Our expat community thrives on connection, and here at jingkids, we’re all about our readers, and what they need and want in order to maximize their time here in Beijing. One thing you can be sure of is that the world of the expat is highly transitory as we come and go, and sometimes a special expat leaves their mark on the city as much as the city leaves its mark on them. We meet one such person in this article today.
I’m Dr. Thomas Stidham, and I am a professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, most JingKids readers and families probably know me as “Dr. Tom.” When I haven’t been making amazing new scientific discoveries about the fossil record and evolution of birds and dinosaurs, I have organized and led many science and nature educational outreach programs and activities over the years about birds, insects, dinosaurs, human evolution, and climate change at Beijing schools, scientific/nature sites, and museums. In particular, my programs like “Peking Man and the first Beijingers” at the UNESCO Zhoukoudian Peking Man site and museum and “Night with the Dinosaurs” overnight at the Paleozoology Museum of China attracted the most attention from both kids and adults. After more than a decade of exploring the culture, history, and biodiversity of Beijing and China with my wife Ying Wang, we are preparing to embark on a new journey in America.
Q: What brought your family here to Beijing in the first place?
The short answer to that question is like those of so many others. I came to Beijing for a job back in 2012. I was looking for a change, being dissatisfied with both my job as a professor and my life at the time. In 2011, I ran into a friend (who was the institute director at the time and I’ve now known for ~27 years) at a scientific meeting, and he told me to apply for a visiting position with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It definitely was the change that I needed, and that initial one-year temporary visit grew into 11 years and a far greater and deeper engagement with China than I ever had imagined.
Q: Do you remember your first impression of Beijing? How has that changed now?
Beijing is full of so many amazing places and things to see and do. It was a bit overwhelming in some ways. One hurdle was learning to navigate how to get things done, like dealing with unresponsive apartment managers. I had a very rough first six months adjusting, but I persevered and kept exploring temples, trails, and restaurants.
Now, it really feels like Beijing is my home. This special place is where I have lived the longest as an adult with 11 years here and 10 years in the same apartment (with a great landlord). With cleaner air, more transport options (e.g., DiDi and more subway lines), and endless delivery choices, it is a city of convenience. I will miss many aspects of Beijing.
Q: Tell us about your most memorable experiences in Beijing.
While experiences such as exploring remote Tibetan monasteries and festivals, searching for snow leopards in the high mountains of Qinghai, and avoiding leeches in the Hainan rainforest to photograph endangered birds stand out in my Chinese travels, Beijing has provided me with some absolutely unforgettable and amazing memories. From hiking the mountains and so many sections of the Great Wall to the little pleasures of searching the Indie Music store on Guluo Dajie for obscure Chinese black metal CDs and bargaining at Panjaiyuan to add to my collection of Chinese science education propaganda posters from the 1960s to 1980s, I have never felt bored here.
Naturally, one of the most important and memorable events of my life was my first date with my wife over a decade ago. It was the longest (and last) first date I ever had. We spent an afternoon walking around a park near us with conversation that briefly paused only while eating yogurt as we wandered the hutongs that night. Our local and global adventures haven’t stopped since.
While it is not a single memory or experience, my activities as “Dr. Tom” are among my most cherished during my time in Beijing. Under that guise, I developed a series of high quality science outreach activities centered on fossils, birds, and insects with our core programs of “Peking Man and the first Beijingers” at the UNESCO Zhoukoudian Peking Man site and museum and “Night with the Dinosaurs” with its “Dinosaur Expert” tour at the Paleozoology Museum of China. I combined my scientific expertise, abilities at crafting educational materials, and flair for engaging with kids of all ages (always talking about fossil poop and bee or owl vomit). None of this would have been possible without my wife’s energy, superior organizational skills, and extensive network (under her travel and education brand China Culture Plus).
Other impactful activities include our “Introduction to Birds” event at Yeyahu Preserve (with Terry Townsend of Beijing Birding) and insect programs in the Beijing mountains (with Dr. Jiang Lai of HN Nature). From Girl Scouts and kids battling leukemia to embassy personnel and the great diversity of families in Beijing, I have so many memories of sparking the curiosity of kids and their parents time after time. It was easy for me to be equally excited while sharing my knowledge of and passion for dinosaurs, insects, ducks, birds, the solar system, and much more in classes and at after school programs at the Ivy Academy, Daystar Academy, British School of Beijing (Sanlitun), Yew Chung International School, House of Knowledge International School, and Beanstalk International Bilingual School. As anyone who participated in one of my events knows, I offer unique experiences framed under acting like a scientist who asks good science questions (starting with how or why), who collects real scientific data, and who cares about the world around us. My sincere hope is that the children who have participated in my various activities continue to ask questions, explore science and nature, and eventually find fulfilling careers in STEM. I have met many amazing children in Beijing, and I must acknowledge their parents who stand out from the masses for taking the time to provide support to their children with such educational opportunities. There are “Dr. Tom” fans of all ages.
