on the 19th of July, AOE conducted a livestream session with the topic "Life in China as an International Student."

In this session, we talked about the different aspects of live for international students to live in China in terms of studying in China, travelling in China & campuses in China.

Studying in China is full of fun and lots of challenges.

Fun things: you get to travel around, you get to try delicious food, and you can also enjoy the comfort of modern city life.

Challenges: Chinese language is extremely difficult to learn. And this may affect your daily life. Some people say it is even hard to find jobs upon graduation. Some people are confused by all the daily services that China can offer.

So we will talk about this from many different angles.

First, let’s talk about the Chinese language environment. Chinese is the most difficult language to learn, as it is estimated that it will take 2000 hours of consistent learning to be fluent in the language. And it can be extremely difficult to live in China without decent mandarin skills. In smaller cities, English proficiency can be extremely low, and all the signs and services are provided in English. So if you go to different places to get services, it is better to get the help of a Chinese speaking friend, especially if it is your first time in China that you don’t speak Chinese. And road signs and words on buildings can be extremely difficult to understand, because they are all in very complicated Chinese characters. However, there are still places in small cities where people can get there services in English. There are even places that are specifically towards foreigners. Driver’s license exams can also be taken in English in those cities. If you live in big cities however, things can be a lot easier. There are bigger expat populations. English proficiency is extremely high. Many of the services can be provided in multiple languages, which includes English. And you may not even get lost without speaking English. There are large English speaking populations, so you can also communicate with others in English and get around easily.

And then we talk about campus life in China. Chinese campuses are the most beautiful in the world. They are usually surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers, and lakes. Some of the campuses are located in the city center, but they can still be extremely scenic. And the facilities on campus can be extremely wonderful. There are different canteens on campus that can offer different sorts of food. You can try them one by one and get a different flavor. International student dorm room conditions are so much better than those of Chinese students. And international students are usually placed separately from Chinese students. There are also good sports facilities on campus. The gyms, sports stadiums, running tracks, and tennis courts can be really nice, and students can have a wonderful time playing sports there. Campus libraries are also really cool, as they may contain a large collection of books that are conducive to research. Students will also have a wonderful time there studying. They can do their homework, write research reports, or read books.

Of course, city life in China can be extremely amazing as well. You can take buses and subways and the bus and subway rides on there can be extremely comfortable. Since Chinese subway lines are newly constructed, they are a lot more modern than the subway systems in a lot of the old cities in the world. And the bus lines in Chinese cities are extremely long, and they can run for lengthy hours. Buses run every 10 minutes from the starting point. If you live off campus, it is very easy to travel to campus with the public transport systems. The pubic bikes in China are also extremely amazing. You can just scan the QR code with Meituan, Alipay, or other similar apps, and ride the bikes from one part of the city to another easily, and the cost is only around 1.5 RMB per hour. And there are also lots of very tall buildings in China that offer lots of comfort to people in there everyday life. Shopping malls in China can also be extremely fascinating. There are really nice restaurants, karaokes, bars, hair salons, and all kinds of other daily services inside the malls. And you can enjoy a very nice life over the weekend or during the evening after school/work. And some places are even open 24-7. Haidilao hotpot is one of them. Some movie theatres and self-study areas are also open 24-7.

Now let’s talk about what it is like to take classes in China. Mandarin classes can be extremely fun. The instructors are very professional, as they can allow you to learn Chinese in an interactive environment. And you can also get to know your classmates. Most of your classmates in Mandarin classes are from neighboring southeast Asian countries. And once you take classes for your major, you may have to deal with not only the subject contents itself but also the complexity of having to learn everything in Chinese, so it is double layer of challenge. However, if you want to avoid having to learn everything in Chinese, consider choosing an English program. Everything in those programs are taught in English, and you can complete your degree much more easily, as you don’t need to deal with the language barriers. However, if you want to stay in China for the long term, it is at best to learn Chinese. It will be great for you to do everything else.

Also, we can mention how friendly Chinese people are to foreigners. The photo taking, wechat exchange, and people walking up to you to practice conversational English. So many Chinese classmates will also be bothering to make friends with you, or trying very hard to get to know you.