The Great Wall and Influenza Research: Getting to Know China
Wendy Fong | July 19, 2010
At Beihai Park, which used to be an imperial garden.
After four movies and a 20-hour flight with stops in Guam and Manila, I have finally arrived in Beijing. It didn’t hit me that I was actually in my host country until I was met by the scorching heat when trying to catch a taxi with my mentor. However, I was able to quickly adjust due to frequent traveling in the past year.
I felt right at home when Alicia Lee, the other PRIME student working at the Computer Network Information Center (known as CNIC) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and I ate dinner with all of our mentors, including Dr. Kai Nan. We talked about everything from the World Cup to Panda Express as we ate Shanxi cuisine, famed for its noodles. Even dinner on the first day was a learning experience as I got a quick geography lesson illustrated with tea cups and chopsticks and learned the importance of the seating arrangement around the table. My adventure was only beginning in this new environment.
I will spend nine weeks at CNIC doing research on mutations that facilitate the cross-species transmission of influenza viruses. CNIC is located on a quaint road five minutes away from the dorms. The uneven roads are lined with small convenience stores and food stands selling dumplings, steamed buns, and our equivalent of sandwiches. There are numerous bikes heading towards their destinations with the occasional taxi or car maneuvering their way through the narrow road. Yet the traffic within university grounds is nothing compared to the streets outside, where there is a barrage of cars, buses, and even more bikes. This is also where crossing the street on a red light in order to ever reach the other side is a norm.
Street market at Wangfujing.
Eager to explore Beijing, we headed to the Great Wall with our new friends on our first weekend. We decided to go to Juyongguan, since it was recommended as being more scenic and less chaotic than Badaling. The trip required transfers between the subway and buses. Beijing’s subway system is very convenient and trains run every few minutes, but you need to move fast to get on and prepare yourself to be packed in like a sardine.
The buses are a little trickier since the fare depends on the distance to your destination, meaning you must be able to communicate where you’re going. On the way, we were able to witness the differences between urban China and what our friend called the “real” China or the parts that still resembled a village. The farther we went, the closer we were to visiting the architectural prowess of ancient China. With muscles we never knew we had, we ascended Juyongguan while taking in the natural beauty surrounding the Wall. Our legs felt like jelly by the time we made the descent, but it was well worth the trip.
The dynamics of Beijing are evident in the presence of its ancient and modern buildings. It is also home to some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. As much as I yearn for San Diego weather, I am excited to see what this summer holds for me!
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