The period abroad is after your mods_ the department will tell you

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					Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                           2007

    Undergraduate Handbook for Studying
             Abroad in Beijing
This booklet has been produced by undergraduates in the third year to tell you about what will
happen when you go to Beijing to study. This four month period is, for most people, the only
opportunity during your degree to spend a long time in China and to gain some fluency in Chinese.
After the second year, the Oxford course places more focus on History and Classical Chinese so
take advantage of the opportunity to get your modern Chinese up to scratch, and gain a decent
speaking ability in Chinese to take away with you when you finish your degree. Obviously you'll
also want to have a good time when you‟re out there and make the most of the experience, as it is
also a break and a change of scene from the rigours of Oxford. This booklet should tell you most
of what you need to know before you leave, what do to when you arrive, and hopefully help you
make the most of living in Beijing.

Before you go

The period abroad is after your Mods, the department will tell you the exact dates. It is
recommended that you go out to China about a week before classes at Beida begin so that you can
get orientated, get over your jetlag and sort out somewhere to live. You will probably be booked in
to stay in Beida's Sháoyuán 勺园 accommodation for two weeks or so, which is located in the part
of the campus where your classes will be, so very convenient (especially bearing in mind that
classes usually begin at 8 am). No-one has ever stayed in 勺园 beyond two weeks, but if you are
having trouble finding somewhere to live, talk to the course co-ordinator who will probably offer
you some more, pricey, accommodation in Beida.

When you have decided when you want to fly out try to book your flight as soon as you can. Early
in Hilary is probably fine, but the earlier you enquire about these things the more likely it is that
you can get a good deal. If you travel in groups Beida will send people to pick you up at the
airport, which can be comforting and saves you having to think much after you‟ve the long flight.
However, it is not difficult to get to Beida in a taxi (see later) so don't worry if you are arriving solo
in a two.
As far as travel agents go, STA travel is always a popular choice. They often have discounted fares
for students and they have a branch in Shanghai which some people find handy. Another
possibility is to use a Chinese travel agent – there is one in Oxford on Park End Street and several
in London – which can save you money on your flights. Considerations for buying air-tickets
- Do you want a transferable tickets (ones that you can change the dates of your flights)? Ask if
this is possible, how much the fee is when you change the dates, and how you go about doing this
(usually you contact the airline).
- Major airlines probably have offices in Beijing which is useful if you need to change the dates of
your flights etc so ask the travel agent about this.
- Do you want a return ticket or a single? If you are not going straight home or you are unsure
what your plans are for the end of the study abroad period, this might be a good idea.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
- When do you want to come back? Many students prefer to stay for a few weeks either to work or
to travel in China and it is a really good opportunity to do so. Time-wise, the Beida course doesn't
really allow for any long excursions.
- If you want to do some serious travelling, plan ahead and consider booking your return flight from
another country; one person travelled from Beijing across South East Asia last year and flew home
from Bangkok. STA travel can get you good deals on this.

GET TRAVEL INSURANCE for the time you are in China. Make sure you have adequate
medical coverage as if you need to see a doctor in China you will have to pay for it. There is a
clinic in Beida but the doctors there do not speak English and seem to practice a mixture of Chinese
and Western medicine so often may not be able to help you. There are private medical facilities in
Beijing with English speaking doctors who will charge around $70 US for a consultation. This is
totally claimable under travel insurance.

If you are taking a laptop or other pieces of expensive equipment, this can be covered too, although
there is normally an add-on charge to your basic insurance. Consider a separate laptop policy; these
will generally cover your laptop worldwide for anything, including accidental damage, for one year
for about £50.

When finding a policy the main things you'll want included are medical, baggage cover, personal
money (cash), cancellations of flights etc, and you may want to check if cameras and phones are
included. Internet insurers are often cheaper, though some companies such as Endsleigh offer
discounts to students. is a decent comparison
site. DON’T SKIMP ON THIS – expect to pay somewhere in the region of £100-150 for six
months‟ insurance.


Get some RMB before you leave for China: getting set up is quite expensive as you‟re likely to
have to pay your rent in one lump sum (see below). Your student loans might not come through
until you‟ve been in China for about a month, which can really make the first few weeks difficult if
you don‟t think ahead.

ATMs are everywhere, and you shouldn‟t have a problem finding one that will take your card.
There are some will only accept Chinese bank cards though, so don‟t panic if your card isn‟t
accepted. Most of the cash points in Beida accept foreign cards (there are several outside Wumei)
and there are several cash points around Wudaokou. The big Western-style shopping malls are also
a good bet.

Beware! Money comes out of the ATMs before your card so DON‟T FORGET THE CARD. The
banks are unhelpful, and you won‟t be getting it back.

At the time of writing, Nationwide basic current accounts offer free cash withdrawals abroad, and it
is definitely worth opening one. Withdrawing cash from a foreign account in China can cost a lot,
so if you don‟t have free withdrawals get out the maximum amount you can in one go and keep it in
a safe place rather than withdrawing 100 元 when you need it.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                       2007
If you need money from your parents fast, the best way is to give them your bank account details
(account number and sort code) and get them to pay it into your account in cash. That way it is
available for you to withdraw instantly, whereas bank to bank transfers can take days in some cases.

