We traveled from Hangzhou to Shanghai in the morning to meet with Dr. Li Jiale and his staff at Shanghai Fisheries University. Dr. Li is a geneticist and Dean of the College of Aqua-life Sciences and Technology. His work includes sequencing the genome and identifying some of the major genes for Hyriopsis cummingii. They are interested in identifying the genes that control for pearl color and luster. His group also conducted a population genetics study on H. cummingii to determine how different some of the existing populations are in the natural lakes of the region. Eric and Dr. Li had a lot to talk about, sharing information on their respective genome sequencing projects.
After our meeting, we broke for lunch and then walked around campus. We saw the University labs, student dorms, many academic buildings and athletic facilities. The campus was completed in 2008 but some minor work remains, mainly moving additional equipment into the labs. Shanghai Fisheries University is one of about 6 major universities in China dedicated to the study of fisheries and aquaculture. China also has 10 fisheries research centers, to include the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center (FFRC) in Wuxi. The FFRC is only center in the country dedicated to freshwater systems though, the remaining research centers focus on marine fisheries. Obviously China is invested in the study of fisheries resources. Fish are such an important part of Chinese culture and diet, and understanding their production and sustainability are very important here. Before we departed campus, I gave Dr. Li and his colleague Dr. Bai some pdf reprints of our scientific papers on the conservation genetics of freshwater mussels and some of our power point presentations.
Campus of Shanghai Fisheries University
In the evening we walked around downtown Shanghai along the Huangpu River, a tributary to the lower Yangtze. Shanghai is one of the major port cities and financial centers of China, quite similar to New York. Tomorrow we head back to Wuxi before going to Beijing.
Jess
Downtown Shanghai at Night
More of the days photos can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64913518@N04/
Watch a video of boats on the Huangpu River:
Enjoy Shanghai, it is a beautiful city especially along the waterfront Bund. For a great experience, take the Meg Lev back to the airport. China is such a contrast between the new and old. Glad you are having a super trip.
Steve