Tsinghua University:
Study Abroad Summer 2002

Ni Hao!

I spent 6 weeks studying at Beijing, China this summer. 19 of us from the Engineering department at U of I participated in this program. Everyone did a heck of a lot of exploring, from climbing the more dangerous portion of the Great Wall to living in yerts in Inner Mongolia, to haggling with the store owners at Xiu Shui Jie to eating exotic dishes such as frogs or blood filled lamb intestines. Our weekly excursion trips were usually interesting, and helped us learn quite a bit about Chinese history and customs. Our morning and afternoon classes also helped us (for those who went to class...) understand the language and culture. The 6 weeks went by really quickly, and I recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn a little bit of Chinese and have lots of adventures.

Getting Started

Prior to departure, everyone had to obtain passports and visas and attend some mandatory meetings. We also had to pay a non-refundable deposit of $125 and a program deposit of $500, which goes towards the $1950 for tuition and fees.

Our Home for 6 weeks

Initially, we were told that we would live in the International Guest Dormitory, located on the Tsinghua Campus. However, because of overcrowding, we were placed in the Tsinghua Yuan Hotel, located about a 7 minute bike ride outside of the Tsinghua gates. The hotel was fairly nice and convenient, and we got to know the hotel workers pretty well. Each room has 2 beds, a TV, desk, 2 chairs, and a bathroom (with a real sit-down toilet and a shower head). Right across the street is the supermarket, where we went almost everyday to pick up water and snacks. There are plenty of restaurants and dvd/vcd stores right outside the hotel. Because the hotel is located off campus, everyone bought a bike (for around 160 yuan=20ish dollars). The bike quality was ridiculous, as most of us had some sort of bike difficulties, including things like a broken chain, broken handle bar, bent tire, flat tire, and bike theft. Click here to see pictures of Tsinghua University and of our hotel.

Schedule

Click here to see the schedule

The Studying part of Studying Abroad

Usually the weekdays consisted of a language class in the morning and some type of culture class in the afternoon. Everyone took a placement test to determine the appropriate language level. Initially the language class consisted of 2 levels but quickly changed to 3 different levels to accommodate an intermediate class along with beginners and advanced. Calligraphy and TaiJiQuan classes took place once a week, and Friday afternoons were usually off so we could have free time to explore by ourselves. We often went to one of Tsinghua's cafeterias for lunch. The cafeteria food is actually pretty good and extremely cheap (about 4 yuan per meal). Click here for pictures and descriptions of the classes.

Excursion pictures

Each week, our teachers took us to visit some of Beijing's popular tourist attractions. Click on the links below for pictures and descriptions of some of the trips:

• Yuan Ming Yuan
• Forbidden City/ Tiananmen
• Summer Palace
• Great wall at Badaling
• Traditional tea house and Peking Opera
• Datong and Wu Tai Shan

Stuff to do in Beijing

• Beijing can be an exciting place to stay, with tons of stuff to try. Shopping, for example, can be quite an adventure since it usually involves bargaining and yelling to get a decent price. Some good shopping places include:

  • Xiu Shui Jie, for cheap fake goods
  • Wang Fu Jing, for souvenirs and night foods. Pricier department stores are also found here, but we went mostly for the lamb sticks, noodles, and trinkets.
  • Wang Tong, for clothes, electronic equipments, arcades, and cheap jewelry.

• Beijing also has lots of clubs, with some playing western music such as Vics. The beverages at the western places are quite expensive but there's a cheap bar street not far away.
• While taxis may be the most straightforward way to get around Beijing, it definitely adds up after a while. The busses and subways are good alternatives, although some buses don't have air conditioning and are really crowded.
• While in Beijing, stuff yourself with food (especially since the 8 yuan to 1 dollar exchange rate makes everything really, really cheap). I suggest trying hot pot, eggplants in garlic sauce, frogs, and Chinese spinach (or really any veggies, they're all pretty good in China). Also, if you like ice cream, you're in luck because a good ice cream or popsicle is 1 to 2 yuan (between 12 and 24 cents). Try the green and red bean popsicle :)
• Although plenty of trips are planned already, take advantage of China's opportunities and do some of your own exploring. For example, though we visited the Great Wall at Badaling as a class, many of us wanted to visit other portions of the Great Wall that was not so heavy on tourism, such as at Si Ma Tai. Some people even went so far as to spend the night on the Great Wall (they claimed it was extremely cold though). 12 of us also planned a trip to Inner Mongolia. Some of us also got front row seats to see a Beijing Acrobat performance.

Miscellaneous Pictures

Here are some other pictures that I took during the trip that don't really fit into any other category.

Questions? Comments?

Any questions or comments about the China Study Abroad Program or about China in general? email me