Memories of Beijing

Society of Crystallographers in Australia

The December 1993 Newsletter of the Society of Crystallographers in Australia included brief reports from five of the six Australian student scholars who were awarded Scholarships to attend the Beijing Meeting (the sixth, J. Hester was described as being "lost" in Russia since the meeting). In addition to describing the scientific aspects of the meeting that each found most rewarding they made the following comments on their experiences. They are reprinted here as inducement to encourage other students to make plans to attend the IUCr Congress in Seattle.

1. The beer garden was a pleasant place to make new friends and learn about student life around the globe, although the steady rise in price from 6 yuan to 8 yuan to 15 yuan over the course of three nights threatened to bankrupt me by the end of the week.

2. Fortunately I only learned the truth about the appalling safety record of domestic air travel in China after surviving two CAAC flights on the post-conference tour, one to Xian to see the spectacular terracotta warriors, and one to Hangzhou to see the "Venice of the East" and Shanghai.

3. The cosmopolitan flavor of the Conference was enhanced by the folk tunes played by Chinese musicians on their traditional instruments: "Click go the shears" never sounded like that before!

4. Apart from the crystallographic aspects, the Conference allowed me to experience another culture and to see a part of the world that I otherwise may not have. The chance to meet crystallographers from all over the world was especially enjoyable and potentially valuable. I expect to make a career in this discipline and therefore these initial contacts will undoubtedly be useful in the years ahead.