One special moment stands out among all of those outreach experiences. When we were running the first insect program last year in Miyun District, Dr. Jiang Lai, Ying, and I headed to the river near the village guesthouse where we were staying, after midnight when everyone else was asleep. We explored the riverbank by flashlight searching for insects. We all were giddy finding black tree crickets singing, juvenile damselflies swimming in the water, and amazingly, a large number of giant adult dobsonflies quivering their wings. The unparalleled feeling of being consumed by scientific curiosity and child-like excitement at each discovery was unforgettable. It is that same feeling and spark of lifelong curiosity that I have tried to impart during my science education activities and school visits.
Of course, I can’t forget the reason why I came to China, my job. My career as a scientist flourished during my time in Beijing, and I’ll always remember the weeks spent in a tent in the Xinjiang desert and working with schoolgirls from a village in Shanxi to help us sort fossils on the riverbank. My high profile publications and important discoveries like the oldest fossil of a daytime active (diurnal) owl from the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, the first fossil bird from the Tibetan Plateau, the earliest record of giant flying birds (from Antarctica), and early birds having dinosaur heads have impacted our broader understanding of the history of birds and led to international press coverage (BBC, New York Times, National Geographic, USA Today, CNN, etc.). I even was invited to participate in a meeting for foreign experts at the Great Hall of the People with Chinese leaders and give at talk at the prestigious Zhongguancun Forum. Importantly, through my teaching of our core graduate student course every year at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and mentoring and working closely with many students during my time here, I helped to train a generation of multinational Asian scientists who are now professors, researchers, and children’s science book publishers. I hope that my mark on China has been a long lasting one.
Q: What are your top 5 Beijing must-try dishes?
I have explored Chinese foods across the country, delighting in local specialties whenever possible. While I have sampled everything in Beijing from traditional tripe dishes to Peking Duck and taken far too many cooking classes at the Hutong (thanks Sophia and Yao), I always come back to the basics including congee, baozi, jiaozi (dumplings), mian (noodles), and jiangbing. I’m one of the rare foreigners who delights in congee whether it’s flavored with pork and thousand-year egg, or shrimp and clams at Houji on a cold winter day. I think the best baozi and jiaozi are those made from scratch with your own hands and shared with family during holidays. I enjoy noodles in all their wonderful forms in China, but buckwheat honeycomb noodles (you mian kaolaolao) are a particular favorite. Lastly, I love sharing a jiangbing with my wife with its flexibility in fillings from the traditional to other ingredients like avocado. Of course, when I’m eating local foods in Beijing, I want to pair those flavors with a bottle of Beijing’s oldest soda, Arctic Ocean (Beibingyang). Those who know me, know that I am eager to explore the local sodas of China and their history, but Beijing’s Arctic Ocean with its real oranges is my favorite (along with a bottle of lychee flavored Da Yao from Inner Mongolia).
Q: What do you have to say to newcomers to the city?
My main recommendation is to break out of the expat bubble. You won’t find authentic China in a display window in Sanlitun. Gain at least a fundamental grasp of the spoken and written language. Drop your preconceptions about China and experience what it is, not what you think it should be. Develop friendships (or more) with Chinese people. You will have a totally different experience during your time in China. Being married to a Chinese woman who works in the tourism industry provided me with so many unique opportunities from being the only foreigner in festival crowds rural Qinghai and Guizhuo to joining family for so many Spring Festival celebrations and weddings. There is so much history, culture, and nature in China. You will only scratch the surface, if at all, from within the expat bubble of Shunyi or Sanlitun. Take cooking classes, travel, hike, visit museums (there’s so many in Beijing), and don’t limit yourself to only what is advertised on Wechat. Make true connections with people. There are amazing people in Beijing making art, music, scientific discoveries, comedy, and so much more. For families, there are great, life impacting educational resources available for your kids outside of the schools. You have to seek them out. They won’t find you. Don’t skip places like the zoo (with its nearly 100 species of birds), the Paleozoology Museum of China, and the Peking Man site and museum (a UNESCO site). As “Dr. Tom,” I only showcased those existing places and exhibits during my science outreach activities. China created them, and they will be here long after I’m gone. In short, see and do as much as you can. You might discover a new passion or hobby, and even make lifelong friends. At worst, you’ll have more stories to tell some day.