Packing - what to bring & what to buy

- Consider where you're likely to go and if it will be hot / cold / wet. The weather in Beijing when
you arrive in March will be similar to the weather in England at that time (cold!) so pack a couple
of jumpers and a coat. However, by July it is swelteringly hot so most of your clothes should be for
hot weather. Bear in mind that you might find yourself climbing mountains and visiting cold areas
on your travels so take a decent pair of walking shoes, waterproofs and fleece. Similarly you may
want a bikini and sun cream for China's lovely beaches. Sun cream is available from Watsons in
Wudaokou in the summer but won‟t be appearing in the shops until late May/June so take some if
you burn easily.

- Clothes in China are cheap, so it is possible to buy them while you are there but be warned -
Chinese people (especially girls) are generally smaller and it can be very difficult to find clothes
that fit, and they will constantly tell you you‟re too fat! It's probably best to make sure you have
most of what you'll need, at least the essentials.

- A Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or similar guide book is definitely worth investing in, especially if
you are intending to travel in China. These are hard to get hold of in China and can be confiscated
at the airport. Most people manage to bring copies in from England but if you‟re desperate try the
Bookworm in Sanlitun. Both guides massively underestimate the price of stuff and sometimes the
information in them is a bit outdated, particularly for more unusual destinations, but they‟re rarely
completely wrong.

- Whilst in Beijing get a copy of “the Insider’s Guide to Beijing” (available in the Bridge, the O2
Sun bookstore and most places in Sanlitun) – everything you need to know about expat life in
Beijing. Copies of Time Out, That‟s Beijing and City Weekend come out on Thursdays and are in
most western coffee shops and are a really good way to find out about stuff going on in the week.

- Another helpful item, though it sounds silly as you're doing a degree in Chinese, is a phrase book,
or a dictionary with phrases in. Gŭbō and Pàlánkă don't teach you the word for "towel" or "double
room" and other useful vocab that you'll need to get around. Phrasebooks also often have useful
vocab for visits to the doctor which can be otherwise be trying while you try to describe what's
wrong with you using bizarre gestures and sound effect. There‟s a good one which goes with the
insider‟s guide, and can be bought in the same places.

- Many people found having laptops invaluable but make sure your laptop is insured if you bring
it. Consider that you might want to go travelling after the course ends and will either need to
courier it back home (which will probably cost you about £100), leave it with a friend while you
travel, or carry it with you and risk it being stolen or damaged. Consider this carefully as the type
of accommodation you choose might limit your choices. If you are staying in a Chinese dorm with
five others in your room, for example, there may not be room for one and it‟s probably not a safe
idea either.

- You will almost definitely want a Chinese mobile. Your mobile from home will work with a
Chinese SIM if it‟s unlocked, but you‟ll need to buy a phone in China if you want to text in 汉字.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
Wudaokou is full of phone shops, but your best bet is to go into the Lotus supermarket and ask for
the cheapest deal, cheaper SIM cards have lots of 4s in the phone number. You can also get SIM
cards and top up vouchers (充值卡) here – but make sure you know which network you‟re on
(usually it‟s 中国移动 aka China Mobile). Be aware that you have to pay to receive phonecalls as
well as make them, but it‟s worth asking in Lotus if there‟s any way you can stop this (for about 4
RMB a month). This also gives you a chintzy piano ring.

- Have several spare passport photos for various forms in China. You can get these done in the
Wumei mini-mart on campus near Sháoyuán 勺园. It's a good idea to carry a photocopy of your
passport in case it goes missing -this will facilitate your getting a replacement. It may also be a
good idea to take down your credit/debit card numbers, passport numbers and insurance policy
numbers and leave them with a trusted person back home (i.e. mum) so that if you lose any of these
or have them stolen you can more easily get your cards stopped and get replacement documents.
Alternatively, think about setting up a Card Protection Policy (CPP) before you go so you can
cancel all yours cards and order replacements with one phonecall, rather than 5.

- Think about other things that will make your time there more fun. Cameras, digital or otherwise
are fun to have to document your time out in China. MP3 players can make an 8 hour bus journey
more fun. English books are available in Beijing but will cost a few pounds. Bear in mind that
while travelling there is the chance that things will get stolen, or more likely, broken so either don't
take anything you're too fond of, or make sure it's covered by insurance.

Documentation for China

The Department will inform you of the forms you need. You will need to fill out an application
form for Beida, which is available on the department website ( near the end of
Michaelmas. The department then sends these out to Beida for you. You will then receive an
admissions letter, which you will need in order to get your visa. You also may need to get
permission from Oxford to leave for a term by filling in an Application for Dispensation from
Statutory Residence, available at

To enter China you will need a visa. The type of visa you require is an „F‟ student visa, which
allows you to stay in China for 180 days – the “F” visa covers you for work as well if you‟re
planning to stay on and work in China afterwards, but you‟ll probably have to get an extension on
the dates. The Chinese embassy unfortunately don't accept applications by mail so you or
somebody else will need to take your passport to the Chinese embassy in London to apply for the
visa, along with your admission letter, application form (available online at and the fee (£30 for British passport holders). The visas normally
take a week to turn around although you can get them the next day (extra £15) or the same day if
required (extra £20). Some travel agents offer a visa courier service for about £15 (perhaps worth it
to save you paying for two trips to London and spending all day in queues) or you could arrange for
someone in your year to can take your passports, letters and application forms on your behalf. A
note on the London Embassy: (31 Portland Place, London W1B 1QD – note that this is different
from the embassy which is up the road at number 49-51) The visa section only opens between 9am-
12pm Monday to Friday and it is wise to get there early as the window closes exactly at 12pm no
matter what the state of the queue is. It is common to arrive at 7 or 8am to find a queue that is
already quite lengthy, so it is not a good idea to turn up at 11.30! If you are there at 7 or just

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
before, though, you should be very early in the queue and once the doors open you will be done in
fifteen minutes. Do not apply for an „X‟ student visa, which is for students staying longer than six
months and requires significantly more documentation such as a permanent residency permit as
well as a full medical examination when you arrive in China.

