Feature: A Malaysian student's fascination with biological sciences, China

This file photo taken in April 2024 shows Malaysian junior student Tan Pei Wei during an outing at Jinhai Lake in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua)

TIANJIN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Tan Pei Wei, a Malaysian junior student at Tianjin University, vividly remembers her excitement when she heard the news about China's visa-free entry policy for Malaysians late last year, which has been extended to Dec. 31, 2025.

As the only daughter in her family, she hopes her parents and brothers can visit and see Tianjin University in the port city of Tianjin in north China.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.

Hailing from Pahang, Malaysia, Tan chose to pursue a degree in biological sciences in China after graduating from high school, driven by her love for life sciences.

"As a child, I often wondered about the origins of life. Biology classes in school answered most of my questions, which sparked my deep interest in biology," she said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened her determination to enter the field of biomedical sciences.

In 2021, the news about Sino-Malaysian cooperation in promoting biotechnology for epidemic prevention caught her attention.

"An instructor from the School of Life Sciences at Tianjin University came to our school for recruitment presentations and introduced their research strengths in biological sciences, especially breakthroughs in synthetic biology, which immediately attracted me," she recalled.

Tan was later admitted to Tianjin University with excellent grades, majoring in biological sciences.

She said the major emphasizes bio-design and manufacturing, intersecting with frontier disciplines such as synthetic biology, biochemistry, molecular biology and microbial immunology.

At the beginning of her college life, she found the experimental courses very challenging. "Our major places a strong emphasis on innovative thinking and skills training, so the proportion of lab courses is high."

Faced with pressure, Tan showed great resilience. She dedicated much of her spare time to lab courses, gradually becoming more adept at experimental operations.

In September 2023, she participated in the university's basic experimental skills competition for life sciences and won the first prize, becoming the only international student to receive this honor.

"You don't know if you can do it until you push yourself," she said.

She is a major member of the Malaysian student community, often organizing exchange activities for international students. She has also participated in multiple performances as a choir member, a piano accompanist, and a soprano singer.

Amid her tight college schedule, Tan seeks opportunities to learn more about China. On a visit to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China, she was amazed by the Yellow River, explored a desert, rode a camel for the first time in her life, and was deeply captivated by local delicacies.

Tan said she cherishes her time studying in China and hopes to understand China as much as possible while pursuing her dream in the biomedical field.

"I want to travel to more places in China, to feel the profound culture of this country and thus promote Sino-Malaysian exchange," she said.

This file photo taken in September 2023 shows Malaysian junior student Tan Pei Wei preparing for an experiment skill contest at Tianjin University in north China's Tianjin. (Xinhua)