Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for supporting my blog and for your interest in my time living in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to keep many of you sheltered in place or working at home, I hope this blog highlights that once the world begins to recover, things will improve. In Shanghai, life has returned to a new normal. I do emphasize that the recovery timeline for Shanghai is not applicable everywhere. However, we are all in this together and if we cooperate with social distancing guidelines things will improve.
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Life in Shanghai
I hope that this update again finds you, your family, and your friends all remaining safe and healthy. I really want to emphasize again how reassuring I find hearing about how you are doing and how you are trying to make the best out of what is decidedly a difficult and trying situation. Hopefully, wherever you are things are beginning to improve and you are all seeing the signs of spring around you, much like the beautiful flowers and warm temperatures that surround me here in Shanghai.
As the US continues to prematurely reopen, I can’t stress to you enough that I think that you should continue to socially distance and work from home (if possible). Many of these places are reopening for economic not health reasons, which is dangerous and wrong. When Shanghai reopened, there were fewer than 100 cases in the city and the number of reported cases in both Wuhan and the rest of China had consistently decreased for a few weeks. While I know that it may seem difficult to not get back to your normal routines, I implore you to be cautious. With warmer weather, you can still enjoy some nice runs, walks, or even time just spent sitting on your porch while social distancing. Also, please continue to wear masks. While wearing masks are not nearly as ubiquitous in Shanghai (at least among the foreigners) as they once were, the majority of people here will likely continue to wear masks throughout the summer. Wearing a mask sends a message that you’re taking precautions, and that you care about your neighbors.
In Shanghai, other than the prevalence of masks, life has mostly returned to normal. Many of the primary – secondary schools have reopened (with students now back in classes). Nearly all stores and restaurants (that were able to survive financially) have reopened. We still have temperature checks at some locations (like malls and hotels), but by now those aren’t really a big deal any more and just basically part of my normal life. SJTU still has not officially reopened for students. Some graduate students are back on campus, but most undergrads and first-year grad students have not been allowed to come back.
Now, for this weeks covid-19 analytics update. Shanghai has 14 active cases (only 3 in Beijing). The recovery rate in Shanghai is up to 96.8%, while China as a whole is at 94%. Regardless of how you feel about the numbers, it’s comforting to see such a high recovery rate. I’ll note that since much of China (outside Wuhan and Hubei province) was not hit as hard by covid-19, due to the harsh restrictions placed on travel as well as the more forced lockdown, reaching this rate of recovery so soon is likely not going to happen elsewhere. However, it is comforting to see recovery rates rising around the globe.
I do want to note that two of the new cases this week in Shanghai were domestic cases of people traveling from outside of Shanghai to Shanghai and then testing positive for covid-19. There’s lots of contact tracing in China, so the government is able to track where everyone has been, which allowed people who came in contact with those individuals to be tested. However, there is a cognizance that a second wave is definitely possible. Given that reason, my supervisor has recommended I avoid public transportation, so I likely won’t be going back to the SJTU campus at least for a little bit longer.
In terms of Astronomy, this was an exhausting week. This week was the DES collaboration conference done on Zoom. DES is based out of FermiLab in Chicago, which unfortunately for me, led to a lot of really late nights. Generally, I was able to attend the morning sessions from 10:30pm – 1:00am. I presented my research on the evolution of the stellar mass-halo mass relation twice and received good feedback both times! Additionally, there were a lot of great talks that I got to listen to as well as a few others I watched recordings of. While it’s definitely convenient to not have to travel, I did miss getting to meet more members of the collaboration and talking about new projects with potential collaborators. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have in person conferences again next year. Below you can see me (5th row, third from the right) in our DES virtual group photo!
In addition to the DES meeting, I also spent time revising my DES paper (which is close to being submitted :)) and made a ton of progress on my Luminosity function research and hope to have results later this week, since I now have all the measurements I need to actually construct a Luminosity Function :)! Unsurprisingly, I spent a lot of time on Zoom this week. In addition to the DES telecon, we also had a successful first week of Zoom astrocoffee as well as my normal Zu group meetings.
The weather in Shanghai has continued to be warm, but not brutally hot yet (though everyone tells me that’s coming). Most days it’s in the low-mid 80s, so I’m still able to go running (either in the morning or evening). This week, I did four runs! For those of you who are curious, I generally run about 15-20 miles per week (each run is 4.5-5+ miles). One benefit of working from home is that it’s much easier to fit running into my schedule! As usual, I saw a lot of beautiful flowers this week. I really like how these kind of flowers are all around the city and the colors are just fantastic!
