - one of the many new coal fired ones that China is having installed at such a rapid rate.
After our second night, we decided to go to Yiyang and explore the city. We took the bus (just like Shanghai it was 2RMB, or 12p UK) which was very quick and afforded good views of the surroundings. When we got there, Xie Wei suggested we find a cybercafe, which sounded ok to me to check emails etc. It was very funny at first, many people seem to camp in them (they are very cheap) all night and play video games. I needed about 20 minutes to check my emails and things and I was ready to go. Unfortunatly, that was when I discovered Xie Wei's passion for the internet. He trades stocks online. He told me and I think expected me to be impressed. Alas! I tried to explain to him that I'd worked for a bank and seen how much voodoo it all is but to no avail. Two and a half hours later I finally managed to drag him away!
Anyway, after that we had a good walk around Yiyang and had lunch at a middle of the road local restaurent. (I can't remember if I've said before or not, but eating at restaurents is much more common here than in the UK, and doesn't have the luxury associations. It's easy to find a relativly good meal for just a few RMB). We wondered around some streets and examined a local park or two. I've found it hard to find much about the city's history on the internet but from the look of a lot of the city I would say it was probably built up in the '50s during the 'russian' phase here, a lot of very drab tenements in the soviet style!
After a wonder, Xie was eager to get back to the internet bar so I went off for a wander by myself and found another buddhist temple here. I didn't go in: it was quite pricy at 40RMB and to be honest I've seen quite enough of them now!
This has reminded me that I in fact also went to see one in Shanghai that is quite famous before catching my train on monday, it's so difficult to put it all together in my head without the photos! I'll add that bit to this post later. However, midday has now arrived so I'm going to check in and have my first shower in a week that isn't pouring a pot of warm water over myself! You'll have to wait until later to hear the rest and see all the pictures.
Tuesday 18 September 2007
Saturday 15 September 2007
Countryside
I've been in the countryside this week and it's been wonderful. Internet access is limited but the student who's accompanied me lives his life on online games so we've made a few trips to a nearby cyber cafe.
This is the farmhouse we've been staying in. I have lots and lots of photos so will add more when I get back to Shanghai. Yesterday we met lots of teachers from a local schooland the english teachers have asked me to go in tomorrow and converse with the students!
The air is fresh and the food is quite nice, much hotter than in SH. However just like in SH they hardly ever drink anything with meals, I think I've been getting quite dehydrated (just bought about 10 bottles of water for the next few days!).
Friday 7 September 2007
Leaving Uni!
I'm about to leave Shanghai university for good, heading into Shanghai for the weekend and then out to Hunan on Monday (arriving Tuesday). Apparently there is a typhoon there, so it may be a little wet!
Yesterday I went shopping at Shanghai's cheapest bargain road, Cheapalu, where they sell loads and loads of fake things at very low prices. I bought a lot of stuff!
Posts may be a little less frequent for the remaining few weeks of my stay as I'm leaving my computer here when I go, so will be reliant on cybercafes!
Yesterday I went shopping at Shanghai's cheapest bargain road, Cheapalu, where they sell loads and loads of fake things at very low prices. I bought a lot of stuff!Posts may be a little less frequent for the remaining few weeks of my stay as I'm leaving my computer here when I go, so will be reliant on cybercafes!
Tuesday 4 September 2007
On tour
As this is my last week, there were a few things that needed to be done. On monday, another student and I went to the other part of the university to collect my certificate (they've really excelled themselves here, its a lovely one in a nice red covered folder with golden lettering, nice!), and bought my train ticket to Hunan for next week on the way.
In the afternoon, our professor took us to see the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, not far away but there was heavy traffic so it took about an hour to drive each way! They have some fairly advanced kit there and do lots of experiments - some of the students from the university go there to do various things to their samples.
This is our professor admiring a poster of the Pelletron that they have there. It was imported from the states in the 80's but is still very useful. The big round bit was as big as a room, and generates a very high energy ion beam.This can be sent down any of the five tubes and used as a very powerful microscope. It is currently being used a lot by environmental scientists trying to clean up Shanghai's air pollution.
The things that are really standing out to me from the summer are the difference in the amount of experimental work we do at Cambridge and here at Shanghai. I've done 4 years and got a masters already, but the only serious experimental work (besides a few assessed practicals in the first few years) we do is our 4th year project - and even then, mine was computational so not a clamp stand in sight! By contrast, in Shanghai a masters takes 6 years (although they have to study a fair amount of compulsary English and 'Politics' as well during that time), the last two of which are purely practical, doing experiments and publishing papers. Some of the 4th year projects at Cam might have lead to papers, but on the whole we don't start publishing until PhD level. I'm quite looking forward to actually doing some experimental stuff after my time here!
This is an electron microscope they had. The two darker bits on the left were actually made in England - they were imported from one of the more mediocre universities there that shares it's hometown with Oxford Brookes.
