Welcome to China! Study and Research at Tongji University, Jiaotong University and Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences

36 Welcome to China!

欢迎来中国 /huānyíng laí zhōngguó/

A few words about China Landscape

China (中国 zhōngguó) lite- China, officially the People’s Republic of China, has over China is one of the largest countries in the world, and rally means “land of the mid- 1.3 billion inhabitants and as such it is the most populous its different regions are shaped by various landscapes. dle”. state in the world. It is situated in East Asia and has many While the most inhabited east (i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, direct neighbouring countries: Russia, and Mongolia in Nanjing) is characterized by plains, the wet south (i.e. the north, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Guangzhou) is dominated by low mountain range and Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam in the south, Tadzhikistan, subtropical forests. The northwest of China is shaped by Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan in the west and North Korea in the Tibetan lowland and the southwest by the Himalaya the east. In the east China is bounded by the East China with the highest summit of the world, Mount Everest. Sea and the South China Sea. One of the most impressive landscapes you can find in Guilin, in the southeast of the country. The beautiful and unique landscape is famous for its bizarrely shaped karst landscape and clear rivers.

Climate China has 23 provinces, 5 au- tonomous regions and four As the landscape does, the climate also differs from re- cities with the same admin- gion to region. Shanghai for example is located on the istrative status as a province eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River and has a (Peking, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing). humid subtropical climate with very warm, humid sum- mers and cold winters with temperatures sometimes subzero. Spring and autumn are in general sunny and dry and therefore the most pleasant seasons.

What to bring: Sunlotion and effective insect repellent; raincoat or umbrel- la; an adapter for your electri- cal devices; pocket dictionary

1 Shanghai

Tongji University University campus

Tongji (同济) means “Cooper- Tongji University, having over 50,000 students, is one Tongji University has five campuses: the Siping Campus ating by riding the same boat”. of the most prestigious universities in China. Its history on Siping Road, which is the main campus of the Uni- dates back to 1907, when a German physician found- versity, located in the north-east of the city; the West ed the Tongji German Medical School. From then on, Campus on Zhennan Road; the North Campus on Gong- the school expanded and in 1923, it was established hexing Road; the East Campus on Wudong Road and the as a university. Until today Tongji University has vari- Jiading Campus in Anding, the international automobile Further information on Tongji ous cooperation programs with German higher educa- city. University: tion institutions. Joint institutions are, for example, the Address of Siping Campus: www.tongji.edu.cn/english Chinese-German College of Graduate Studies (CDHK) Siping Road 1239 or the Chinese-German University of Applied Sciences 同济大学 (CDHAW). Also the University of Tuebingen signed an 上海市四平路1239号 exchange agreement with Tongji University.

There are over 2,000 universities and colleges in China. The admission to university studies is based on an examina- tion process, the National Col- lege Entrance Exam (Chinese “gaokao”). This exam takes place once a year and takes Siping Campus, Main entrance three days. Pupils of second- A good possibility to get to ary schools study very hard for Housing know Chinese and interna- this exam, because the cred- tional students is to join one of its of this exam decide about Tongji University has a dormitory for international stu- the many student clubs such the university and course of dents which offers rooms which are usually shared by as photography, Chinese Cal- study they will be enrolled in. two students each. A lot of international students rent ligraphy or Taiqiquan. Just as in German universities, Siping Campus Main entrance students in Chinese universi- flats together off-campus. Consider that most of the flats do not have a heater, and that it can become quite cold ties can study in Bachelor and School of Life Sciences and Technology in winter. Master degree programs. Chinese-German College (CDHK) Library Sports field Swimming Pool International Office Foreign Student Building

2 Shanghai

School of Life Sciences and Technology Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS) The Bachelor Program Mo- The School of Life Sciences and Technology was founded lecular Medicine of the Uni- in 1996. It is located on the Siping Campus. The campus Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chi- Further information on SIBS: versity of Tuebingen signed an is nicely kept with small parks, meadows, small rivers and nese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was established in July, agreement on a direct student www.sibs.ac.cn/en exchange program with the buildings of different styles and times. Besides teaching 1999 through structural reorganization and institutional School of Life Sciences and buildings, libraries and dormitories the campus offers innovation of eight former CAS biological institutes. The Technology. Every year three everything one needs to live such as supermarkets, copy scientific and technological innovation activities of SIBS students from each university shops, dining halls, student organizations and entertain- are focused on various areas, including functional ge- have the possibility to study ment. nomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, research and de- for one or two semesters at the The School of Life Sciences and Technology encompass- velopment of new Address of SIBS as well as of partner intitution. es the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Depart- pharmaceuticals PICB: Further information: ment of Biotechnology, the Department of Molecular for prevention 320 Yue Yang Road University of Tuebingen and Cell Biology, the Department of Bioinformatics and and treatment of 上海岳阳路号 Faculty of Medicine the Protein Research Institute. The school has about 260 major diseases, 320 The Dean’s office students in Bachelor and Master Degree programs as innovation and Dept. Study and Teaching well as nearly 210 doctoral students. application of www.medizin.uni-tuebingen. biotechnology, vi- de/en/Research/Office+of+th rology and immu- e+Dean+of+the+Faculty+of+ Medicine.html nology, computational biology as well as interdisciplin- ary studies between life sciences and other disciplines.

CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology (PICB)

PICB, which is part of SIBS, was founded in May, 2005. It Further information on PICB: was jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Sci- www.picb.ac.cn ences (CAS) and the German Max Planck Society (MPG). The research at the institute is focused on the interface between theoretical and experimental molecular and cell biology. Further information on study and research at SIBS and PICB can be given by the Division of Tongji University, Siping Campus Immunopathology of the Ner- vous System.

3 Shanghai

Jiaotong University Housing

Jiaotong (交通) means “traffic, Jiaotong University was founded in 1896 as Nanyang On Minhang campus, Jiaotong University offers single Address of Minhang Campus: transport, communication”. Public School by an imperial edict issued by Guangxu room apartments for international students. Beside ba- 800 Dongchuan Road Emperor. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious uni- sic furniture the apartments are comfortable equipped Minhang District versities in China. with a private bathroom, refrigerator and air-condition- 闵行校区 In its history the university was placed under several ing. 上海市东川路800号 Further information on ministries. In 1938, the Ministry of Education took over Jiaotong University: the university. Today, the university focuses its teaching Systems Biology Lab http://en.sjtu.edu.cn/ and research on engineering, sciences, life medical sciences as well as humanities and social sciences. The Systems Biology Lab is part of the Center of Systems Biomedicine. The research is mainly focused on endog- University campus enous cancer network, metabolic network kinetic mod- eling, genetic switch, evolutionary dynamics, stochastic Further information on The university has 31 depart- The Minhang campus, founded in 1987, is the main processes and other related topics. They are connected Systems Biology Lab: ments and 11 state key labora- campus of Jiaotong University. It is located in the Min- together through a universal theoretical framework of http://systemsbiology.sjtu. tories and national engineer- hang district on the outskirts of Shanghai and it takes Darwinian dynamics, aiming to understanding the gen- edu.cn/ ing research centers. about one hour by subway to the city center. Most de- esis and progression of complex diseases. Its total enrollment of stu- partments and administrative offices are located here. A dents amounts to approx. lot of international students take for example classes at 36,000 of which approx. 1,500 How to get there: are international students. the School of International Education. Moreover, several high-tech companies placed their research and develop- Take line 1 to its final station ment centers near the campus. (Xinzhuang) and then line 5 to Dong Chuan Station. Then it is a 30 min walk to one of the west gates. From there it takes 20 minutes to reach the Systems Biology Lab. Jiaotong University, Systems Biology Lab

Jiaotong University, Minhang Campus

4 Shanghai

How to get to Shanghai By Maglev Train

Further information on entry Shanghai has two airports: Pudong International Airport If you go by Maglev Train (Transrapid), the journey will Prepare to have the name of regulations and visa appli- and Hongqiao Airport, whereas the latter is mainly used take you about one hour and cost approx. 50-100 Yuan. your destination written down cation can be found on the for domestic flights. Pudong Airport is Shanghai’s pri- (The price for the Maglev is 40 Yuan with a boarding card, in Chinese because taxi drivers homepage of the embassy of mary international airport, located about 30 kilometers but afterwards you have to change to taxi or subway.) generally do not speak Eng- China: away from the city centre. There are several travel con- This is technically impressive because the Maglev Train lish. It is not customary to tip the driver. www.china-botschaft.de nections to Tongji University: you can go by taxi, maglev travels at a speed of 430 km/h, reaching the city within train, subway or bus. To find the respective stations you 8 minutes. just have to follow the signposts in the arrival hall. The train runs from the airport to Longyan Road Station. By taxi From there you can continue your journey by taxi or subway.

By subway

By subway the journey takes one hour and costs about 7 Yuan. You have to take subway line 2 to East Nanjing Lu and then change to subway line 10 (direction Xinjiangw- ancheng) to Tongji University. It can be very crowded during the rush hours so that especially with bulky luggage the journey might be stress- ful.