During my walks and runs, I also saw some cool sculptures and posters!
Having seen Degas’ ballet sculptures many times before, it was very cool to see this modern update in downtown Shanghai!
Since the DES weekend completely took over my week, I took Saturday as a rest day to recover. I followed that up with a busy and fun Sunday! I went on a walking tour of the Jewish sites within the Former French Concession (which I’ll talk about later) and then went to a picnic on the West Bund with my friends from Moishe House. The West Bund is a park that reminded me a lot of Riverside Park in NYC mixed with being transported back to the Main Green at Brown or Diag at Michigan! There were tons of people there with their pets. Mostly dogs, but a few cats. There were also people doing acro-yoga, slacklining, juggling, and playing basketball.
Additionally, you can also see some of the furry friends who joined us for our picnic as well as a picture of an adorable cat inside a local women’s clothing store!
Overall, a picnic in the park with friends was a fun way to relax and enjoy the beautiful and warm weather on Sunday afternoon! Additionally, I didn’t realize it, but there’s a really awesome running trail all along the Huangpu River, which I definitely need to check out for some long (8+ mile) runs!
Food in Shanghai
Unfortunately, I don’t have any amazing meals to share with you this week, since I ate all my meals at home. However, I did do some more cooking. I made a tofu pie as well as a couscous salad (for the picnic). I also got fresh lychees for the first time! I didn’t know what lychees looked like, since whenever I’ve had them they’re peeled!
They’re very sweet and I’m really enjoying them! It’s awesome trying all these different fruits here that are really hard to get back home.
Jewish Life in Shanghai
On Sunday morning, Patrick Cranley, from Historic Shanghai, led a walking tour of the Jewish heritage sites within the Former French Concession for members of the Kehilat Shanghai community. Many of these buildings were owned by members of the first two waves of Jewish immigrants to Shanghai. The first were the Sephardic Jewish families (like the Sassoon family) who came to Shanghai in the late 19th century. The second were members of the Russian Jewish community, who came following the Russian revolution. Since none of the sites are obvious Jewish landmarks (i.e., they aren’t synagogues), it was really interesting learning about them, especially since I often go running in and around the Former French Concession and pass by these locations frequently!
Aside from some of the group photos, you can see a few highlights of the art deco style that permeates many of the buildings built in Shanghai in the 1920s. Some of the sites on our tour included the Cathay Mansions, Little Moscow, the location of the New Synagogue, the Shanghai Jewish club, and the first Sassoon residence.
Overall, it was really nice getting to see so many of the Kehilat Shanghai community members, some of whom I hadn’t seen in months, come together to learn about different aspects of the Jewish heritage here in Shanghai!
Overall, this was a very eventful week! While I learned a lot and had a lot of fun, I’m actually looking forward to a quieter week (at least in terms of research) and getting back to my normal routine. It’s weird to say that working from home is my normal routine, but I’ve actually been working from home longer than I worked in the office at SJTU :).
I hope that this update about my life and the covid-19 situation in Shanghai gives you optimism that things will improve wherever you are. This upcoming week should be a fairly normal week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the current covid-19 situation, please let me know. If you need someone to talk to about how to stay positive and productive while you shelter in place, please reach out. I want to help support you and assure all of you in any way that I can.
In peace,
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
It sounds like you had a pretty exhausting week! I’m glad to hear that your presentations went well and that you got a lot out of the DES telecon! I usually find it hard to keep focused on science when it gets that late in the evening. Hopefully your Saturday rest day helped in getting you ready for the coming week. I really like the sculptures you showed! The Joker-esque one was really cool, as was the ballet dancer! I remember seeing that sculpture too! I think they have one of the castings in the MfA and I want to say we saw it at the Clark museum when we were in high school. I’m glad you enjoyed the walking tour and the picnic! It must be so nice to see people and be part of a community again. I like the little architectural details you took pictures of. Should I know who the Sassoon family is? Also, I loved seeing the dogs and cats! Do cats wander into stores often? Enjoy the lychee! I’ve never had fresh ones, only peeled in syrup. I hope you continue making progress on your luminosity function work this week and that you continue to stay safe and healthy!