The „F‟ visa is a single entry visa, meaning that once you leave China you cannot re-enter using the
same visa. If you have no intention of leaving China during your period of study this is not a
problem, but if you do intend on going abroad, including to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan etc,
you will need to organise a new visa. Be warned that in Hong Kong this can be difficult and/or
expensive as it‟s the most popular place to get hold of a visa.

To get a new visa during the course at Beida you can do one of two things. The first option is to go
to the course coordinator at Beida, before you go home and organize a new „F‟ student visa with
her. The other option is to go out, come back in on an „L‟ tourist visa (obtained in whichever
country you go to) and then arrange the new student visa once you are back. This option is useful if
you have to leave the country quickly for any reason. Note that your „L‟ visa only lasts 30 days
from the day of entry.

To arrange a new student visa in either case, you need to see the coordinator. She will give you a
form saying that you are a student at Beida. Be warned, however, that the coordinator has control
over the date until which your new visa will run, and will sometimes only put a date on the form for
when the Beida course ends rather than when you are leaving Beijing which, if you are planning to
stay in China for a while, is rather inconvenient. If this happens, get Mr Kan to email her
explaining the situation. You must take this form to the PSB Visa section, near Yōnghégōng metro
station in Beijing. You also need a temporary residency permit (available from the local PSB
station – see below) and a colour passport photograph. When you get there, fill in the form and join
the queue for visa extensions. There is a fee for doing your new visa. Like the London visa section,
it takes a week to turn this round, but there is no express option which is why, if you want to leave
quickly, you may have to get a tourist visa obtained in the country you go to and organize the
student visa once you get back.

If the coordinator will only give you a visa until the end of the course, or for any other reason the
visa you are on runs out, you can apply for an „L‟ tourist visa extension in Běijīng. This visa only
lasts 30 days from the day it is granted but you don‟t need a letter from Běidà to get it (you still
need the residency permit). You apply for it in the same way as for the „F‟ visa and you can apply
for a maximum of two. Unlike the „F‟ visa, you can specify how many entries you want. This
means that you can stay as a tourist for 60 days in China after your student visa runs out, although
it is unlikely that you would need to do so as this would probably take you well into Michaelmas
term of your third year! Obviously, if you go out of China when the course has finished you can
come back in on a tourist visa obtained in the country you go to. This visa can also be extended


Your dates of arrival in Beijing will be communicated via Mr. Kan to Beida. Although the
turnaround from finishing your mods to arriving in Beijing is very short and you might feel like
you want some time to relax in between, many find that it's good to get to Beijing as soon as

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                        2007
possible to sort out your accommodation and settle into your new life! If you don‟t already have
some Chinese currency, get some before you leave the airport to pay for cabs etc. There are ATMs
in the airport. Check the exchange rates, but at the moment its about 9 or 10 RMB to a pound. If
you arrive in a large enough group Beida will send a delegation to meet you, which is can be useful
for ensuring you end up at the right place when you leave the airport! If you arrive on your own or
in a small group then the best way to get to Beida is to get a taxi, which will cost about ¥90-¥100
(including ¥10 for the toll bridge) – that‟s between £9 and £10. Only use the official taxis outside
the airport and not the drivers who hang around inside. These hēichē (black market car)
drivers are uninsured, illegal and will charge you phenomenal prices. When exiting the airport,
follow the signs for the taxi rank… You can usually spot it because you'll see a congregation of
half-yellow-half-green/purple cabs with a queue of people being directed into them by a warden.
Official taxis have number plates which start 京 B (we think!)
Tell your driver to go to 北大西门 Beida Ximenr (make sure you add the rrrr!) and then tell him
you want Sháoyuán Bīnguăn 勺 宾 in the Běidà campus – he can drive you right to the hotel, and
                                 园 馆
just make yourself known at the desk.
        Běidà will give you a room in this complex for a week or two after you arrive. You need to
check in and pay at the main reception (so you will need your RMB and passport). The place costs
around ¥100 per night per person (the rooms are twins and they will charge you ¥200 if you don‟t
share). There should also be a welcome pack including a Beijing tourist map, a Beida map (all in
Chinese and fairly unhelpful, but you‟ll find your way around just fine) and a Beida handbook,
waiting for you. Note that a lot of the information in this book applies to students who are in China
for longer than the Oxford course, especially the section of visas and residency permits.

Life in China
                                                                Huáqīng Jiāyuán, Wŭdàokǒu
There is plenty of reasonably priced and very pleasant
accommodation not far from the Beida campus. The most
popular place to live in is an apartment complex called
Huáqīng Jiāyuán, 华清嘉园(pictured right), which is about
30 minutes walk from the East Gate of Beida and is situated
very close to the Wudaokou metro station. To get there from
Beida go out of the East Gate and walk straight up Chengfulu
(as in Cheng Fu Road) until you reach the set of pink
buildings that has a McDonalds in them. Behind this complex is another one called 东升园, which
tends to be a little cheaper but is just as nice. There are also apartments further down Chengfu Lu,
near the former Geography University which people rented last year.

