Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my life and adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside, avoiding large gatherings, and social distancing, I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy and that my blog highlights what the world can look like after a recovery from covid-19 begins. Once things improve, I hope you enjoy small gatherings with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life remains mostly normal.
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Life in Shanghai
I hope that this latest post continues to find all of you safe and healthy. Even with the arrival of the covid-19 vaccines, cases continue to skyrocket in the US, so I hope that you are all continuing to stay safe and healthy and are taking the necessary precautions of wearing masks and social distancing. On that note, I hope that, so far, 2021 has been a healthy and safe year far all of you.
Before I begin, I need to explain something. In my last post, I said that I would be going to Xi’an this weekend. However, as you can tell from the title, that didn’t happen. Instead, I chose not to travel and will not be traveling at all in the foreseeable future (at least through March). This past week, there was a small covid-19 scare in Xi’an (1 detected case). Additionally, Shanghai, Beijing, and many other cities/provinces (including Xi’an) have just instituted laws requiring all people to take covid-19 tests and monitor (and possible quarantine) for 14 days after travelling to medium/high risk areas. When this was announced prior to my trip, this made me very nervous and uncomfortable with the prospect of traveling even though Xi’an is low risk. When I went to Harbin a few weeks ago, there was no concern and none of this was required. Moreover, SJTU and the Shanghai government has made it clear that people should not travel (unless for an emergency) during the upcoming Chinese New Year Holiday. So, even though I was really looking forward to going to Xi’an, I decided that since I did not need to travel, I would not take the risk. The terracotta warriors will still be there later this year. So, I chose to be cautions and not take the risk of leaving Shanghai, possible being forced to quarantine for 14 days, and even getting covid-19.
As you can see, even though covid-19 is under control (when compared to the US), the Chinese government continues to take it extremely seriously. There has been an outbreak in Hebei. There are hundreds of cases in this city (~700 active) and the city has essentially been locked down to prevent spread for the next month. Given that many people traditionally travel for Chinese New Year, the government is being proactive by restricting travel beforehand. In Shanghai, all remaining cases are imported. There are currently 88 cases in Shanghai and 36 in Beijing. The recovery rate is 94.04% in Shanghai and 95.51% in Beijing. For China as a whole, the recovery rate is 93.18%. Even though these outbreaks are small and the case numbers are low, it’s very comforting knowing that the government still views halting the virus as a main priority.
Given that I spent a lot of my previous post discussing my reaction to the domestic terrorism in Washington D.C. last week, I do want to reflect on the political situation in the US. First, I am happy that the House impeached Trump again. This was an attempted coup and treasonous actions and Trump should be prevented from ever holding higher office again. I’m disgusted that McConnell seemingly refuses to do anything with it in the Senate. I’m also glad that many of the terrorists have been arrested. Though the politicians who incited and helped those terrorists also must be held accountable. However, it concerns me that many Republicans want a moment of unity, instead of reflecting on the fact that their party is solely responsible for Trump’s treasonous actions. While I will attempt to remain positive, I hope that there is no further violence at the Inauguration on Thursday, though I remain scared about that. I’ll definitely keep my eye out for how the Chinese media responds to the inauguration and talk to some of my colleagues about it this week.
In terms of Astronomy, this was a fairly productive week! I got my second set of DES internal review comments on my Stellar Mass – Halo Mass relation paper. Thankfully, they were very positive! 🙂 There’s a little bit of new analysis that I need to do, but I think I should be able to get a lot of the edits done in the next week or so! I’ll keep you all updated as this progresses, but fingers crossed this gets through the DES process in the next month. I also made some good headway on the mock version of the Luminosity Function. Thanks to help from my friend/colleague Haojie (who’s mock universe we’re using), I was able to figure out all the nuances to these measurements as well! I also do want to note that it is now the Chinese New Year break, so a lot of the students/faculty have left the campus (I’m unsure if they’ve gone home). So, a lot of my normal weekly activities (colloquiums, AstroCoffee) will go on hiatus for a while, but that’ll allow me to get more research done!
Also, the department got some cool new planet decorations!
Unlike last week where it was cold, this week, it was really warm! So warm in fact that on Friday, I went running in shorts and a t-shirt! It was almost 70 degrees! I was also able to go for 2 more runs (3 in total) this week as well!
You can see some of the things I saw this week, including a really cool Batman jacket!
The main highlight of this week was on Wednesday, when the Physics and Astronomy Departments hosted there Chinese New Year Celebration! This year is the Year of the Ox. If you recall, at last year’s party, I was selected to play a game where I had to shake balls off of my back. Sadly no such game was played this year, but it was still a lot of fun. There were games, people dancing, including one of the Astronomy Department faculty members (front and center), sang songs, played instruments, did magic tricks, and one of the new scientists even showed off some basketball tricks! They also gave out virtual red packets (traditionally given at new years) on WeChat and I won ~ 60 RMB (~$8)!
