Thank you for joining me for on my latest adventures in Shanghai! I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoyed doing it!
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Now, onto this week’s adventure!
Life in Shanghai
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020. As I correctly predicted in my last entry, I got here first and have been enjoying the start of this new decade. Since New Years Day is a Holiday in China, I got Wednesday off from work. Since I haven’t had any vacations since I arrived in Shanghai, it was nice having the day off and getting to rest, relax, and of course go for a run!
In terms of Astronomy, I’m starting to make more progress on my measurements of the Luminosity Function. I’m still in the stage where I’m attempting to reproduce a prior result, but it feels like I’m closer to getting the infrastructure complete (at least in terms of the computer code that I’ll be using) so that I can start taking my own measurements in the near future.
Additionally, as I previously noted , the academic semester at SJTU is starting to wind down. The students had some finals last week and more this week. So, the campus (and department) will start to empty out for vacation (although I’ll still be here for most of it). I’ve also continued to sense the coming Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year), as I’ve seen more decorations appear around Shanghai. If you can’t tell, it’s the Year of the Rat!
For this week’s adventure, I visited the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology. This is a humongous Museum! Gigantic museums are definitely a theme I’ve noticed in China. Almost all the museums are massive!
In addition to the impressive size of the museum, there was also a cool Chinese dragon sculpture on display in the front of the museum. This one shows dragons supporting the globe! It was amazing to look at.
In total, I spent 2.5 hours visiting the Museum and saw about 1/3 of the museum or 4 exhibits. I saw the exhibits on the history of space travel, modern breakthroughs in science (quantum theory, relativity, and genetics), robots, and information technology. There are also exhibits on earth sciences, health and the human body, and animals. Overall, this museum reminded me a lot of the visiting the Smithsonian and the exhibits I went to reminded me of visiting the air and space museum with my grandparents and family in Washington D.C. when I was younger.
Given that I’m an Astronomer, it’s not surprising that I gravitated toward the exhibit on the history of space travel. 🙂 The museum had different scale models of Chinese, American, and Russian satellites and space shuttles as well as descriptions of when they were used and their design specs.
There was also a models illustrating the different orbits satellites use as well as a Chinese Astronaut’s space suit. I was particularly impressed that there was information explaining the Newton’s and Kepler’s laws! A fundamental part of my own Astrophysical studies.
The main difference between this museum and those I’ve been to in the US were that the museum was very interactive!
This exhibit had two features. The first was a zero gravity simulator, where you were strapped down and then rotated upside down and in helix patters to simulate what it would be like in space. While not me in the picture, I went on this! It was somewhat like being on a tiny roller coaster except every time I went upside down, I could really feel gravity pulling down on me. Afterwards I was quite disoriented. This activity reminded me a lot of an exhibit at the Buffalo Science museum that my grandparents took me to that featured a human gyroscope. Although at the time, I’m pretty sure I was too afraid to let myself go upside down.
There was also another interactive exhibit to demonstrate centrifugal force. In this activity, people shot nerf balls at a target while the station was rotating. This activity was a lot of fun and demonstrated how rotation impacts your frame of reference!
After spending an hour learning about the history of space travel, I went to the exhibit on scientific breakthroughs such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and genetic. They had different models of DNA structure as well as a ton of different models of experiments I remember learning about in my college physics classes.
Cathode Ray experiment 
DNA 
The Chemical model of Insulin
While the museum emphasized that much of the breakthroughs were made by western scientists, they also highlighted the different contributions that Chinese scientists made to some of these discoveries.
My second favorite part of the museum was the exhibit on robots! This exhibit was super interactive! There was all kinds of information explaining how there are different types of robots from those that function of individual command programs to complex artificial intelligences.
Solving a Rubix Cube! 
Playing Go!
They had robots that were dancing, solving rubix cubes, doing archery, drawing, playing go, and playing the piano!
Drawing! Do you recognize the Shanghai Art Museum I visited a few weeks ago! 
Playing the Piano!
As part of this exhibit, I got the chance to challenge a robot in archery. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t do very well. Maybe my friend Alex could have beaten the Robots, but not me. Although I’m not sure better technique would help me. It was a great fun to get to try archery, though.
The last exhibit I visited was on the rise of information technology. This exhibit highlighted advancements in computers and the digital world as well as how computers work as well, the science behind programming pattern recognition (one of my best research skills), and how computer chips are made.
