When I met China

Walking on the same path, not knowing how much is left, is a feeling of fatigue and anxiety. It's about living as a planet, constantly revolving in the same orbit around the same sun. What a dissatisfaction! Never experiencing what is out of that orbit. You can only get out of orbit with an external attraction and I was looking for that attraction in my life. Finally, I experienced it, which was moving towards China.

August 28, 2018, is the day when I left my country Pakistan for the first time, aspiring to pursue my academic career at one of the world's leading universities — the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, the crown of China. It was a moment for me to learn about a new culture, new people, and new places from China.

Arriving in China, I began living in Huairou, a northern Beijing district, where the UCAS Yanqihu campus is located. I can say for sure that this place warmly welcomes its visitors. Its springs and autumns, both are aesthetically pleasing in their own ways, just like the day and night. This district bestows you with a scenic lake — Yanqihu. The clear water of the lake was spread a few yards from the campus, the view was so fascinating that I got into the habit of walking every morning. Every day, it gave me a beautiful view.

Living on campus was like living in a cultural space with internationals from more than 24 countries, surrounded by beautiful hills. I learned all major parts of the Chinese language namely, reading, writing, and speaking. That is when I realized that communicating with the locals was a good way to learn their language quickly, and so I did. Morning walks on Yanqihu, occasional visits to Muslim restaurants, bazaars, shopping malls, and speaking Chinese with locals allowed me to build a deeper social and emotional bond with the place and its people. I would say that people who live there can communicate not only through their mother tongue but also through beautiful expressions of kindness and care. This place has always given rise to the Chinese phrase: 笑一笑, 十年少. Yes! Happiness is the best cosmetic.

Huairou was the way to go all over China. I visited places like filling a pearl necklace. Naming those pearls; Kunming, Shanghai, Yiwu, Guangzhou & Xiamen, so far. For me, Shanghai was the pendant of this necklace.

Kunming (Spring City), I visited this beautiful place when Huairou was covered in snow. It was like, "Here you get a big warm hug." I was surprised enough to see that spring days were settled there. From this, I came to know that many climates can be expected in China at the same time. As the places were very far from each other, that the climate was quite opposite. I visited Kunming Stone Forest, a wonderland in China. There was so much limestone in the forest that it showed a wide array of white-grayish rocks. While exploring Kunming, I came across different lakes; Fuxian Lake, which behaves like a sea, as unexpectedly, it offers you a vibrant beach, and Dianchi Lake, which is home to hundreds of seagulls. I was actually amazed to see them flying in the sky of this clear blue lake.

Xiamen (City of Flowers), I visited the Xiamen Sea and its appealing Gulangyu Island. Boarding the fairy ship was one of the best experiences. It was a wonderful night, the sky was full of stars and the sea was swirling, I had an amazing sensation of floating in space. This city is quite famous for its variety of teas. Their Xiamen tea brought me a new delicious taste. We should try whenever we get a chance… This is also a place to get some real white shining pearls which I also bought for my sisters.

Shanghai, the beloved city of China, introduced me to its ability to accommodate different people with different cultures. This city holds many skyscrapers and a lot of skylines, where the moon seems bigger. Instead of being afraid of heights, the Jinmao Tower skywalk allowed me to see all of Shanghai at a glance. On a funnier note, you can never think of walking in the sky, but the tower disagrees. Walking along the waterfront of The Bund — was another scenic view. In many architectures, Xin Tiandi is a unique combination of French and Chinese architecture.

After spending almost, a pleasant year in Huairou, I moved to Beijing downtown, where I joined my research institute, NCNST. Being undertaken by Prof. Zhi Xiangwei had been a blessing for me. He is a renowned scientist and deputy director of the institute, too. Being a teacher, mentor, and supervisor, he made my research journey even better in every way. Under his kind supervision, I was able to publish a first-author book chapter in a well-known book "Nanoscience 7th Edition" by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). With the cooperation of all my colleagues, I have co-authored several research articles. At the same time, I am not surprised to learn that the Chinese people are extremely hardworking, committed, and fully dedicated to their work.

Traveling all over China, I learned that as a nation, the Chinese belong to diversity, regardless of their culture, their architecture, their traditions, their cuisines, and their dialects. Historic sites in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Badaling Great Wall, reflect the ancient history and civilization of the Chinese people.

Experiencing this transition, I ended up on this learning;

We change soil for a plant
As a yellow one starts to wither
Give a man same chance, in grant
To cure a feeling of "I can't"

Nawal Ashraf is from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, where she lives with her family.

She is an Energy Materials Researcher at National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Being awarded The ANSO Scholarship for Young Talents (2020) for her PhD, she is researching energy storage applications of organic nanomaterials in flexible lithium-ion batteries. Among her many accomplishments is a first-author chapter titled "Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Advanced Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries" in the book — SPR Nanoscience Vol. 7, by RSC, and two co-authored research papers published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels and Nano Energy.

After completing her BS (Nanoscience and Technology) from Preston Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Pakistan, she was awarded The One Belt and Road Scholarship (2018) for her Master's Degree at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. As a researcher, she has undertaken different research projects at various notable institutes in Pakistan, including PIEAS, SCME (NUST) and NCNST, China.

She is very enthusiastic about cooking and loves driving, cycling and travelling. Being an energetic personality, she also loves social networking and is an active member of many social empowerment organizations.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.