Overall, the celebration was a lot of fun and a nice break during a busy research week!
On top of that, I also won a box of snacks and received another box as part of my University Holiday Gift! I am happy to report that most of the snacks are vegetarian!
In addition to the fun department events, on Saturday, I got together with my Improv friends for an afternoon full of fun Improv games! It’s been a while since we’ve gathered, so it was really nice to break out the Improv muscles and be silly together. We played a few of my favorite games including half-life, where you act out a scene in 60 seconds, then 30, then 15, then 7, then 3! Overall, it was a fun way to relax on Saturday!
Jewish Life in Shanghai
On Sunday, Kehilat Shanghai did another Adult Education Session at Tov. I’m giving the one in two weeks, so I’m finally going to share some Astronomy with Kehilat Shanghai! This week we had a fascinating talk on Jews in Asia. Most of the talk focused on Jews in India, Japan, other parts of China, and Myanmar. A lot of these Jewish communities originally were founded after the Spanish Inquisition/Expulsion from Spain. The presenter shared photos from his travels to different synagogues around Asia as well as to other Jewish sites. While I was aware of the Jewish population in India, I didn’t realize Jews had attempted to colonize in Japan, where it was initially short lived, but later grew during WWII. So, there’s definitely a few new places I hope that I’m able to visit! Interestingly, the star of David is also a Buddhist symbol, so there are times when the star of David is seen in Asia for completely different reasons!
Overall, this was a quieter week, which allowed me to be productive and get work done! This upcoming week will be a bit busier, on Monday, I’m organizing a MLK Day discussion, Tuesday is Trivia, and this weekend, Hannah Maia and I will be making jam again! So, there’ll be lots of fun stuff to share!
I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my week! If there’s anything you would like to know about my life in Shanghai, please let me know!
In peace,
Jesse
Hi, Jesse!
First, it is wonderful news that you got a second positive review on your paper! With this extra review process, I predict the regular review process with AppJ will be streamlined! And speaking of Astronomy, those planet decorations in your department are really cool!
I enjoyed seeing the New Year’s celebration and remember fondly the tape of you jumping up and down to get the balls off your back! The snack packs look great. What kind of snacks are in them? And what kind of jam will you make next with Hannah Maia? Strawberry?
I think your decision not to travel was wise. And you are having lots of fun right in Shanghai.
Things are very concerning in Saratoga with high cases of COVID. Dad and I do not yet qualify for the vaccine, and those who do can’t get appointments until April, so we will be under strict safety guidelines and staying home for the most part for quite some time to come. I am praying that things will improve for the virus and so many other things will improve in America after Biden takes office!
Eager to hear more about Jews of Japan as well as India and Myanmar and other places in Asia.
Be well and safe. I miss you and love you.
Mom
Hi Mom! Thanks! I hope you’re right about the ApJ review process! Most of the snacks were things like nuts and dried fruits, some crackers and cookies as well. I’m glad you fondly remember the video from last year.
Hannah Maia and I are making more pear jam and strawberry! I’m glad you agreed with my decision not to travel.
I’m sorry to hear how bad Saratoga is. It’s really disappointing that Professors don’t get the same priority as teachers. I hope that things improve soon in the US soon (hopefully once Biden takes office, some things will start to change)!
Hi Jesse,
I’m sorry that you weren’t able to go see the terracotta warriors, but I agree with you that it is better to be safe than sick! I hope things remain under control in Shanghai and that you don’t have to go into lockdown again. I’m surprised that given the increased number of cases here that we haven’t shut down again.
I agree about your statements on the insurrection and the arrests. I’m glad people are being arrested, but I’m definitely fearful something else will happen this week. Hopefully the inauguration goes safely and smoothly. I remain disappointed that republicans are pushing for unity/reconciliation without condemnation. I hope Biden doesn’t spend too much time trying to appease republicans.
I’m glad to hear that your research is going well. That’s great about your referee report! I hope the second project proceeds nicely, too! My work is trudging along nicely, though I’m still struggling a bit with galfit.
It certainly sounds like the New Year’s Party is a lot of fun! I’m glad you were able to attend and that this still happened! I loved the fun video you shared last year. Do all of the faculty go? This feels like something at BU that’d have way more postdocs and grad students. I also love the cute little year of the bull motifs! Have you seen a lot of bull merchandise around Shanghai?
I’m glad that you were still able to have some fun this week! I can’t believe it was almost 70 when you went running. That’s crazy. It also sounds like you had a great time at improv. I’m glad you’re doing that again. The Jews in Asia sounds super interesting. I didn’t my know about the Star of David being a Buddhist symbol, too. Also, when did the Jews try to colonize Japan? That’s super interesting. I’m assuming it must have been pre-borders closing in 1615, but I’d also assume the non-prosthelytizing nature of Jews might have helped them there.