Arriving in Shanghai

With 19 million inhabitants Shanghai is the most popu- Important phone numbers: lous city in China. It is located on the Eastern coast at the Police 110 You can also apply for visa To go by taxi will take you about 1 hour and cost between mouth of the Yangtze River Delta and is divided into two Fire 119 through one of the numer- 150-200 Yuan. At the airport you are recommended to parts by the Huangpu River: Puxi and Pudong. While Puxi Ambulance 120 ous agencies like Visum queue at the official taxi stand and ignore taxi drivers is the heart of the city, Pudong is a suburb where most of To dial a Chinese number Centrale (www.visum-cen- who offer a “fixed price”; otherwise you will end up pay- the skyscrapers have been built. Shanghai is a significant from outside of China, add the trale.de) or 1a China Visum ing much more money, because in general these cabs centre for culture and education with a lot of universities, country code +86. (www.1achinavisum.de). are illegal and not metered. research centres, theatres and museums.

5 Shanghai

Getting around The official currency is the Renminbi (RMB) with its units By subway Yuan (元), Jiao (角), and Fen (分). Prices are mostly mea- sured in Yuan (1 Yuan = 10 Jiao Shanghai (上海) means “at Most places in Shanghai can easily be reached with one = 100 Fen). 8 RMB are approx. (shàng) the sea (hǎi)”. of the ten subway lines. Fares range from 3 to 10 Yuan. 1 Euro. Tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines or at a ticket window. The machines also have an Eng- In China you can withdraw money with your German lish modus. Besides single tickets you can also buy a cash card (EC/Maestro-Karte) Shanghai Public Transportation Card with a 30 Yuan or credit card from ATMs such deposit which can be loaded at subway stations, banks as those of the Bank of China. and many stores throughout the city. The card can also There are plenty of ATMs be used to pay for taxis and buses. Another possibility is throughout the city as well the One Day Pass for 18 Yuan, which is valid for one day as at the airport. Most of the within the whole subway system. It can be purchased at machines do speak English. Service Centers in subway stations. Check with your bank which By taxi fee you have to pay for with- drawal. Credit cards are also Orientation support on your An easy way to move around is to take a taxi. There are accepted in many shops, but mobile device: several taxi companies in Shanghai distinguished by dif- you cannot count on it. www.google.com/mobile/ ferent colours. Most popular are the Dazhong Taxi Com- maps pany with blue cars and the Qiangsheng Company with www.exploremetro.com/ orange cars. The fare starts at 12 Yuan and costs between iphone/apps/shanghai approximately 2 and 3 Yuan per kilometer. Make sure that the taxi driver turns on the meter. Those taxis which Information on restaurants, Taxi booking numbers: housing etc.: do not have meters are illegal taxis. In general, taxi driv- Dazhong: 021-96822 ers do not speak English. Either you have to learn some Qiangsheng: 021-62580000 www.cityweekend.com.cn/ Chinese or you can show the driver a card with the ad- shanghai dress written in Chinese. In rush hour it might be more By bus effective to take the subway so that you are able to arrive at your destination on time. Shanghai has more than 1,000 bus lines distinguished by numbers. Buses charge between 1 and 2 Yuan. Taking the bus might be a bit confusing if you do not speak Chi- nese; there are no timetables written in English.

