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A Guide to Navigating Dietary Restrictions in Nanjing

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Coming to China from the United States, or from a country with a significantly different culinary tradition or dietary restrictions, can be daunting. As someone from a decently metropolitan area in the US, upon arrival, it may feel like there’s a limited variety of things to eat. However, whether you have personal preferences or strict dietary restrictions, this Q&A with American students from the HNC is here to help and demonstrates that with some planning, there are many options available to suit diverse needs.  Vegetarianism – Eamon Tuttle 1. How is adjusting to the food scene in China? I came to China once before for several months of study abroad in 2019, so it has been helpful to have prior experience navigating eating in China as a vegetarian. Chinese cuisine is so varied and rich, which means there is plenty of great food to discover, but it also means going to a new restaurant or area could very well have completely unfamiliar dishes that you’ll have to learn about ...
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Alumni Spotlight: Linda Zhang

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Linda Zhang is a Policy Analyst at RAND. She holds a B.A. from Boston University and completed the HNC Certificate and SAIS M.A. in 2018. I got the chance to sit down wit h her while she was in Nanjing for the 2025 Shanghai-Nanjing Plus program , co-hosted by the HNC and Shanghai Institute for International Studies.  She was part of a group of 20 young to mid-career professionals who traveled to Shanghai, Hefei, and Nanjing to discuss policy, technology, and economic transformations shaping modern China. What led you to the HNC ? Where did your interest in China begin?    M y interest in China stems from my background and my family. However, my career path was a little bit no n- traditional; I started college wanting to major in music , doing violin performance at Boston University. At the same time, I was looking at IR, because when I thought about what I liked about music I realized it was playing music with others, being able to travel, bei...
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