EDITOR’S LETTER

卷首语

When I first arrived in Beijing eight years ago, I lived about a block from the bustling markets of Zhongguancun. Some of my first experiences were on those streets, where I quickly learned that the tenacity of the vendors made my preferred style of aimless exploring difficult; pausing just for a moment would draw a persistent sales pitch. Thus, I learned that a purposeful stride and studious avoidance of eye contact would go a long way in getting past the cries of “Apple!” or “Cellphone?” and letting me choose which I wanted, rather than the vendor with the most persuasive story to tell.

It’s fitting, then, that after working at The World of Chinese for these last three years, I had the chance to go back to Zhongguancun before bidding farewell to Beijing—this time, in search of the story behind those vendors. In this issue, as part of our science and technology theme, you can learn about Zhongguancun and the scrappy scientists-turned-entrepreneurs who gave it the distinctive mix of knowhow and old-fashioned hustle that’s now challenging Silicon Valley. As with the many stories I’ve worked on at TWOC, I had a blast writing it and hope you enjoy reading it as much. There are also features on China’s oldest photo studio, the fight against gay conversion therapy, #Metoo, and many more. Be sure to keep reading the fascinating articles contained in the pages of each edition—i know I will.

Warm regards,