With the temperature and humidity in the upper 80’s, Beijing certainly gave me a warm welcome. I think my ideal range is more in line with what a panda prefers, but at least I don’t have to put up with all that hair. During my short time here, I was able to meet with researchers from the Beijing Zoo and the Beijing Normal University. Dr. You and Dr. Liu were fantastic hosts and without their help, we wouldn’t be able to continue our mercury project.

This being my first trip to Beijing, I was blown away by how beautiful the city is. The streets are clean, the people were courteous, and the peking duck was awesome. Staying at a hotel across the street from the zoo allowed me to collect all of the samples that we needed. With my room sufficiently littered with bags of bamboo, panda hair and feces, I got cleaned up and headed out to meet Dr. Liu for my last night.

It’s important to remember that these simple and mostly casual meetings are what gave rise to our research. Without them, we probably wouldn’t have made it past the security gates at Bifengxia. But, back to my dinner plans…

Dr. Liu picked me up at the hotel and we walked over to a nearby hot pot restaurant. It had been 5 years since I last saw him, so we had quite a bit to catch up on. It was great to hear about the progress of his current and past students, some of which we know from working with at Bifengxia. Most important, as is with most of these meetings, is the realization that collaborations are the key to progress. Not to mention, that I love hot pot.

And with the end of a fabulous dinner, my time here in Beijing comes to a close. In the morning I fly back to Chengdu to welcome our new interns. Hopefully, in the future I can give a little more time to one of the world’s largest cities.