Overall, visiting the Museum of Science and Technology was a lot of fun! I’ll definitely be back to visit and see the rest of the exhibits the museum offers!
In addition to visiting the Museum this week, I also went running twice. I did a 5.8 mile run on New Years Day and a 5.1 mile run on Sunday. It’s been pretty warm here, mostly in the mid 50s – upper 40s. However, Monday and Tuesday of this week will be in the 70s! So, I’m not sure I’m going to get much of a winter here, which despite getting to run, makes me sad, since I do miss seeing snow.
This week, I also saw a ton of cool advertisements and sculptures during my walks and runs around Shanghai!
There was also this really cool constellation design on the floor of the subway. I couldn’t quite figure out why it was there, but I enjoyed looking at it during my ride home!
Food in Shanghai
For those of you wondering, I’m still doing a lot of cooking here. I’ve just switched to bringing my lunch instead of eating at the SJTU cafeteria (I was getting really tired of the same fried tofu and steamed veggies every day, which sounds much better than it actually is).
However, I’m still exploring different vegan/vegetarian restaurants to try new foods!
This week I had a fantastic lunch! I had spicy tofu, a noodle soup with tofu, boy choy, and squash, and sweet and sour eggplant! The eggplant was the star! You probably can’t tell, but it was a whole spiralized Japanese eggplant that had been tempura fried!
Jewish Life in Shanghai
After all the Channukkah celebrations, this was a quieter week on the Jewish Life part of my life in Shanghai. I did however, substitute teach for the Kehilat Shanghai Sunday School. I taught the Alef (5-7 year old) class. This week we learned about Mitzvot (good deeds). It was the first time I’ve ever taught students that age, although playing with my cousin Margaret’s sons in Ann Arbor did prepare me for how to deal with them. I had a great time teaching the students and hope that they learned the importance of doing good deeds to help those around them!
I hope you enjoyed experiencing my visit to the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology! This week will be a normal research week, and possibly the last week of AstroCoffee for the semester. I look forward to sharing my next adventures with you! If you have any questions/comments about life in Shanghai, let me know!
In peace,
Jesse
Hi Jesse, the museum sounds great! It looks like a mix of the MIT museum, the museum of science here in Boston, and the smithsonian (especially in terms of the scale). I love that everything was interactive. I do remember doing the human gyroscope and being terrified. I think interactive exhibits really heighten the experience. I’m glad you research is going well and that you’ve enjoyed getting to substitute teach and go running. Also, as usual, the food looks amazing.
Hi Emmet. I’m glad that you enjoyed the pictures of the museum. The zero-gravity simulator was pretty terrifying. I thought I was going to fall out a few times.
More fascinating museums!
Wow!
The spiralized eggplant did look delicious!
Have you eaten any equivalents to a vegetable sushi dish there?
It’s sunny here, but windy today…,
Do you really like winter?
The only thing I do like is seeing the beautiful branches of the trees against the sky!
Looking forward to spring!
Thanks for all the interesting pictures and info Jesse!
XoPam
Hi Aunt Pam. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I don’t think that there is a Chinese equivalent of sushi. However, if I have anything like that, I’ll be sure to post it.
I do actually like winter. I enjoy the cold temperatures and how everything looks when it’s covered in snow! 🙂
Jesse,
I’m a relatively new member of your Shanghai outreach and I want to tell you how much I am enjoying reading your blog. Touching on so many different things – your work, life in a foreign city, cultural discoveries, food, museums and finding a welcome place in the Jewish community in Shanghai, it seems like your blogs can appeal to everyone. I especially enjoyed your tour of the art museum and the political poster (!!!) because of my interest in art, but everything has been fascinating and enriching.
Many thanks for sharing and all the best for 2020!!
Caren
PS. I love the interactive aspect of the Science Museum. We have been taking our 6 year old granddaughter to several kids museums that are all about activities for kids that encourage their participation and I think it’s a terrific way to experience and learn.
Hi Caren! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying my blog! Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed the previous posts on the Shanghai Art Museum and Propaganda Poster Museum. Those were both great places to visit!
Hey Jesse!
Wow! Another incredible museum! I love that it was so interactive. The zero gravity simulator looks awesome!!! I also think the robot exhibit looks really interesting. I can’t imagine what it was like to go up against a robot in archery! (It’s hard enough without the added pressure!)