There are a number of rental agencies who can show you around apartments: The largest available
are 3-beds (there are a few 4-beds but these are rare and expensive). Century 21 is highly
recommended, and Blue Sky agency have a man who speaks some English if you're struggling with
Chinese. DO NOT USE 我爱我家 as they charge both you and the landlord a month‟s rent in
commission for doing very little work. There are also adverts in windows and on notice boards in
cafes for example if you want to deal directly with the owner, although be aware that this may give

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
you very little security if things go pear-shaped. Also, if you know anyone in Beijing it‟s worth
asking around to see if they know any private agents, these guys appear out of nowhere and seem to
have access to a huge range of flats. No matter what happens, discuss the agents‟ and other fees you
will be paying up front and before you commit to ANYTHING.

Look around a few places and be prepared to bargain to get the rent lower – but don‟t go OTT and
try to keep it friendly. It‟s easier to do this face to face with the landlord, as agents are taking a cut
so want to rinse you. At the same time, be aware that landlords in Beijing are wary of people
renting for less than a year, and they may refuse to sign leases under six months, and so you may
well find yourself in a poor bargaining position.

You will be asked to pay all your rent up-front so you should take money out from ATMs over a
couple of days to ensure you have enough as the daily withdrawal limit is about 1500 RMB. Be
careful about carrying large sums of money around and leaving lots of money in an insecure place.
You might want to consider taking a money belt that you can wear under your clothes and having
padlocks and lockable bike-chains for your baggage, especially when travelling around. Rents in
Beijing seem to range from 2000 元 a month to 3500 元 a month per person. If you want to live
somewhere nice be prepared to pay a little more.

When viewing apartments, have a good look around and make sure it has all the necessities such as
a working shower and toilet, secure locks, air-con, a TV (you can get DVD players for £10-£15)
and a fridge. If there‟s anything that needs fixing or installing (e.g. air con –YOU CAN‟T LIVE
WITHOUT IT) bring this up when viewing the flat before you sign anything. Be aware that the flat
is not likely to have been cleaned when you get it, but your landlord might be able to arrange a
cleaner for you, or Lotus centre provides lots of high-chemical goodies for your cleaning pleasure.

 DO NOT drink the tap water unless you‟ve boiled it first, or else you will probably shrivel up and
die. Get a water cooler or drink out of bottles. Also water coolers usually dispense hot water so
you can make tea. In the Beida accommodation they will give you flasks of hot water.

If you don‟t like Wudaokou, you can try near the southwest gate of Beida; this is closer to campus
but not as convenient for public transport. Some students lived in a Chinese student dorm with
Chinese students. The university prohibits international students from living in the Chinese
dormitories. However, other options are available such as living in dormitory-style accommodation
with students and other people from outside the university. Chinese people from outside the
university generally have more time and tend to be more interested in learning English -- and
helping you with your Chinese. The main disadvantages are SERIOUSLY inferior living conditions
(some dormitories do not include air-con, mozzie nets or internet, have communal shower and toilet
facilities, tend to be very small and come with house cockroaches), security issues (especially with
respect to valuables), and the reduced privacy that stems from having several room-mates. With
regards to privacy, however, roommates do tend to be respectful of personal space, and many
people hang curtains around their bunks for added privacy.

The money saved (rent can be as little as ¥300 a month) and more importantly, the opportunities for
language-learning and cultural exchange, can make this option worthwhile. You have to be brave to
opt for this, and self-evidently the more Chinese you know the less difficult things are initially. The
best person to help you out if you‟re looking for a dorm is your language partner at Beida.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                       2007
Homestays are possible but fairly difficult to find, and you‟d have to find them on your own,
through people you meet; if you have your heart set on living with a family, try to set it up before
you go. “Connections” (guanxi) are important to the Chinese – mention to your Chinese friends in
Oxford that you‟re looking for a homestay near Beida and you just might end up with a friend of a
friend of a friend of theirs!

Once you have found a place, you need to register with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to gain a
temporary residents permit within 24 hours of moving in. This is not only a legal necessity but also
required if you need to claim anything on insurance or change your visa. Your landlord should take
you through this process (which, unusually for Chinese bureaucracy only takes a few minutes) and
foot the bill, but if they do not then the PSB station for Huaqing JiaRMB 华 嘉 and 东升园 is in
                                                                               清 园
东升园 (As you face the metro station on Chengfulu turn right and walk for about 5 minutes and
you‟ll see it on your right). If you are living near the south gate of Beida, you‟ll probably go to the
PSB station down the street from Carrefour (Jia Le Fu). Take your passport. Don‟t panic if you've
left it over a day before registering; they have no idea when you‟ve moved in.

Don‟t be persuaded into not registering with the PSB in order to save on rent as, although it‟s
highly unlikely you will be discovered, if there are difficulties such as theft of belongings which
requires insurance documentation from the police, you will run into problems and could be heavily

Wudaokou is a popular area for students to hang out and many from Beida and the nearby BLCU
live in this area. There are lots of restaurants, bars, karaoke places and cafes. Our favourites
        - The Bridge: brilliant 24/7 café. Very chilled out and their apple pie with almond ice
            cream, 苹果派加杏仁冰淇淋, is literally the best thing in the world ever.
        - Sculpting in Time: slightly inferior version of the bridge.
        - Lush: another 24/7 café/bar in the O2 Sun Bookstore opposite wudaokou metro station.
            Good drinks, nice food, brilliant mud pie.
        - Isshin: nice, reasonably priced Japanese food for when you just can‟t face more rice and
        - Tous les Jours: as close to real bread as you‟re going to get!
        - Propaganda: grimy sweat-den favoured by exchange students and the inebriated. You
            will probably end up here at least once.
        - Muslim: actually a canteen in the BCLU campus. Cheap to the max and yummy.