Love,
Emmet
Hi Emmet! Thanks! I agree about focusing on science in the evenings. It’s okay when I’m meeting 1 on 1 with either Chris or Yuanyuan, but it was super hard for some of the presentations. I thought the Joker one was cool, too! I also remember seeing the Degas sculpture at the Clark and in Paris (I can’t remember if I’ve seen it at the MfA).
It is really nice being outside and seeing people. Sometimes it’s a little overcrowded, but that’s Shanghai returning to normal. Prior to moving here, I didn’t know the Sassoon family. Cats do wander into stores some times, but generally just the small local ones, The Lychee are great! I hope that you also have a productive, safe, and healthy week!
Another wonderful blog post, Jesse. It is lovely to see the multi-colored hydrangeas in full bloom. I have tried unsuccessfully to grow that type of hydrangea in our garden, but I think the plant likes warmer climates, hence its successful growing in Shanghai. I, like Emmet, recognized the sculpture that is a take on Degas’s dancer. I recall seeing the original in Paris and a version at the Clark, too, when I accompanied your French class there on a field trip.
Does the cat live in the store? It certainly seems right at home. And I have never seen lychees with their skins on. It is nice that you can have fresh ones as I enjoyed them when I had them. It is great to be able to enjoy fruit in season. Soon strawberries will be ready here. I am pleased that my favorite farm for strawberries, Ariels, posted that they will be having strawberries though I don’t yet know if they will allow us to pick, or we can just buy them pre-picked. I am about to go into the garden to add some more black raspberry plants, and the rhubarb and currants are thriving. The peach tree with peaches on it is making a nice adjustment to our backyard, too.
I am delighted how well your work was received at the DES meetings, and I am pleased to hear the progress you are making in your work on the Luminosity function, too.
Have a safe and healthy and productive week ahead. I always appreciate your upbeat attitude!
Much love,
Mom
Hi Mom! I knew I’d seen hydrangeas in our backyard, but I didn’t know you tried to get those colors. They’re really lovely! I also remember seeing the Degas sculpture with you (although I think we went with HLA)!
I think that cat does live in the store or belongs to the store owner. Most other cats that I see in stores are just hanging out by the doors. I’m thrilled to hear that you’ll be able to make strawberry jam this summer and that the garden will be full of fresh fruit in a few months! I can’t wait to eat more of your jam!
Thanks for the support of my science! I hope that you also have a safe, healthy, and productive week!
Hi Jesse. Another really interesting blog. Is this the first time that you delivered a paper at a conference or were you expected to do that as a doctoral student? There is something thrilling, I think, about delivering “news” about research you are engaged in to peers who are both interested in what you have to say and who can be usefully critical about points one makes.
The history of Shanghai sounds fascinating. Coming from Britain, I am familiar with the Sassoons. Indeed, in the 70’s and 80’s in Britain, Vidal Sassoon -a descendant of that family was a celebrity hair dresser in London whose hair care products were sold throughout the country. My predecessor , as Student Director of Hillel, in the UK was a nephew of VS.
Looking at those shots of the tour it looks like many people seemed to ignore the 6 feet of separation (Is this the 2020 version of six degrees of separation?) – but then Trump very publicly ignores both that rule and the idea that he needs to wear a mask when he tours factories.
Hi Bernard! Thanks. This wasn’t my first presentation. I’ve given a lot of them before. However, this was the first one I’ve done on Zoom, which isn’t nearly as much fun. I completely agree about the thrilling nature of presenting your work to colleagues and hoping that someone asks something or makes an interesting comment!
I didn’t know that the Sassoon family moved to the UK after Shanghai. Thanks for sharing that! The 6 feet of separation is no longer required or even really recommended here. Masks are still recommended as well though not required. However, I think that unlike in the US, since the number of cases is very low, that’s okay.
Hello Jesse,
It was a pleasure to once again read about your week in Shanghai. I especially enjoyed hearing about the DES collaboration conference via Zoom. The image of the participants gave me an idea of how large the group is. Congratulations on the positive feedback that you received for your presentation!
I hope that you have another enjoyable week ahead.
Peg
Thanks Peg! I’m glad you enjoyed hearing about the Dark Energy Survey collaboration meeting! I liked that the group photo highlighted how many of us there are working on this project! It makes the collaboration meetings (when in person) a lot of fun! I hope that you and Art have a safe, healthy, and enjoyable week as well!