6 Shanghai

A walkabout through Shanghai Another unique example of one of the architectural How to get there: styles in Shanghai are the Shikumen houses. The style, To get to Xintiandi take sub- Shanghai has something for everyone: it offers opportu- developed at the end of the 19th century, reflects Chi- way line 1 to the station “South nities for all leisure activities such as museums, theatres, nese as well as foreign architectural elements. Shiku- Huangpi Road”, exit 3 and then cinemas, clubs, bars as well as many sights. men houses are arranged in narrow alleys, each of which walk southwards or take sub- has its own stone gate as an entrance. They have two way line 10 to the station “Xin- How to get there: The Bund is one of the most popular sights where one or three floors, a front courtyard and a back courtyard. tiandi”, exit 6 to Madang Road and then walk northwards. Take subway line 2 or 10 to the can get to know various architectural styles of Shanghai. Often many generations lived together in these houses station “East Nanjing Road” The Bund is a promenade within the former Internation- and private sphere was rare as life was going on in pub- and take a 5-10 min walk to al Settlement along the Huangpu River and has 52 build- lic spaces. In the 1990s, skyscrapers began to rise and the Bund. ings of the early 20th century, built in Western styles replaced a lot of Shikumen houses. Nevertheless, some similar to Gothic and of them are preserved, and you can explore this specific Classicism. Since for- style for example in the district Xintiandi where the Shi- If you are interested in con- mer times the build- kumen houses now serve as coffee shops or bookstores. temporary art, you can visit ings have been host- one of the innumerable art ing banks, custom At the southern end of the Bund, the famous classical galleries of Shanghai. Most of houses and hotels. Yuyuan Garden is How to get there: them are placed along the Su- The uniqueness of the located. Built in the Take subway line 10 to the sta- zhou Creek where since 2000 Bund is made up by 16th century, the an art district has been arising. tion “Yuyuan Garden”, exit 1. the contrast of these garden represents The district hosts over 100 art- ists whose studios are open to historical buildings and the modern skyscrapers, which the architectural the public. you can see across the Huangpu River in Pudong. The style of the Ming dy- skyscrapers - the highest one, 492 meters tall, being the nasty (1368-1644). Art Scene Warehouse Shanghai World Financial Center - represent the eco- It was established www.artscenewarehouse.com nomic and high-tech zone and show how Shanghai has by the officer Pan m97 Gallery been growing steadily for dozens of years. Yunduan who wanted to please his parents in their old www.m97gallery.com The Bund is one of the most famous attractions for Chi- age. The garden occupies an area of 20,000 square me- nese and Western tourists. Especially at night, when all ters. It is divided into six main areas and each of them Outstanding Art the buildings are illuminated, it becomes a very vibrant features a particular scenic spot. The visitor is invited to www.outstandingartshang- place with a lot of people who come there to enjoy the discover the unique characteristics of various halls and hai.com/en/index.html view. pavilions as well as rockeries and ponds. Yuyuan Garden underwent many changes; the garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956.

7 Shanghai

How to get there: Another sight, which is After visiting the museum, you can have a rest in the Travelling by train: Take subway line 3 to the sta- also an example of one People’s Park. Locals of all ages come here to relax, read, At the main railway station, tion “Longcao Road” and walk of the manifold architec- gossip or play cards. there are English speaking 15 minutes eastwards. tural styles, is the Long- machines for foreigners. Train hua Temple. The Longhua tickets are generally sold Temple is one of the larg- with seat numbers. Overnight est, most beautiful and trains distinguish between charming Buddhist tem- hard seat and soft seat. ples in Shanghai. It was founded in the 3rd century AD, and represents an ancient temple structure. The temple Travelling by airplane: comprises five main halls in which people of all ages bring incense to Buddha sculptures. There is also a ba- Depending on the distance, sic restaurant in the temple compound serving delicious Trips around Shanghai domestic flights cost between 350-1,000 Yuan. To Beijing it vegetarian food. In front of the main gate you can see is approx. 500 Yuan, to Hong- the Longhua Pagoda from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) In China, to travel is a must, since it will give you the op- kong approx. 1,000 Yuan. You which was once the tallest building in Shanghai. Due to portunity to discover different faces of the country. You can book flights i.e. on the its fragility, it is not open to visitors. can reach all destinations by bus, train or airplane. website www.ctrip.com.

How to get there: The Shanghai Museum, which exhibits Chinese art as The nearest cities to Shanghai are Hangzhou and Suz- How to get there: Take subway line 1, 2 or 8 to well as the development of Chinese culture, takes you on hou, which can be reached by train in one or two hours. Going from Shanghai to Hang- the station “People’s Square”, a journey starting in the pre-historic period and ending Both of them are absolutely worth a visit. Hangzhou zhou and Suzhou by train exit 1. nowadays. It has ten is famous for its historic relics and its beautiful natural takes 1-2 hours. Train fares are galleries that give scenery, in particular the West Lake with its pagodas and between 30 Yuan (Suzhou) you a wide over- cultural sites. Suzhou is often called the “Venice of the and 80 Yuan (Hangzhou). view, for example, East” because of its canals, stone bridges and pagodas; on Chinese jade, ce- it is also famous for its classical gardens which belong to ramics, calligraphy, the most popular tourist attractions in the city. furniture and arts and crafts. Not only Putuo Shan is an island located 100 kilometers How to get there: the exhibition, but southeast of Shanghai. The highest peak is the moun- Take a bus from Shanghai to also the architecture tain Foding which is one of the four important Buddhist Shenjiamen (5 hours), from of the museum itself is worth being visited: it was built in Mountains. You can wander from temple to temple up to there take a ferry to Putuo the shape of a vessel and symbolizes the ancient idea of the summit and admire a 20 meter high Guanyin statue Shan. Or take a boat directly a square earth under a round sky. The museum is located or relax on one of the beaches. from Shanghai (12 hours). on People’s Square facing the Shanghai municipal gov- ernmental building.