In the afternoon, our professor took us to see the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, not far away but there was heavy traffic so it took about an hour to drive each way! They have some fairly advanced kit there and do lots of experiments - some of the students from the university go there to do various things to their samples.
This is our professor admiring a poster of the Pelletron that they have there. It was imported from the states in the 80's but is still very useful. The big round bit was as big as a room, and generates a very high energy ion beam.This can be sent down any of the five tubes and used as a very powerful microscope. It is currently being used a lot by environmental scientists trying to clean up Shanghai's air pollution.
The things that are really standing out to me from the summer are the difference in the amount of experimental work we do at Cambridge and here at Shanghai. I've done 4 years and got a masters already, but the only serious experimental work (besides a few assessed practicals in the first few years) we do is our 4th year project - and even then, mine was computational so not a clamp stand in sight! By contrast, in Shanghai a masters takes 6 years (although they have to study a fair amount of compulsary English and 'Politics' as well during that time), the last two of which are purely practical, doing experiments and publishing papers. Some of the 4th year projects at Cam might have lead to papers, but on the whole we don't start publishing until PhD level. I'm quite looking forward to actually doing some experimental stuff after my time here!
This is an electron microscope they had. The two darker bits on the left were actually made in England - they were imported from one of the more mediocre universities there that shares it's hometown with Oxford Brookes.
Saturday 1 September 2007
Boating on the Huangpu
This week has passed fairly quickly. Got the results for our experiment through on Thursday and I've been playing around with them making some graphs and the like. As I mentioned before, the results were not quite as useful as I might have liked due to the alteration in the process now used at the factory, but it's been fun either way and we'll see what I come up with. We measured lots of weights at different stages in the process which we can use to calculate thicknesses and things, and also power output of the cells which we can compare to thickness, weight etc.
Today (Saturday), I decided to go on the Huangpu River cruise. There are a few versions, but they boil down to a 1-hour tour that basically covers the Bund for about 60 RMB, or a bumper 3-hour cruise 60km downstream to the mouth of the Yangtze and the Pacific Ocean for 150 RMB. Being a purist and on the advice of my guidebook, I went for the longer one. It was good, and my first view of the ocean not from an aeroplane, but in retrospect I think 3 hours is a bit gruelling - advice for others, go for the shorter cruise! Although it is certainly worth doing that one.
Jack plans revolution with his Bolshy buddies near the pier
Leaving Pudong behind...
The gate to the East
Afterwards wondered Xin Tan Di and Huai Hai Lu with a few others (the nice bits of town!) and restaurented and malled. Developed a game for malls: essentially you need to travel the men's floor without retracing your steps, and return to your initial position (if lift, or the down escalator otherwise). The catch is, if there's a plastic clothes model with it's shirt tucked in, that walkway section is forbidden!
blocked!
China's military will soon be able to take over the World, but like the Americans they appear not quite to have grasped 'soft' power yet. Their attempts at cultural supremecy have so far only won over Alan from 'Two and a half men' and my younger, and far wiser brother.
Tomorrow I'm off dragon boating, and then next week (my last!) is quite action packed, with a visit to a couple of other research institutes in Shanghai and possibly poping over to the other campus in Shanghai Uni to see what goes on over there, and hopefully I'm going to be allowed to sit in on some undergrad lectures (which have just started) and see what they're like over here.
Today (Saturday), I decided to go on the Huangpu River cruise. There are a few versions, but they boil down to a 1-hour tour that basically covers the Bund for about 60 RMB, or a bumper 3-hour cruise 60km downstream to the mouth of the Yangtze and the Pacific Ocean for 150 RMB. Being a purist and on the advice of my guidebook, I went for the longer one. It was good, and my first view of the ocean not from an aeroplane, but in retrospect I think 3 hours is a bit gruelling - advice for others, go for the shorter cruise! Although it is certainly worth doing that one.
Jack plans revolution with his Bolshy buddies near the pier
Leaving Pudong behind...
The gate to the East
Afterwards wondered Xin Tan Di and Huai Hai Lu with a few others (the nice bits of town!) and restaurented and malled. Developed a game for malls: essentially you need to travel the men's floor without retracing your steps, and return to your initial position (if lift, or the down escalator otherwise). The catch is, if there's a plastic clothes model with it's shirt tucked in, that walkway section is forbidden!
blocked!
China's military will soon be able to take over the World, but like the Americans they appear not quite to have grasped 'soft' power yet. Their attempts at cultural supremecy have so far only won over Alan from 'Two and a half men' and my younger, and far wiser brother.
Tomorrow I'm off dragon boating, and then next week (my last!) is quite action packed, with a visit to a couple of other research institutes in Shanghai and possibly poping over to the other campus in Shanghai Uni to see what goes on over there, and hopefully I'm going to be allowed to sit in on some undergrad lectures (which have just started) and see what they're like over here.
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