I hope you have another fun week. Continue to stay safe and healthy!
Love,
Emmet
Thanks Emmet! I hope the situation in Shanghai stays as is. I agree that I remain fearful about what will happen this upcoming week. Hopefully nothing major. I agree that Biden should not try to appease Republicans given how little they’ve been willing to do to acknowledge that he won.
I’m glad to hear that you’re also making some research progress! I know it’s hard working from home, but you’re doing great!
Some of the faculty go to the party, but it’s mostly staff and postdocs (grad students aren’t invited). The Ox decorations are cute, but I haven’t seen tons up around Shanghai yet!
With regards to Japan, after the expulsion from Spain, a small group of Jews ended up in Japan (late 1400s early 1500s). However, that colonization did not last long. So, I think they were gone by 1615.
Hope you also have a productive week!
Thank you for a really interesting blog. And here’s my ignorance: sounds like the Chinese calendar is based both on the lunar and the solar year. If the Chinese New Year began Thursday then that would have been the new lunar month (it was rosh hodesh for the month of Shevat in the Jewish calendar), but then doesn’t China use the Western solar calendar adopted by most developed countries – does that mean that the Chinese New Year moves across the solar calendar like Ramadan? (the Jewish Calendar is an amalgam of lunar and solar so that the harvest festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Succot) are fixed in terms of the harvests and the rainy season in Israel but they move across a couple of solar months (so that Tishrei might fall any time between late August to late September.
Your point about the politicians who defended and perhaps worked with the armed seditionists – They are both terrifying and beyond disgrace. There is one Congresswoman who carried a Glock into the chambers and who said – she said that the second amendment was precisely for such action and was not about hunting… (she is also a devotee of Qanon). Afghanistan may have the Taliban but we have Qanon.. AND we apparently elect Qanon devotees into Congress. We are descending into the ignorance of the middle ages faster than people realize.
In NY the state admin has opened up vaccinations to everyone over 65 but web sites and telephone numbers to call are all down given the huge demand and the few locations that have been set up to handle vaccine. And then there is the current small numbers of vaccines that have been distributed. Hopefully, the Biden admin will free up both money and vaccines to make inoculations more swift and widespread.
Last thought – and I have no idea whether this is related to global warming but I do not recall in my 30 or so years of living in Saratoga any mid-January where snow was not seriously covering sidewalks but this year I think we have seen snow what? Three times? and OK one time we got about 26 inches but almost all of that had melted during the following 7 days.
Hi Bernard! Glad you enjoyed the blog. The Chinese calendar is a predominately lunar based calendar, with leap months built in (like the Hebrew calendar). The new Year actually begins next month (the party was early because the University is on break). It starts on February 11th, which will likely line up with the rosh hodesh for the next month in the Jewish calendar. However, since they add leap months, the lunar new year is always in January/February. While the New Year isn’t a harvest festival, there are other holidays that are that need to be timed with the year.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the political situation in the US. I hadn’t heard about the congresswoman who brought the glock, but I’m fairly certain I know who that is. I agree that America is definitely descending into ignorance.
I’m sorry to hear how frustrating it appears getting the vaccine in NY is. I hope that the Biden administration can help with that. Also, wow. I didn’t realize Saratoga has had so little snow this year. That definitely seems atypical.
Hope you continue to stay safe and healthy!
Just a quick note about the vaccine. While I am eligible to be vaccinated (given my age) the phone line and the website had both been down until this morning (the phone line is working but not the website) and when I finally was able to speak with someone about making an appointment to be vaccinated (the only state site in the capital district is at U of Albany) the fellow apologized and said that there are no appointments open until March (and until Biden is inaugurated and frees up the bottle necks blocking distribution) he suggested I call the pharmacies in Saratoga that are scheduled to vaccinate (Rite Aid in Ballston Ave – ten minute walk from our home) but they don’t have any vaccines at this time.. and they don’t know when they are getting them (according to their answer machine message).. Oh well..
Hey Jesse!
It’s too bad you didn’t see the Terra Cotta statues this weekend but at least you can see them later! It’s funny how warm it is there while it’s snowing in Michigan now. The planet decor looks neat! Good to hear you enjoyed the Chinese New Year party; I can’t believe it’s been a year since your last Chinese New Year party post!
Have a good week!
Thanks Ryan! After living in Michigan for so long, it’s weird having warm winters! 🙂 Though it sounds like you’ve gotten more snow than in Saratoga. Glad you like the planet decorations! It does feel like this past year has flown by.
Hope you also have a good week!