On June 30, 2025, Zhang Lujia's research team went to Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou for a two-day and one-night trip. At the beginning of midsummer, the lake and mountains are lush and green. The research team temporarily left the busy laboratory and regained the tacit understanding and warmth of the scientific research team among the blue waves and forest mist. The activity is also a practice for the graduates of the research team, taking the mountains and rivers as the order and heading for the future together.
After a joyful journey, the team successfully arrived at Qiandao Lake. After checking into the hotel, we took a short break and then headed to the lakeside restaurant to sit around a table and share local lake seafood. The unique fish head soup and wild vegetable pot, coupled with the shimmering lake light outside the window, the relaxed atmosphere swept away the fatigue of the first arrival. After lunch, the members challenged Prince Valley rafting.
Putting on camouflage life jackets and orange helmets, we got on kayaks and drifted downstream, laughing wildly in the rapids and water splashes. Some were soaked by the waves, some shouted as they rushed out of the dangerous shoals, and some simply lay down and enjoyed the freedom of drifting - the other side of scientific researchers was quietly revealed, real and light.
As dusk fell, the team arrived at the camp halfway up the mountain. Insects chirped, charcoal crackled, chicken wings sizzled on the grill, and the aroma spread with the evening breeze. Everyone sat around the stove, holding skewers and chatting - from the embarrassment of experimental jams to the ecstasy of paper acceptance, the stories hidden behind the data on weekdays now rose with the smoke of fireworks.
After the barbecue, the research team held a simple but affectionate graduation farewell. Professor Zhang Lujia sent a message to the graduating members: "Scientific research is about persistence, and it is even more valuable to maintain curiosity. I hope you will continue to explore in a wider world with the faith of the research team." The graduates recalled emotionally: the lights in the laboratory late at night, the anxiety of revising the paper, and the long talks with the tutor... Those days and nights of struggle finally turned into one sentence: "Thank you for meeting, don't say goodbye."
The next morning, the team boarded the yacht and sailed to Jinxian Bay. They went to the island to explore the secluded area, walking between the greenery and stone paths. Some people took a nap in the hammock, some leaned against the tree to look at the ripples on the lake, and some bent over to record the names of plants along the way.
Before returning, everyone tasted an authentic fish head feast at the lakeside farm, and then strolled through Menggutang Cultural Park. In the pavilions and waterside pavilions, everyone read historical stories and quietly appreciated the elegant charm of Jiangnan gardens. This tranquility is not only a gentle ending to yesterday's jubilation, but also a spiritual prelude to accumulating strength for returning to scientific research.
There is a kind of team relationship that is truly "together" beyond scientific research
Team building is by no means a short "escape", but a ceremony to unite the team - it reminds us: beyond data and papers, there is also the warmth of walking side by side and a life worth stopping for.
