China

From November 2004 to November 2005 I spent one year as a foreign guest scientist in China, Southwest Jiaotong University Chengdu. Just for Christmas and in summer I was shortly in Germany. My experiences, views and opinions I was writing down every week in a letter to my family. Now I decided to remove the personal parts of these letters and put the rest as report on my homepage for the public. Due to this origin, the texts are written in German.

06.12. – 11.12.2008 Seminar on the new campus, Catholic mass in Chengdu, Wide and Narrow Alley (Kuan-Zhai Xiang-Zi), Student party
28.11. – 05.12.2008 Tiantai Shan tour
20.11. – 27.11.2008 Travel to Chengdu with KLM, Umbilical cord blood bank, catholic Ping An Bridge Church in Chengdu

21.09. – 27.09.2007 Travel to Chengdu, Meeting Ian Brown. World Flower Exhibition close to Chengdu
28.09. – 04.10.2007 Golden Week in Chengdu. Visit at DuJiangYuan irrigation system, MinJiang dam and JinSha museum.
05.10. – 18.10.2007 SIB conference, meeting Puschka and return to Germany.

29.11. – 30.11.2006 Welcome in Chengdu after one year.
01.12. – 07.12.2006 Impressions of Autumn with Ginkgo trees, art market, Chinese opera.
08.12. – 14.12.2006 Chengdu Tea ceremony, Wenshu Monastery, Shadow theatre and Art market.

21.07. – 26.07.2005 Last preparations in Dresden before my travel back to China. Xinglong, the home of one student, Safari in the Saihanba National Park ( the big grass land close to Mongolia) and my experience with shipping of a cell culture in China.
27.07. – 28.07.2005 Chengde (Jehol), the summer residence of the emperors and the landscape around.
29.07. – 31.07.2005 The Great Wall at Huangya Guan, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City in Beijing and my travel to Chengdu.
01.08. – 11.08.2005 It is hot in Chengdu. I am planning a trip to Xi’An.
12.08. – 13.08.2005 First day in Xi’an: Touristic shopping area, terracotta worriors, Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huan with park and a performance, baths and wells of Huaqing. A Pi Ying Xi theater performance in the town.
14.08. – 25.08.2005 Second day in Xi’An: We visited the old mosque, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda with much wonderful wooden art in the park, the city museum, big Wild Goose Pagoda with nice fountains, the forest of steeles where we learned about the handwriting of physicians, Finally we made a bicycle tour on the city wall.
26.08. – 01.09.2005 A tour to the bamboo lake, 300km south of Chengdu.
02.09. – 09.09.2005 Purchase of a mobilephone in Chengdu. The travel to Shanghai and two days there: A tour along the Bund, visit in East China Normal University, Qibao, Tea Market, a Shaolin Kungfu show. On the following day the Technical Museum then a bit shopping for souvenirs and cloths finally a good Japanese supper.
10.09. – 15.09.2005 Suzhou, Lingering Garden and Hangzhou with Tea Museum and West Lake.
16.09. – 24.09.2005 PIIID international workshop in Chengdu, meeting with an Indian colleague again. Second visit in the Panda Breeding Station and another Chinese Opera on the campus of the University.
25.09. – 06.10.2005 The Golden Week of the Chinese National Holiday 1. October: A tour to Xiling snow mountain, mountain walk and leisure park, grass-skiing.
07.10. – 13.10.2005 A tour and discussion of Communist Party Members and visit at the International Flower Exhibition in Chengdu.
15.10. – 16.10.2005 Bus tour to ChongQing and first day on the Yangtse Cruise: The Ghost Town Fengdu, Shibaozhai Pagoda, the QingLong waterfall and Zhang Fei Temple.
17.10. – 27.10.2005 The three gorges of Yangtse river, Daning River and the mini gorges. Our travel back to Chengdu by train and the international food festival in Chengdu.
28.10. – 04.11.2005 Invitation in the apartment of one colleague, no-one liked my noodles. One day in the city with a student from the new campus and a biomedical industry exhibition in Chengdu.
05.11. – 11.11.2005 First good bye parties with students. A tour in the countryside between Chengdu and Chongqing.
12.11. – 18.11.2005 Making farewell in Chengdu. Many presents and a long trip home.

