In Hong Kong we visited two start-up companies at the Science Park, which is a perfect environment for these growing companies. We also visited the University of Hong Kong, where our students and the Chinese students of Biomedical Engineering enjoyed sharing their experience. This was the perfect start to the study tour, and many more visits were to come in the next three weeks.

For several students, this tour also featured their first encounter with eating with chopsticks. Luckily we learned fast, so we could eat Chinese style; at a rotating table several dishes were served and we needed to eat rapidly, before our tablemates ate all the food.

After several muggy and rainy days in Hong Kong, we enjoyed the sunny weather in Hangzhou, where students showed us both their own department and the beautiful West Lake. Here, we had our first experience of Chinese tourists taking pictures of us like we foreigners were the attraction they were visiting.

For us, the metro was an attraction. Whereas Chinese people are often reserved in their dealings with others, it was all pushing and shoving when entering and leaving the metro. At your stop, the doors would open for just a few seconds and there would be no time to ask politely to be allowed to pass.

In Beijing we enjoyed several cultural days at the Summer Palace and we found out why they say “I climbed the Great Wall of China”, instead of speaking about walking the Great Wall. We twice visited the most beautiful campus in China, a status claimed by both Tsinghua University and Peking University.

We spent our last days in Shenyang where a copy of our own BME department has been reproduced. One of our supervisors called this “coming home”. After three weeks we said goodbye to each other with lots of hugs and felt enriched by a memorable experience.

You can read more extensive reports here.

Photo above: visiting the University of Hong Kong. From left (in the blue shirts) Paul, Stefan, Jan-Willem, Mick, Jurjen, Luuk, Melanie, René, Annet, Linde, Larissa, Wytse, Maureen, Kimberly, Ellen, Roderick, Emira, Senne, Koen, Elles, Cas, Kwankwan, Leon, Xiang, Ilona, Sandra, Sjoerd, Valery, Hans, Melissa and Elmer.