My interest in China and Chinese culture dates back almost 40 years, when I tried to learn more about this fascinating country. Back then, the language had already proved too difficult for me, but my passion and interest in the culture has endured.

I have collaborated with scientists of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) for over 10 years. While I was employed in Germany, several of them visited my old institute as guest scientists or as employees, where they already left a very positive impression on me. During my frequent visits to Shanghai, the speed at which scientists here could produce new results has always been extraordinary. When I had the opportunity to come to CAS’s Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI), which is at the frontier of science and R&D, to join the SHINE free-electron laser project in Shanghai and assist with the commissioning of the SXFEL, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to work a few years in China in a field in which I have 30 years of experience. I am therefore incredibly grateful that CAS made it possible for me to work in such a great environment at SARI.

Being involved in the SXFEL and the SHINE project, I have been impressed by how much progress both were able to make. Maybe the best way to characterize work here is the flexible and dynamic way in which people handle the scientific and technical challenges. Scientifically, the work is of a high standard. Experts here can compete internationally without issue. You have to get used to a different way of working, one with less planning, which allows for faster progress than I am used to. Because of the speed with which progress is made, it is difficult to keep track. My task to propose changes to procedures and designs either now or in future upgrades was therefore a challenging and ever changing one. I nevertheless hoped to contribute to the success of both machines.

Now that my contract has ended, I will continue to collaborate with my colleagues here in the future. I am sure that I will continue to visit Shanghai and further discuss the SHINE project and the SXFEL facility. It will be interesting to follow how these machines evolve over time to become world-leading and a driving force for scientific advancement across many disciplines.

Interesting enough, my private life here in Shanghai did not change much compared to my time in Germany or Italy. Even without speaking Chinese at all, in most cases, I could manage, and enough people here speak English to make communication possible. In the exceptional cases that I could not manage alone, there was always somebody around who was willing to help me with practical issues. Shanghai is a very modern and open city with everything available that I am used to in Europe. Once you get used to modern tools (telephone apps like WeChat and AliPay), most things work perfectly. Public transportation is frequent, modern and easy to use. You can find almost everything if you know your way around (which took me some time, I have to admit), even the most unlikely (Dutch) food, which was difficult to find in Italy and Germany. And with a wide variety of great Chinese food in restaurants within walking distance, who cares anyway? I will really miss the combination of a relaxed private life with a competitive working environment that I have been able to enjoy here for the past three years.

Source: Bart Faatz,

Shanghai Advanced Research Institute,

Chinese Academy of Sciences