Judy Fleiter

Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Exchange to Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mainland China

I have many wonderful memories to accompany me through the rest of my life, and some of the most spectacular memories are from the 5 months that I spent in Beijing in 2008. I am indebted to the Cheung Kong Scholarship Programme for making this possible. The chance to live and undertake traffic psychology research in this ancient, yet modernising city was truly a once-in-alifetime opportunity. My home for 5 months was the city that was preparing to host the world for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. This was truly a unique time in China’s history, and a unique experience for me in so many ways.

I lived and worked in the Olympic precinct area, which was constantly under construction and change, and every day brought new and exciting changes to roads, buildings, parks, and Olympic venues. I have great admiration for the dedicated workers who transformed Beijing in readiness for the Games. 2 particular highlights were the opportunity to be among the first in the world to see competition inside the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) and the National Aquatic Centre (Water Cube) before the Games proper. These 2 venues were impressive on a large scale! While change was ever-present, the constant was the warmth, generosity, and kindness of the Chinese people. I have never felt so welcomed anywhere in the world. My student colleagues were so generous with their time. They were as keen to learn about Australia as I was to know about them, their work, their ways and their traditions. I was fortunate to be in China for the Lunar New Year (Spring festival) celebrations. Here is an extract from an email I wrote home just after New Year’s Eve:

“Spring festival celebrations in early February were truly fantastic, culminating with what can best be described as fireworks to end all fireworks — at least until next year. You may know that fireworks are one of my favourite joys in life. Well, I was gobsmacked at the amount of light and sound during the 3 weeks of Spring Festival celebrations (1 week before New Year and 2 weeks after). Little red tents appeared on street corners selling a huge array of crackers and fireworks to anyone and everyone. The sound of fireworks (day and night) began in late January, and continued at ALL hours of day and night, reaching the climax on New Year’s Eve, but continued for another fortnight until the traditional end to the festival celebrations – the Lantern festival. This country certainly knows how to farewell the old and welcome the new!”

Having grown up and lived in the warmth of south-east Queensland for so long, the challenges and beauty of a northern hemisphere winter were evident from the moment I arrived. Landing in Beijing in mid-winter was a “refreshing” shock to the system and my daily walk to work certainly heightened my sense of being a long way from home. But that was nothing compared to the temperatures I experienced when I visited the Harbin Snow and Ice festival in China’s northeast. This visit to Harbin was one of the highlights of my time in China. This experience will remain with me for so many reasons: the intense and startling cold, the beauty and harshness of the land, and the sheer ingenuity of the local people. In day temperatures of -16oC, and night temperatures of -26oC, I staggered from one incredible ice or snow carving to the next. Giant and magnificent, each of them carved by a dedicated team of people who obviously enjoy what they do – why else would you spend weeks in such harsh conditions creating a winter wonderland for visitors like me?

Another highlight was the opportunity to visit colleagues in Hangzhou in the south-east. This impressive and beautiful city welcomed me with warmth of climate and warmth of spirit. Again, my senses were overwhelmed with sights, sounds, tastes, and the delightful generosity of the local people. The natural beauty of Hangzhou, set on the picturesque West Lake (Xi Hu) was a welcome change from the stark beauty of the north. This place reminded me of home with its lush mountain surrounds; definitely a place to return to some day.

To all those who made this research adventure possible, I offer sincere thanks. Experiences and memories to last a lifetime, and an enriched appreciation of working and conducting research in a totally different context are mine to savour. I have no doubt that the benefits of my 5-month stay will serve me well for decades to come. Imagine that, I reached the end of this tale without even mentioning the food!

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