The quarantine to enter China is down to 21 days (from 35), and there are rumors that it will come down further after a couple of big governmental meetings this spring. I hope so - it’s been over 2 years since I was last in China, after two dozen trips in the previous five years. The new building for Architecture and Design on the Wenzhou-Kean University campus is finished, and I haven’t seen it yet. At least the photos look great:
The university continues to grow. There should be 230 faculty on campus next fall, with a student population between 3500 and 4000. I started teaching a class for WKU students on professional practice of architecture with my colleague Dr. Zheng Xiaodong. I’m remote, and due to the time change, I sign on at 5am, which is 6pm in Wenzhou. So far, so good: just make sure I have a big mug of coffee with me.
But I am really looking forward to visiting again. China is so dynamic right now - extraordinary growth and movement, but this new layer exists on millenia of history. It’s a wonderfully vital, sometimes messy, situation.
We visited in 2008, just before the Olympics, because we figured the country would never be cleaner! We loved the experience and decided Viking was not only the first tour company in China, it was also the best. All lodgings, coaches, guides, planes, trains, and boats were first rate. We highly recommend Viking!