Opposite Huaqing JiaRMB 华 嘉 huáqīngjiāyuán on the other side of the street is the Lotus
                              清 园
Centre department store where you can buy virtually anything you‟ll need. Alternatives include
Wumei on campus which is the underground mini mart not far from the Sháoyuán 勺 园
accommodation and the other Wudaokou 超市 chāo shì (supermarkets) which sell most things.
Carrefour (家乐福) which is underground and about a fifteen minute walk south from Beida sells
literally everything from baguettes to bedding, don‟t go on Saturdays though as it‟s rammed! If
you‟re feeling seriously homesick for Western food, try the Jenny Lou chain out in Chaoyang.

Beida course

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
The Beida course is divided up into two sections. The first three months are general language
teaching, and in the final month is a tailored course for Oxford students which will prepare you for
third year.
Shortly after you arrive there will be an introductory meeting with the Beida International School
programme organisers. There are over 18 hours of class time a week, divided into three kinds of
class – oral (kǒuyŭ; 4 classes per week), basic Chinese language (hànyŭ; 4 classes per week), and
two optional classes such as listening, composition writing, or translating (two classes of one
option, one class of the other). Classes are made up of two 50 minute halves with a ten minute
break in the middle. They are scheduled at 8.00am-10.50am, 11.10am-1.00pm, 2.00pm-3.50pm, or
4.10pm-6.00pm Monday–Friday, although there seem to be more classes in the morning than in the
afternoon. At the introductory meeting you will told which books to buy; these can be bought from
the office in the Russian Building. Classes are either in one of the Sháoyuán 勺园 buildings or in
the Russian Building (éwénlóu).

The classes are conducted purely in Chinese which can be a bit daunting at first but you'll find that
your listening ability improves rapidly and you won‟t feel behind. The teaching is fairly regimented
and follows the textbooks religiously. It is worth pointing out that you probably haven‟t used a lot
of oral Chinese before you go to Beida so just speak as much as you can when you get there and
don't worry about sounding stupid -the Beijing people are generally very friendly and kind to
foreigners. Beida has a rule that you must attend 70% of all classes in order to pass. Teachers take
attendance every lesson so they will know if you are not there. Find out from Beida and Oxford
which exams are compulsory. They often don't check if you've done your daily homework, so you
will need to motivate yourself and get out and speak Chinese a lot if you really want to come away
with decent Chinese; Beida will not do it all for you. The course has exams both half way through
the semester and at the end. Note that, unlike Oxford exams, your participation in class, homework
and attendance record counts towards your final exam mark. You will have an oral exam at the end
of the Oxford part of the class which counts as 50% of your collection at the start of your third

You‟ll get a few days off for qingmingjie and May Day, and another week break before the Oxford
part of the course begins. These are great opportunities for travelling. Shànghăi and Dōngběi are
both readily accessible by train, and internal flights allow travel to just about anywhere. Bear in
mind that China is huge and it often takes a day just to get to a place so try not to be over-ambitious
with your plans to avoid disappointment. Also book early, tickets are sometimes available from
up to 10 days in advance! The May holiday is a national one so transportation tickets are very dear
and will sell out quickly.

The Oxford part of the course is only 14 hours per week. 8 hours of this is oral Chinese (kǒuyŭ) and
six hours is translation (fānyì). This second part is much more demanding and in it you will learn
more than is directly useful for your degree. The lessons are fairly similar to the lessons you will
have had in Oxford and the work is more like what you will be given in the third year at Oxford.
For translations you will be given passages in English to translate into Chinese. The passages are
on topical materials (the threat of terrorism, the problem of teenage school dropouts etc.) and are
supposed to improve your grammar and prepare you for language work in the third year. They will
be quite a step up from what you have previously done. You will probably want a good Chinese
dictionary by this stage. You can buy these in the foreign languages bookstore on Wángfŭjĭng
Dàjiē, or in the O2 Sun Bookstore by Lush in Wudaokou may have them too.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                        2007
Many students have found electronic dictionaries to be indispensable language resources. Simple
ones which use pinyin input are cheap and common, but require you to know the pinyin for the
word you‟re looking up; more useful for students of Chinese – and well worth the extra money –
are translators which allow you to write a character on the screen. These can be quite expensive,
about ¥2000 on average. “Besta” (好易通 hăoyìtōng) is a good brand. Look in the electronics
superstores around Běidà and compare different translators and different prices. If you‟re interested
in buying one, it‟s good to have an idea of your needs before you look – some have more complete
and accurate dictionaries and English translations, while others have useful databases like Chinese
proverbs and Tang poems.
Be aware that if you‟re using the electronics market to the south of Beida, these people are
aggressive sellers and will rip you off if you let them; shop around, and bargain as hard as you can.
Buying in a group will probably increase the discount.


