Beijing Revisited

I would not be able to see Beijing for the second time had I not received a sponsorship to attend the International Expert Consultation on the theme “Building the CIARD Framework for Data and Information Sharing” from the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The weather in Beijing is so like that of RP, warm with occasional thunderstorm. The conference started with a MarketPlace, where participants viewed posters and demos on various country initiatives in agricultural information sharing and the latest tools available to connect with researchers and information providers. The experts come from Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. Lectures plus group discussions took place all throughout in order to come up with strategies by which CIARD could promote international agricultural knowledge sharing and interoperability among existing databases. My summary paper and poster entitled "Agricultural Knowledge Sharing in the Philippines" may be read at
http://www.ciard.net/sites/default/files/Agricultural_Knowledge_Sharing_in_the_Philippines-Mila_Ramos.pdf
The consultation was held at Xindadu Hotel Beijing, where the participants are also billeted. The hospitality of the Chinese people could be felt as soon as I got my baggage at the Beijing International Airport. The airport is so huge, such that one has to take the train to reach the baggage claim area and the various boarding gates. Beijing is a beautiful, well-planned city, with very wide streets and impressive high-rise buildings. My second visit to the Summer Palace and shopping for cheap goods at a nearby market made my stay more memorable. We were caught in a tunderstorm as we are about to end our tour of the summer palace. We had to buy cheap raincoats (5 yuan each) in pastel colors. The raincoats, though, are good for single use only. We had to walk on ankle-deep water to get to our bus, but did enjoy in spite of this. My feet didn't get wet as my shoes had high sides (covering my feet up to the ankles). I have seen the other tourist spots in Beijing during my first visit: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall, Summer Palace.
But the most important aspect of this trip is learning the best practices from colleagues in the agricultural information field. Thanks to GFAR and CAAS for the support.