8 Language

Written language If you travel by taxi

Further information on Chi- Chinese written language is based on characters. There Hello. Please take me to Tongji University, No. 1239 Sip- nese language: are over 30,000 characters, but even the Chinese do not ing Road. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ know all of them. Chinese pupils learn about 3,000 char- 你好. 我想去同济大学四平路1239号. Chinese_language acters in 6 years of school. If you know between 3,500 Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ xiǎng qù tóng ji dà xué sì píng lù yāo èr sān and 4,000 characters it might be enough to understand jiǔ hào. a text and to read newspapers. The official transcription of the characters is the Pinyin, but there are several other Is this cab metered? transcriptions. Thus, you can read different transcriptions 这辆车打表吗? for the same word such as “Daoism” (Pinyin) vs. “Taoism” Zhè liàng chē dǎ biǎo ma? or “Beijing” (Pinyin) vs. “Peking”. Please give me a receipt. Basics of the language 请你给我发表. Qǐng nǐ gei wǒ fā biǎo. The order of Chinese names is Chinese has only 400 spoken monosyllables; the ho- family name first, then given mophones are distinguished by four tones: mā, má, If you travel by bus name. mă, mà. The first tone is spoken constantly high, almost sung. The second tone rises from a low to a middle pitch, Hello. I want to get off at Wujiaochang Station. comparable to the intonation of a question in German. 你好. 我在五角场下车. The third tone first falls from a middle to low pitch and Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ zài wǔ jiǎo chǎng xià chē. then rises again to the middle level. The fourth tone falls strongly down like an order in German. Chinese numbers

Simple conversation

Hello! Nǐ hǎo! 你好! Goodbye! Zàijiàn! 再见! 1 2 3 4 5 Yes. Shì/Duì. 是/对. 一二三四五 No. Bú shì/Bú dùi. 不是/不对. yī èr sān sì wǔ Thank you! Xièxiè! 谢谢! How are you? Nǐ hǎo ma? 你好吗?

6 7 8 9 10 六七八九十 liù qī bā jiǔ shí 9 Chinese Cuisine

It is not customary to tip in Chinese cuisine is manifold and every region has its own Beside various restaurants, you can also eat tasty snacks restaurants. delicious specialties. The Chinese like to eat together in on the street while going for a stroll. Try for example the groups with their family members, friends or colleagues grilled lamb skewers, paprika, aubergine or squid. There and mostly the dishes are being shared. In every city is something for everyone’s taste. there are many restaurants where you can eat for a rea- sonable price, so you do not have to cook during your stay in China.

A dish which is being eaten everywhere, is the hot pot (huǒ Another typical dish is Jiaozi. Jiaozi are cooked guō). A pot with wa- or fried dumplings filled with meat, shrimps and ter is placed in the vegetables. The dumplings are often prepared together center of the table by family members or friends and are considered to be a and is heated by gas special dish on Chinese New Year. or electricity. While the water is Ingredients for 25 Jiaozi: simmering, you put raw ingredients like thinly sliced pork, lamb, tofu, cabbage, fish and mushrooms in it. Af- For the dough: You can find the complete ter the food is cooked, you can eat it with various sauces. • 200 g Flour recipe at: • Water www.asia-kueche.de/rezept/ If you visit Beijing, you have to try Beijing duck. It is one dimsum/jiaozi.htm of the most famous dishes in For the stuffing: China. Make sure to reserve • 200 g Mince a table if you want to try one • 1 Chinese cabbage of the renowned restaurants. • 1 Bunch of spring onions The duck is cut in thin slices in • Ginger front of your table and served • Light soy sauce with pancakes, onions and a • Sesame oil special sauce. You eat the meat by rolling it into a pan- • Salt cake together with onions and the sauce. • Pepper

10 Division of Immunopathology of the Nervous System Department of Neuropathology Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology Faculty of Medicine University of Tuebingen Calwer Str. 3 D-72076 Tuebingen www.uni-tuebingen.de/Hirnforschung/immun/index.html

Photos: p. 1-4 Schluesener; p. 6-10 Krauße-Wang

Maps: p. 1, 5 openstreetmap.org

Prof. Dr. Dr. Hermann J. Schluesener, Franziska Krauße-Wang