I wish that we could send you some of our winter weather! I would love to have a couple of 70 degree days. It has actually been quite mild though, so I really can’t complain that much.
What a sweet experience being able to be a Sunday school sub and teach some 5-7 year olds. I bet that was very fun and special.
We saw your parents the other day for a little Chanukah gift exchange, and your mom was telling me about the adventures of the package they sent you! Eek! I can’t believe how long and drawn out (and expensive) that process was! I hope you were able to enjoy a few special gifts from home though. I also saw the silk scarf you got for your brother. Really, really beautiful!
I am glad to hear that you had the day off for New Years and I am looking forward to seeing more Chinese New year decorations!
xoxo, Peri
Hi Peri! I’m glad you enjoyed seeing and hearing about the Museum! It was a lot of fun to visit! It was fun getting to sub for Sunday school. The kids for the most part were great!
I did enjoy the gifts that my Mom sent me. Everything came fine and appeared unopened, so I’m not really sure why it took so long, but at least everything worked out in the end. I’m glad you liked the scarf I got Emmet. There are tons of silk merchants selling scarfs and dresses so I’m glad I was able to find something nice for him.
Hi, Jesse.
Once again I really enjoyed reading your post this week. I think the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology has some incredible features. I am impressed that you actually went on the zero gravity simulator and were turned upside dow–you are braver than I am. And the interactive quality of the robots is amazing. Can you play Go against a robot too as well as go up against the robot in archery? I am glad you have fond memories of our visits to the Buffalo Science Museum with Nonny and Bompa. I always enjoyed those visits, too.
I also enjoyed seeing the yummy eggplant dish and seeing flowers! It is very cold and wintry here, and I miss seeing flowers. It is great to hear, too, about your gaining confidence in working on the luminosity function. And I look forward to seeing Chinese New Year decorations soon.
Emmet and I wore the beautiful scarves you sent to us from China, and they are just beautiful.
Much love, Mom
Hi Mom! You can play Go against the robots. There were a bunch of people doing that, so I just watched. I’ll keep my eyes out for more Chinese New Year decorations as well in the next couple of weeks. Also, I’m so glad to hear that you and Emmet are both wearing and enjoying the scarves I got you!
Hi, Jesse. Another good week to read about; great way to start 2020 and keep the good rolling into the new year. You keep discovering the most amazing museums to visit. I wonder if you’ll run out of museums before you finish your post-doc! I never thought of Shanghai as a city of museums, but I guess like many major world cities, it certainly is. The science museum sounded so cool. Museums have changed a lot since you were young, and the degree of interactivity is one way–doing rather than just looking and don’t touch-ing. The dragon sculpture outside reminded me of the creature myths/stories I know. Is there a Chinese myth behind it.
I’ve been thinking that you’ve been in Shanghai now for a quarter of a year. You seem so well adjusted to the city, the university, and country so far away. I’m proud of you. I wonder, though, after three months, if you have found your life changing in ways that suggest you are adapting or adjusting to the Chinese way of life rather than importing your Western/ American way of life to Shanghai. It’s great that you can still run in the city and maintain your vegan diet, and yes, even have a Jewish community there. But what do you find yourself doing now that just isn’t something you wouldn’t (be able to) do in the US? I know the banking and money system is different and grocery delivery, but are you adapting any Chinese practices or is Shanghai too cosmopolitan and capitalist a city? A while back there was a rock song that had either the title or chorus of “I think I’m turning Japanese.” I don’t remember the actual song, just that lyric (may you or Emmet know it). But are there any ways you are “turning Chinese”? Whatever. You’ll always be Jesse.
Love, Michael
Hi Dad! At some point I probably will run out of museums. I don’t know if there are too many gigantic museums left, but there are lots of smaller museums I have yet to visit!
I’m not sure if there’s any special meaning behind the dragon statue. I couldn’t find anything online, but I’ll ask some of my friends.
Thanks for posing such an important question, Dad. Offhand, I don’t know if I’m adapting my lifestyle to a more Chinese lifestyle or more of a metropolitan/city lifestyle. Much of the changes that I’ve experienced so far have more to do with moving from Ann Arbor to Shanghai. There have been some changes like minor changes in my diet to incorporate local fruits and vegetables grown here in China as well as being more adventurous in terms of trying different vegetarian/vegan foods. However, I’ll spend some time thinking about this and let you know!