If you‟ve just arrived in Beijing and don‟t know what to eat, going into the nearest restaurant and
ordering the following dishes usually produces highly satisfactory results:

宫保鸡丁           gōngbăo jīdīng        Hot and spicy chicken with peanuts
干煸豆角           gānbiāndòujiăo        Twice fried string beans with chilli (ask for bu la if you‟re not
                                     a spice fan).
红烧茄子           hóngshāo qiézi        Stir-fried aubergine
大白菜            dà báicài             Stir-fried cabbage, with vinegar (醋 cù) or garlic 蒜 (suàn)
米饭             mĭfàn                 rice
鸡蛋炒米饭          jīdàn chăo mĭfàn      egg-fried rice
羊肉串儿           yángròu chuànr        lamb kebabs

Other tasty snack foods which you can find on campus or on the streets include: the fairly self-
explanatory "stick meat", dumplings (包子) usually filled with pork or vegetables, sweetcorn (玉米)
all kinds of fried bread things with or without egg/meat inside, and the almighty jiān bĭng 煎 饼.
These are big savoury pancakes packed with hoi-sin sauce, a few chives, a slice of prawn cracker
and more than a liberal dabbing of chilli -ask for non-spicy (bu la) if you don't like hot food. Most
of these delights will set you back a princely 1-2 kuài and the jiān bĭng particularly make a more
than adequate lunch. Look out for the xiăo chī diàn (snack food restaurants) which serve similar
fare, for a really cheap, hearty meal, and an amazing hangover cure. There‟s a good one, 上海小吃,
directly opposite the South gate of Beida.

Between Beida and Wŭdàokǒu there are plenty of decent restaurants and most people find that they
barely need/want to cook. Chinese is food is abundant although not always high quality so look
around a bit. Kăoyā diàn (Peking duck restaurants) are abundant and dangerously delicious. There
are also Japanese, Korean, Italian and "mixed" restaurants in Wŭdàokǒu. Vegetarianism is difficult
in China but look out for Indian restaurants and the occasional Chinese Buddhist one for top quality

It‟s very possible to get food poisoning if you‟re not careful. The vast majority of places are fine
(street food probably poses the lowest risk in fact). However, a lot of restaurants will give you a

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                            2007
doggy bag for leftovers; DON‟T EAT THESE!!! The boxes they use are often not clean, and a
couple of us got hospitalised this way. No, really.

There are many very good and extremely cheap restaurants on campus. The best bet is to explore
them and find out which ones you prefer. You will need to buy a food card; as the course
supervisor where to get these. You need to show your Běidà student ID and you can credit as much
money to it as you want. Ask for your password when you buy it since if you use it three successive
times in the same canteen it tends to lock for security reasons and you need your password (a four
digit number) to unlock it. To buy food in the canteens, take your tray and ask for whatever dishes
you want (you can usually just point and smile). After giving you a dish, the dining hall staff will
key the amount into a box and then you‟ll insert your food card, which will take off the right


There are several internet cafes in the area surrounding Beida. There are several in Wŭdàokǒu
(largely in mini-korea on the other side of the railway tracks near the cinema). Internet cafes
generally charge ¥2 per hour and require you to leave a deposit from which the amount you spend
is deducted. Foreigners are often asked to produce passport identification. There are also a few
cafes in Wŭdàokǒu that have free wireless access.

The other way to access the internet is in the Běidà library. You can join the library once you have
been given your student card by Beida (you should get it at a welcome meeting after everyone‟s
arrived). Go to the library and ask at the library card desk which is ¥10. You will also need a
passport photo. Once you have a library card you can use the internet in the library. Simply hand
your card over to the internet desk, write your name in the logbook, and the librarian will give you
a number for a computer you can use. The library also costs ¥2 per hour but doesn‟t require a
deposit, although it seems to get blocked faster than most other places.

It is possible and cheap for you to get internet in your apartment, ask your landlord.

Note that if your bank accounts are online it is best not to check them in internet cafes as security is
questionable. The computers in the Beida Library are the best bet for any financial transactions if
you don‟t have internet in your apartment. Or get somebody at home (ie. mum) to do it while
you‟re in China. You might even consider setting up and enduring power of attorney which allows
somebody else to give signatures on your behalf. This does not give them control over your life,
but it means that they can sign your loan application form, sort out bank issues and sort out
insurance claims etc on your behalf.


To phone abroad, Skype is your best option, and although few internet cafes have the software,
although you can usually install it. They will however generally have headsets. Headsets and such
can be bought at the electronics market or in Lotus.

Another possibility is to use an IP card (called IP ka in Chinese) which charges you a cheaper rate.
These can normally be bought from street-corner kiosks. Although the price on them is ¥100, they
are never bought for face value so try bartering. About ¥35-40 is reasonable.

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                         2007

The post (youju) in China is secure and generally reliable. Packages from home will get to you if
your address in pinyin is on it. There is a small post office in Huáqīng Jiāyuán 华清嘉园 that will
deal with most of your requirements, and there is also a post office on the Beida campus. If you
miss a delivery of a parcel it has most likely been sent to the big post office near BLCU at the other
end of Chéngfúlù to Běidà. You can get there on the bus from Wŭdàokǒu.