17.01. – 28.01.2005 It is cold in Chengdu. I am searching my flat. In the weekend I visited the River View Park.
29.01. – 03.02.2005 Some description about laboratory work. I was in the dormitory of a student for lunch. The winter-holidays start in China.
04.02. – 10.02.2005 Chinese New Year of the rooster. I was eating snack, visited an art gallery and I was in the christian church in Chengdu. It is still cold in Chengdu and I have rheumatic problems. I was in Qintai Lu in Chengdu and in Hibiscus-Town, where I saw a performance for the Chinese New Year.
11.02. – 17.02.2005 It is still winter holiday. I am checking my new GPS map of Chengdu and come to the Tazishan-Park, Daci-Temple and Sichuan University.
18.02. – 24.02.2005 Snow in Chengdu. It is really cold, I have problems with my skin. I visited Dufu’s Thatched Cottage in Chengdu and a traditional performance in Daci temple. Some experience with my teaching.
25.02. – 03.03.2005 I was in the zoo of Chengdu and nearby in Zhaojue Temple, where I attended a funeral. Some process with my apartment.
04.03. – 10.03.2005 Winter holiday is quite over. I get phone connection and high speed internet in my apartment. In the weekend I was in the people’s park, in the area around the railway station and in Wenshu Temple and vegetarian house. Spring is really coming. Problems with ordering cell cultures from America for the laboratory.
11.03. – 17.03.2005 Some improvements with my apartment. Visit in the German language group.
18.03. – 24.03.2005 It is really springtime with magnolias and peach flower festival. I moved to my apartment. Many photos of the apartment are there.
25.03. – 31.03.2005 My first Chinese language lesson. German culture week on the new campus and a tour with student communist party members.
01.04. – 14.04.2005 A student party on the new campus, some more details about my apartment, students were here and prepared a supper.
15.04. – 21.04.2005 Ratzinger is elected as new pope Benedict. I visited a Chinese Opera.
17.04.2005 Visit in the panda breeding station
22.04. – 28.04.2005 A visit on the new campus and an English language lesson in the University.
29.04. – 05.05.2005 The “Golden Week” of the 1st May. I invited two students for a beef steak. Cell cultures from America finally arrived.
06.05. – 08.05.2005 Qing Cheng mountain, the origin of Tao religion
14.05. – 22.05.2005 The Hakka town Luodai, a communist party tour and a visit to the botanic garden of Chengdu.
23.05. – 05.06.2005 For my lecture I have to prepare an exam. Foreign language students gave a theater evening.
09.06.2005 Students are preparing for their semester-end exams. Some background information about the Dragon Boat Festival next week.
06.06. – 16.06.2005 Dragon Boat Festival.
17.06. – 23.06.2005 Birthday party of Ms. ‘Puschka’ Schwarz , a Chinese opera on the campus and preparation of my exam.
24.06. – 30.06.2005 It is hot in Chengdu. Students had their exam. My experience with censorship of the internet in China.

29.10. – 04.11.2004 Arrival in Hong Kong, Avenue of Stars. I participated at a guided “Hongkong HeritageTour”
05.11. – 11.11.2004 Some days in Hong Kong and my arrival and first impressions of Chengdu
12.11. – 18.11.2004 University and institute equipment, infrastructure like internet. Visit in Huang Long Xi and on the SongXiangQiao antiques and art market.
19.11. – 25.11.2004 Visit in the QingYang Gong, a taoist temple, a night tour through Chengdu and laboratory work
26.11. – 02.12.2004 A normal week in Chengdu, some shopping
03.12. – 09.12.2004 Health examination for the long-term visa. A modern theater and small touristic Sichuan Opera with Changing Faces. A student party.
10.12. – 16.12.2004 Leisure tour of teachers to a teahouse, my departure home to Germany, visit in Shanghai.