Working at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) gave me the opportunity to learn how a big research center works. I felt immersed in a very active environment: numerous people, numerous scientists, and numerous projects. Even if my work focused on just one project, living in Beijing gave me the opportunity to follow seminars and, even more simply, talk to other scientists over lunch or coffee breaks. I felt honored to work in such an environment, one full of scientists with different cultures and backgrounds. I really appreciate the help I received from the Department of Experimental Physics secretaries of IHEP, who helped me with work and personal issues.

Living in Beijing was exciting as well. It’s such a big city with a lot of activities to do and people to share them with. At first, I spent my time at the most famous tourist sites, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Beijing’s many temples. But I have since learned to discover the small shops and hidden gems around the city. The more I explore Beijing, the more I wanted to visit the whole of China. I was so enthusiastic about places like the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City that many friends of mine, who never considered traveling to China, visited me during the summer!

To really live in Beijing I also looked for a gym and a dance school. In these places, I met more and more people, Chinese and international. Everywhere I have been, I never felt a stranger. Everybody was nice and tried to communicate with me, speaking in English, or reaching their smart phone to find a translator, or simply smiling.

I really hope that I can go back to China and restart learning about China and working with my colleagues on site.

I think that working and living in China thanks to the PIFI fellowship is a huge opportunity for young people like me to live and learn a new culture. I also hope that my presence in China also brought something to my Chinese colleagues and friends.

It was extremely important that we were given the opportunity to attend Chinese lectures in the workplace, a safe environment for us, without having to look for lectures catered to foreigners in an unknown city. Aside from learning a new language, this allowed me to bond with other foreign colleagues and made my stay more comfortable.

CAS has started a marvelous program to improve international collaboration. I hope in the future to be able to continue to collaborate with CAS directly or through more Italian students that would like to enjoy such a wonderful experience.

Source: Giulio Mezzadri,

Institute of High Energy Physics,

Chinese Academy of Sciences