Dear Wellesley: Riann Tang ’19 Writes from Beijing

The next note in our 2018 Summer Postcard Series comes from Riann Tang ’19, who writes from Beijing, where she has an internship at the ABC News Beijing bureau sponsored by the Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Internships in Asia. Check out the Wellesley College Instagram account to follow her on her journey.

Dear Wellesley,

Hello from Beijing! When I left this city last December after a semester abroad, I never imagined I’d be back so soon. I’m already more than halfway through my time here, and I’ve enjoyed rediscovering the city that was my home for four months last fall.

While the weather has been almost unbearably hot and I’ve also experienced hail the size of quarters, I still find myself out and about quite often. I love trying new restaurants here and exploring all the museums and cultural sites of this ancient city. My favorite place so far has been the 798 Art District. This former industrial hub of factories was converted into contemporary art galleries surrounded by hip coffee shops and is popular with locals and tourists alike.

I’ve also been playing a lot of Ultimate Frisbee, despite the smog. The Whiptails are my home on campus, and I’ve been so happy to find that the Frisbee community extends far beyond Wellesley to even reach China! The teams are composed of a mix of Chinese locals and foreigners and are a great way for me to practice my Chinese, as most of my work here is done in English.

During the day, you can usually find me at the ABC News office, housed with the other foreign media in the Jianguomenwai Diplomatic Residence Compound, a set of apartment buildings previously reserved for diplomats. As an intern with the ABC Beijing bureau, I find myself assigned to a variety of tasks, but much of it is helping to research stories, and I’ve even had chance to write a story of my own! In addition, I’ve helped shoot footage for a story, done some light proofreading on an English translation, kept track of Chinese headlines, and been in communication with our offices in New York and London—though the time difference has proven a little challenging.

It’s an exciting time to be in media in Asia right now. From the Trump/Kim summit in Singapore last month to the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China, all sorts of big changes are happening. I can’t wait to see what the remainder of the summer will bring!

I’ll see you in August, Wellesley, but until then I’ll be attempting to eat as many baozi as possible.

Much love,

Riann