Prior to beginning a graduate degree at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Kate Murray was a Manager of Entrepreneur Selection & Growth at Endeavor, Detroit, a global nonprofit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets worldwide. Kate enjoys working in the world of economic development, but her one true love will always be the fascinating relationship between the United States and China.
Kate learned her first Chinese words at age ten from a “Big Bird in China” song. Since then, she spent ten years studying Mandarin in the classroom and one semester living in Beijing during her junior year of college. She dug further into U.S.-China relations during her senior year, researching and writing a thesis titled Bashful or Brash: An Examination of the Chinese Response to the Pivot.
Today, Kate tries to keep up with her Mandarin as much as possible, and to use her understanding of Chinese language, culture, and politics to help the entrepreneurs that she works with.
Kate is a proud Boston College Eagle with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Chinese.
Prior to beginning a graduate degree at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Kate Murray was a Manager of Entrepreneur Selection & Growth at Endeavor, Detroit, a global nonprofit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets worldwide. Kate enjoys working in the world of economic development, but her one true love will always be the fascinating relationship between the United States and China.
Kate learned her first Chinese words at age ten from a “Big Bird in China” song. Since then, she spent ten years studying Mandarin in the classroom and one semester living in Beijing during her junior year of college. She dug further into U.S.-China relations during her senior year, researching and writing a thesis titled Bashful or Brash: An Examination of the Chinese Response to the Pivot.
Today, Kate tries to keep up with her Mandarin as much as possible, and to use her understanding of Chinese language, culture, and politics to help the entrepreneurs that she works with.
Kate is a proud Boston College Eagle with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Chinese.
Harbin
"I was 19 years old and, coming from Sydney, had never experienced minus 20 degrees Celsius before. I was freezing, just freezing. And then this little old bloke, with his burner strapped to the back of his pushie, offered me a freshly-roasted sweet potato. It was hot to hold and yet simply delicious. I still froze my fingers off in the process but...!"
Jeremy Clarke, January 1989
The severity of the northern winter sees the massive river running through Harbin, the Songhua River, freeze over. This doesn't stop the town, however, as the frozen expanse then provides the massive ice-blocks necessary for Harbin's famous Ice Sculpture Festival.
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Given its proximity to Russia, Harbin has much history, interesting architecture and excellent restaurants to recommend it, but certainly the winter festival makes all of this doubly attractive.
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For those willing to put up with some roasted sweet potatoes in the cold, or who wish to try a pot of tea in a Russian tea-room before gazing in delight at the amazing ice constructions, then Sino-Immersions Winter tour is for you.