The Chinese are can be very particular about what can be posted and how. For example, they often
require only paper to be posted in envelopes; if anything besides paper gets put in and they find out,
the post office staff will have a often give you a box or jiffy bag to repackage it with. There is also
a size requirement for letters – an envelope which would pass regulations in Britain may be “too
small” for posting in China. You‟ll find out through trial and error what‟s allowed and what isn‟t.
Much better to “ask for forgiveness, not permission” – in other words, if there is something you‟d
like to send home and which you can fit in a normal envelope, go ahead and package it up and
don‟t ask them whether you‟re complying with their rules. They‟ll let you know if you‟re not! If
you are sending parcels they usually need to see the contents so they can give it the official ok, so
to avoid all this kafuffle, just take whatever you want to send down to the post office unpacked, and
buy a box there. Or you can let them put it in a jiffy-bag for you which is cheaper than sending
things in a box.


BIKE: You can usually get them for about £15 and are useful for shuttling between beida and
home. Although the quality of them is not high for those prices, there are a lot of repair men by the
side of the roads who will pump up tyres and fix them for you for a nominal fee. These usually sit
beside a cardboard sign with 修车 on it. You can also spend a pleasant day cycling around the city
and sight seeing if you can stand the fumes and manage not to get run over. Some students even
bought motor bikes for going to further out locations such as sports practices, but you should
consider the safety implications of this option before you go ahead!

METRO (地铁): The metro/subway/underground in Beijing is very cheap -you can get anywhere
in the city for 2 kuài. There is a metro stop in Wŭdàokǒu which makes it easy to avoid the traffic
when going across town. But be warned, though it is sometimes quicker that a taxi over long
distances, in rush hours you often wont find a seat. It takes around 40 minutes to an hour to get
from Wŭdàokǒu to Wánfŭjĭng and Tiananmen etc on the metro.

BUS: The buses are extremely cheap and go everywhere though they can take a long time if you're
making a long trip across town. Have a look at the bus timetables in Wŭdàokǒu on Chéngfúlù and
around Beida to see where they can take you. There are buses that go to the Summer Palace, Xiang
Shan (mountains outside Beijing), Qiánmén (bottom on Tiananmen Sq, not far from the Forbidden
City), Beijing Languages and Culture University (BLCU) and many more. They usually cost 1 or 2
yuán. They can be a fun way to take a trip around the city to see what its like if you're not in a
hurry. From Wudaokou to Beida, bus 731 is the one to take.

TRAVELCARD: You can buy these at any tube station, or at any of the designated kiosks. The
system is called 一卡通, and works just like an Oyster card. You pay a 30 元 deposit on it, which

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                 2007
you can get back when you leave, and top it up whenever you like. It‟s valid for buses and the

LONG DISTANCE: Long distance buses between cities are sometimes quicker and easier to get
tickets for than the trains. The sleeper buses are no joke when the road looks more like a sandpit
than a road and you may end up sleeping rather too close to comfort with total strangers. But for
day time journeys, or if the route takes you on a nice bit of sealed highway, they can be great. You
can also see a bit more of the countryside than from the train. There is a long distance bus station
at Xīizhímén which is on the metro. Check your guidebooks for others.

TAXI: Taxis in China are pretty cheap. Beijing and Shanghai's taxis are a bit more expensive than
those in other cities, but you can generally get across the city for about £4-£5 depending on traffic.
If there are a few of you it works out really cheap, and if you just can't be bothered to get the metro
or the bus it's a nice option as they all have air-con and you're guaranteed a seat.
A general note on taxis: on the dash board in front of the passenger seat there should be a laminated
card with a photo of the driver, his driver number, and the taxi company on it. This is the taxi
licence. If you take a taxi without this, it is probably an illegal one, and even if it has a meter you
are likely to get ripped off, either by being driven round in circles for hours, or because their meter
runs at twice the normal rate. Make sure the drivers use their meters (ask them to 打表) -this isn't
usually a problem. Taxis in Beijing are fairly cheap, though when it's rush hour its quicker to take
the subway if you're going on a long trip across town.

TRAIN: Thought a great long distance option, train tickets are not always easy to get, especially if
you want a sleeper ticket. In order of ease of purchase from easiest to hardest: hard seat (the
cheapest option, you sit on a chair for the duration of your journey), soft sleeper (costs about twice
as much as the hard sleeper and often isn't much cheaper than flying, you get more privacy though),
hard sleeper (best value for money, you get a comfy, clean bed for the night but a fairly cheap fare).
You can sometimes upgrade your ticket once you are on the train but not always, so don't count on
it. The hard sleepers have three bunks, top, middle and bottom. The top gives you more privacy
and is the cheapest but you can't sit up because it's too close to the ceiling. The bottom one is big
enough for you (and your friends) to sit on during the day but is less private and is the most
expensive. The middle one neither gives you neither privacy nor room to sit up. If you're
travelling in twos getting one upper and one lower can be a nice compromise.
You can buy train tickets from ticket vendors around Wudaokou, look for 火车票 signs; there is
one opposite the entrance to Huaqing Jiayuan. The main train stations, Běijīng Zhàn or Běijīng Xī
(West) have a special foreigners desk. If you want to get the international train to Hong Kong you
have to go to Beijing West station to buy tickets.
Also, you can usually only get tickets from the departure city, although you can get returns to
Shanghai The time tickets go on sale varies from ten to four days ahead of the travel date. Hard
and soft sleepers and seats are available; sleepers are certainly recommended for overnight travel,
and hard sleepers are pretty decent. If you're doing a round trip hoping to take in lots of places in a
limited space of time, try not to cut it too fine with the timing. You might not be able to travel on
the days you want, so leave a few days spare to cope with delays.

