Q&A: Times are changing

Two women, 18 years apart, describe their experiences within China's research system. Chen Xiangmei (pictured, left) received her MD from Kitasato University, Tokyo, in 1986 and is now the director of the State Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases of China at the PLA General Hospital in Beijing. Zeng Xuan (pictured, right) received her PhD in semiconductor physics from Fudan University, Shanghai, in 1997 and is now a professor at Fudan's School of Microelectronics.