“Not only did I learn more about working in China and gain research experience, but I also made lifelong memories and friendships.”
Jonathan Yang, 2026 Research Assistantship Program Participant
October 26, 2026
This past summer, I had the opportunity to go to China and conduct research at a university in Shanghai. Although I have had experience in the past conducting research and working, this experience was unique for a few reasons.
First, the workplace culture in China was unlike anything I had experienced before. My lab partners would work from 9 in the morning until 9 in the evening for at least six days a week, and their hardworking nature had a strong impact on me, as seeing them work so hard inspired me to do the same.
In addition, everyone I met and worked with was very welcoming and easy to become friends with. Even though we worked long hours together, we would get meals together, go to the gym, watch movies, and even play sports with each other. We even still send each other messages every now and then.
During my time there, I also went on a couple of excursions, including one to Hangzhou. While we were there, we got to go to many historic parks and experience much of the local culture as well. In addition, a few of my lab partners and I went on a road trip one evening to watch the sunrise, which was a great bonding moment for us.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was not always understanding the work of other people due to a language barrier. Although the work I did was done in English, not all of the people working in my lab could speak English well, so communicating with them, especially scientific language, became difficult. As a result, we would often have to use someone who could speak both English and Chinese well as a translator.
I think this experience has taught me more about the real world and how life might potentially look after college. I originally joined this program to learn more about China and to gain research experience, but my experience far exceeded my initial expectations. Not only did I learn more about working in China and gain research experience, but I also made lifelong memories and friendships.
To learn more about the Harvard China Fund Research Assistantship Program, click here.