PLANE: Thought still more expensive than the train, internal flights are getting cheaper in China
and it can save you a day or two when compared with the train, for example, Beijing to Chengdu is
27 hours on the train, but the flight is only an hour or so. Also bear in mind that you may not be
able to go directly between two places on the train. E-long: is highly
recommended. They sell internal flights in China as well as flights to Hong Kong and some over-

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                      2007
seas destinations often at discounted rates. If you book in advance you can often get tickets as
much as 70% off which can make it cheaper than the soft-sleeper and potentially save you days of
messing around with trains. When you book tickets with E-long, arrange to pay the courier in cash
when they are delivered, that way you don't have to give out credit card details, and you will have
the tickets in your hand and can check them before you hand over the cash.

Life in Beijing

Although you will be going to Beida Monday to Friday it's a really good idea to involve yourself in
other activities when you're out there not only to have fun, but to enrich your experience of Chinese
culture and hopefully improve your language skills.

It is difficult to get involved in Běidà's extra-curricular activities, not least because you arrive half
way through a semester. Běidà ia keen to keep you separate from Beida students as much as
possible. If you ask the course organisers to help you get involved in something (calligraphy or
cooking lessons, for example) they will most likely offer to put on classes just for Oxford students.
The best way to get involved in Beida activities is to ask the students what‟s going on around
campus. Alternatively look for things outside of Beida by checking magazines such as Timeout and
That's Beijing although these are likely to be classes run for ex-pats and are often in English.

The sports facilities at Beida include a gym and a pool, but are not really open to foreign students,
no matter what they tell you. The tennis courts etc are free but you have to sign up for them. There
are several gyms in Wudaokou, but by far the best is Nirvana (in the same building as lotus, access
it from the right hand side), it‟s about £40 a month, but that includes everything: a personal training
session, classes, unlimited gym use, high-pressure showers etc.

Běidà does set you up with language partners, whom you will meet in your first couple of weeks in
Beijing. There is no shortage of people who are keen to talk to you or to do language exchanges on
campus and many will simply come up and start talking to you. It can take some time to find a
language partner you feel comfortable with. Many find it easier, and indeed more productive, to
have conversations with a friend or someone that you at least share a common ground with, like
someone you meet doing sports or other activities.

Unfortunately, there are no venues at or around Beida to practice musical instruments. If you sign
up for music lessons, though, your music teacher might be able to provide or direct you to a place
where you can practice.

You can join the Beida library (see internet, above) and borrow books, although most people don‟t
bother as it‟s a confusing place. The library is rated as the best in Asia and has a surprisingly well-
stocked English language section with some material in controversial areas, although don‟t expect
to find anything unusual on Taiwan, Tibet or Tiananmen. Because China has very lax intellectual
property laws you can take borrowed books and have them photocopied whole. This can easily be
done on campus and costs about ¥15 so you can build up a good library of material to bring back
with you.

Your life in China will not revolve entirely around Beida though! Most people find that life in
Beijing, though hectic in its own way, is a welcome break from Oxford. Beijing is a fantastic city
with loads to offer. Beida and Wudaokou are in the district called Hăidiàn 海淀 right up in the
North West corner. Beijing is basically laid out on a grid with the Forbidden City and Tiananmen

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates                                                        2007
Square at the centre. It is a massive sprawl and its attractions are very spread out and often hidden
away. We'd hate to spoil the experience of exploring Beijing for you, but here are some of our
-Go down to Jiùgŭlóu (旧鼓楼) area for interesting bars and restaurants, namely BED, Dali and
anything on nanluoguxiang (南罗鼓巷).
-Sānĭitún has many lively ex-pat bars and clubs with dangerously cheap drinks and large screens
for watching sport. YOU MUST GO TO ALAMEDA AT LEAST ONCE; it‟s an amazing
Brazilian restaurant with a fab lunch deal. Q Bar has a lovely terrace and is also the only place in
Beijing we found Pimms (not for want of trying!).
-Beijing has many lovely parks including the old and new Summer Palaces, and Fragrant Hills
(Xiāng Shān) which has an awesome cable car to get your up the mountains, all of which are near
Beida. Jĭngshān Park has beautiful views of the Forbidden City, and Běihăi park is full of
attractions. Rìtán park is much smaller and quieter (and cheaper). More locals go here; if you're
interested in martial arts some pretty eminent teachers teach here and you can see people doing taiji.
-There are lots of interesting temples. Favourites include the White Cloud Temple, Bāiyúnguăn,
and the Lama Temple, Yōnghégōng, which has its own subway stop.
-There is also the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square where you can go and see Mao dead.
Close to these is Wángfŭjĭng Dàjiē - a huge tourist shopping street and great place to pick up tourist
tat such as Mao badges and chopsticks. It also has the Foreign Languages Bookstore where you
can get English books and dictionaries
- The Dashanzi / 798 art district is fascinating though sometimes hard to find (look on the internet).
It's made up of a complex of old warehouses (some of which still bear communist slogans on the
walls) now made into a variety of galleries and work shops.
- If you‟re a really busy bee, Beijing‟s a good place to pick up some work experience – don‟t
expect to be paid though! Last year people worked at the China Britain Business Council and Time

A map of the area around Běidà is overleaf. Bear in mind that it was drawn from memory months
after coming back from China, but it should give you an idea where things are roughly!

We hope you find this guide useful. Remember, if you have any burning questions that are not
answered here, we're only an email away. Have an amazing time in China!

Beijing Handbook for Undergraduates        2007


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