Twenty-nine graduate students from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) visited Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen from January 3 to 12.

During their 10-day visit, the Columbia SIPA students interacted with think tanks, universities, high-tech enterprises and nonprofit organizations. They gained insights into China’s politics, economics, diplomacy, culture and environmental protection.

Shenzhen was the third stop. The delegation visited China National GeneBank, one of four national-level gene storage banks worldwide. It parallels the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), and the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ).

(The delegation visited the Nanshan Energy Eco-Park  in Shenzhen on Jan 11.)

They also visited Nanshan Energy Eco-Park, where 950,000 tons of waste are processed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 118,750 tons annually. The students also enjoyed works of art made from recycled materials, and a special experience of “sitting on the 80-meter-high glass chimney while drinking coffee and enjoying the 360-degree seaview.”

The delegation also visited the "Sky Mirror" on the 80th floor of Rail In Center in downtown Shenzhen.

At Shenzhen University, the Columbia students made Chinese dumplings together with their Shenzhen counterparts.