Life In Beijing

EXCHANGE REPORT

LIVING LA VIDA LOCA IN BEIJING

By: Ciara Huang Ð'ÐŽV IMBA 2007

Exchange Report

LIVING LA VIDA LOCA IN BEIJING

COURSES

Courses arenÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t known until you get to Peking University. You register for your courses during your registration at the school. Courses are relatively easy to get into if they are taught in English, if you want to take courses taught in Chinese, then it maybe a little more difficult.

TEACHING

The courses in English are relatively easy with not a lot of work. Teaching style differs depending on the professors. In general however, I find the teaching quality of Chinese professors relatively low with few exceptions. Students who have classes with western professors find their teaching better probably because of language fluency and the fact that they understand western standards of teaching. Most courses are taught with cases and analysis of these cases. IT courses are not recommended.

ORIENTATION

Orientation is somewhat like the one at Schulich where team building exercises are the main focus. There is an overnight excursion where team building exercises are held. It is about 2 hours out of Haidian. Both Chinese and foreign students mingle at these events.

LANGUAGE COURSES

There are a lot of language courses available for those who want to learn Chinese. The school also offers these courses although you wonÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t receive a credit and in general, courses outside of school allow you to meet more people and the teachers are better. They are also relatively cheap (about 10 RMB per class). Information can be found on www.thatsbj.com.

CAMPUS FACILITIES

Peking University (a.k.a Ð'ÐŽÐ'§BeidaÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё Ð'ÐŽV Ð'ÐŽÐ'§Beijing DaxueÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё) is NOTHING like York University. First of all, York was not established in 1898 so does not have the same historical relevance. Although the University did move several times (once to Kunming out West then back to Beijing) so their facilities have been updated since 1898!

Beida has all the necessary facilities Ð'ÐŽV sports centres, computer building, an ancient library, cafeterias (you need a canteen card), coffee houses, post office etc. However, facilities are a little out of date, so donÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t expect too much. You donÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t really need a laptop but the school does have wireless internet, which you have to pay for. For convenience, I would get a laptop though. The campus can get pretty dark at night in certain areas so you can bring a flashlight but itÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s relatively safe. Facilities arenÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t modern, but such an old university does have its own charm.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES

There are a couple of locations you can go to for help:

1. For those attending Guanghua School of Management: MBA office on the second floor, if problem relates to course selection, thereÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s an office on the first floor (Note: they will be building a new building so information will probably not be accurate after 2007 Winter semester)

2. General: International StudentsÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦ office in building #3 of Shaoyuan. Right next to the international studentsÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦ residence.

ACTIVITIES

Activities include an orientation program (Fall Semester) and various get-together activities during the year Ð'ÐŽV check your email as they vary. There is no Ð'ÐŽÐ'§buddyÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё system so get to know people as you meet them.

If you go during the Fall Semester, they have a much bigger orientation filled with activities. Activities are combined with the incoming Chinese class.

HOUSING FACILITIES

The school does not arrange housing for you Ð'ÐŽV they are kind of disorganized actually. You should arrange accommodations on your own. A good site to check out is www.thatsbj.com. There are lots of people who post looking for roommates or have empty apartments to rent out. Living near the university is relatively more expensive than living elsewhere in Beijing due to the large student population there (there are 3 universalities nearby). Above standard accommodation near PKU are the Ð'ÐŽÐ'§Pink BuildingsÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё Ð'ÐŽV the Huaqing Jia YuanÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё Ð'ÐŽV located near the subway (aka Wudaokou in Haidian District). Accommodation costs about RMB3000-4500 per month (this is expensive) excluding utilities. There are various good restaurants and facilities nearby, even a western shop where you can purchase western foods (My Shop) beside the Subway sandwich food chain, grocery stores, bakery etc. If you want, you can easily go to Wal-Mart or Carrefour by taxi, bus or subway (10 min average distance: 10-15RMB by taxi). Wudaokou (aka Ð'ÐŽÐ'§WuÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё, Ð'ÐŽÐ'§WDKÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё) is located 20 minutes walking to PKU or 5-8 mins by bus (1-2 RMB), 5 min by taxi (10 RMB). If you donÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t want to cook, eating out is cheap unless you go to western restaurants further away from Wu.

COSTS/EXPENSES

Item Cost (RMB) Notes

Accommodation 1200 Shared with an American guy Ð'ÐŽV the room was small but the apartment was nice!

Utilities 30 - 60 Per person: Water, gas, electricity (depends on how much you use)

Groceries 100-150 Depends on how much you cook and what you cook. This figure is for cooking 3-4 times a week. Very cheap!

Eating out 300 +/- 100 Depends on what you eat

Text books 100 Depends on your professor

Local transportation Taxi: base 10

Bus: base 1-2 ea

Subway: 3-5 ea

Taxi downtown: 35-50 ea

Taxi to Houhai: 25-30 ea Depends on how much you need to Ð'ÐŽÐ'§get out of WuÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ё