“We were strangers from completely different parts of the world, yet within an hour we were eating together and joking around like friends.”
Zaid Ahmed ’29, Harvard Summer School Participant
October 13, 2026
Outside of class, our group tried to make the most of every free moment we had in China. During the week, we were based in Shanghai, and after class we would hang out, play Mafia, sing karaoke, go shopping, try new restaurants, work out, or just bike around and explore the city. We even got to play basketball and soccer with Fudan students. Some of my favorite nights were honestly the simple ones where everyone was together, laughing and doing something spontaneous.
On our longer breaks, we traveled to places like Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Zhangjiajie, and Beijing. Every city felt completely different. Hangzhou and Suzhou had some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, with lakes, lotus flowers, temples, and views that made it easy to understand why they are sometimes described as “heaven on earth.” Zhangjiajie was another unforgettable experience, especially climbing the 999 steps to the Stairway to Heaven and exploring the mountains.
But my favorite memory from the entire summer happened in Chongqing. One night, a classmate and I split off from the group to find halal food. At the restaurant, we met a group of local Chinese Muslims who helped us order, invited us to sit with them, and then refused to let us pay for our meal. Afterward, they invited us to play pool and somehow ended up paying for that too. The funniest part was that we barely spoke a word of each other’s languages. Most of our conversation happened through WeChat translation, gestures, and laughing whenever the translations came out wrong.
That night has stayed with me more than almost anything else from the trip. We were strangers from completely different parts of the world, yet within an hour we were eating together and joking around like friends. I experienced that same generosity in other cities too, especially at halal restaurants in Beijing and Zhangjiajie, where the owners went out of their way to take care of us.
Before this summer, most of what I knew about China came from what I had heard or seen from afar. Actually living there, traveling, and meeting people gave me a much more personal understanding of the country. China was different from what I was used to in plenty of ways, but I came home remembering how welcoming, hospitable, and genuinely kind so many people were. More than anything, the summer showed me how quickly differences in language and culture can become smaller when people are simply willing to connect.
To learn more about the Harvard Summer School Program in Shanghai, click here.