Getting a China Mobile Sim

If you plan to study in Beijing Language and Culture University for a semester or so, you can consider getting yourself a China Mobile SIM Card. China Mobile is the most popular network used among students and teachers in BLCU. It is a very convenient way for you, your family and your new found friends to contact each other especially during emergencies and group outings. Here are some places where you can get your China SIM:

Airport
If you need to contact someone in Beijing, you can get a SIM card from the airport. These cards are sold in one of the smaller type of stalls inside the Arrival area. But unless you have an urgent need to use a China Sim, don't buy your SIM card here! The airport sells it for thrice the amount with which you can buy it from other areas. I think it's around 120 RMB for one sim card and it doesn't necessarily have any credits inside it!

Friendship Store
When you become a student in BLCU, you will definitely recognize the Friendship store! It is a one-stop shop for all students selling school supplies and many other things that you might need in your stay here. It is located across the basketball court near the HSK building. A China Mobile SIM will cost you around 70 RMB (if you don't haggle) and 60 RMB (if you do). It has around 30 RMB credits inside so it's quite a good buy.


Outside Dorm 17

The next closest place you can buy your SIM card is outside Dorm 17. After you exit the South Gate, turn right and you will see the BLCU Community Market, a Dumpling store and finally, the SIM card seller. You can get your SIM card at 50 RMB with 20 RMB credits inside. Actually, it is quite at the same price with the Friendship store, just depends on which place you think is more convenient for you to buy it from.

If you exit from the South gate, you can also turn left and see this store on the photo above. These two stores both sell SIM cards and Call Cards at about the same price so you can go to either stores and buy your China Mobile SIM Card from them.

There are other places where you can buy your SIM card, but I think those 3 places are the most convenient ones. You can also replace your credits by buying a China Mobile Card for 20,30 or 50 RMB. Higher values are also available.

The cost of each text message in China is very cheap. It costs around .10 RMB per message and around .30 RMB per minute. You can always check your balance by calling up 10086 or texting Ye and sending it to 10086. Generally, I think 50 RMB of credit is enough for the whole month, as long as you use your SIM card in moderation.

If you plan to travel outside Beijing (to places like Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou etc..), you should know that turning your Roaming on is necessary. You can activate Roaming by texting KTMYYH to 10086. Other networks may require a different process of activating.

That's about it! Enjoy your stay in Beijing!

How to pay your BLCU Tuition Fee

As part of your journey to enrolling in BLCU, you might be wondering about how you can pay your tuition fee. Student Enrollment usually a few days before the classes start. During this process, you will be asked to pay for your tuition fee. To help you decide which option best suits you, Here are the possible ways on How to pay your BLCU tuition fee:


Telegraphic Transfer

A telegraphic transfer is a bank-to-bank transaction which allows you to send your payment in advance before your arrival to Beijing. This option will be for students who would like to settle their payments ahead of time.

The process of paying via Telegraphic Transfer will be similar to that of reserving a dorm room in BLCU, but you have to change the details of Charge into Tuition Fee.

This method though is seldom used (and I will not suggest that you pay by this method) because you will never know if the school received the payment you sent until you arrive in Beijing. But if you have to, or still opt to pay by this process, here's how.

During the enrollment process, there will be no line for telegraphic transfer payees so you will have to go to the Finance department to confirm that they received your payment. The finance department is located  in Room 108 at the same building where you can find the bank.  Once you get the receipt, you can go back to the building where you enrolled and continue the process.

Cash

Paying by cash is the most commonly selected option. You can either opt to pay in US dollar or in RMB. Since the school prefers that you pay in RMB, people paying in this currency will probably finish first.

Students paying in US dollar, should take a bit more time falling in line, but it will not take more than 30 minutes compared to RMB payees. There is another line specifically made for conversion payments. The conversion rate will be a bit lower than usual, but the difference won't be too much either.

Credit Card

The school also accepts credit card payments. This method is the easiest one if you enroll within the set enrollment dates. Otherwise, you will need to go the the Finance department and that will be different story. Anyway, the school accepts American Express, Visa, Mastercard and JCB accredited credit cards ONLY. So before leaving your country, make sure that you have these seals on your credit card. Otherwise, they will not be accepted.

When paying via Credit Card, you will be charged an additional amount for the Commission Fee. Generally, if you use a credit card, you will need to pay the tuition fee + the designated commission fee. Here is a summary of Commission Fees collected upon payment:

Visa/Mastercard = 2.5%
American Express = 3%
JCB = 3%

Debit Cards
The process of using Debit cards are the same with using a credit card. You still have to make sure that you are using either Visa/Mastercard, American Express or JCB accredited debit cards.

How to Open an ICBC Bank Account in Beijing

ICBC or Industrial and Commercial Bank of China can be found in almost every place in Beijing. You can find 2 or more banks in a single location and ATM Machines can be found almost everywhere. Just look for the Union Pay Icon and you can instantly access your account. If you're planning to stay for a long time in Beijing, you can consider opening an RMB bank account in this bank.

For Beijing Language and Culture University students, there are 2 branches within the vicinity that you can choose from. The first one is located inside the school, right behind the East building (the biggest school building). While the second branch is located outside the school, somewhere around the South East Corner. I don't really think the directions I'm giving right now are relevant, but you'll know their locations once you get here.

Advantages of Opening an Account

First and foremost, the greatest advantage of having an account is being able to put your money on a safe place. Rather than keeping all your money in the wallet and taking the risk of losing it throughout the semester, it will be better if you just decide to put it in the bank.

Getting an ATM card is a breeze. As soon as you open an ATM account, the bank immediately provides you an ATM card and you can withdraw from it anytime.

After converting your money, you can just put everything in and be worry free. You can also use the ATM as a debit card so you can use it like it's a credit card (in places that accept card payment of course).

Requirements in Opening an Account

In order to open an account, you'll should just bring with you two things, your Original passport and the money you want to deposit. You'll also be filling up a few forms.

Steps in Opening a Bank Account

Once you enter the bank, you can just get a number from the machine and wait for your number to be called. If they ask you what you want to do, you can just say you want to open a bank account and Exchange your money (if it's still not in RMB). If you can't speak Mandarin, no worries, just speak in English and they'll find a way to understand you.

Before filling up the forms, you will be asked to choose whether you want a checkbook account or an ATM account. It actually depends on your preference. In my case, I chose the ATM account since it's tiring to keep on returning to the bank each time I need money.

If your money is not yet in RMB, and you want to convert it, you must first fill up a Currency Exchange form. On top is an example photo of the Currency Exchange Form I filled up back then.

After filling up the Currency Exchange Form, you can start filling up the form for opening a bank account. I think there are 2 sheets of paper for opening an account. It includes several details about you, including your passport number. Once your done, you just need to wait for a while until your numbers are called. Remember to give the Currency Exchange form first.

Once your account is opened, you'll be asked to enter a 6-digit password for your ATM card. Simply press the numbers on the machine and in a few more minutes, you're done!

Did this article provide relevant information?

Tips on Pocket Money and Currency Exchange for Students in Beijing

Weeks before I started my study in Beijing Language and Culture University, I encountered this problem on exactly what currency, how much and where to keep the money I'll be using for my entire stay in Beijing. This post will give you a few tips about what to do with your cash and pocket money before traveling to Beijing.

Amount
Rather than bringing just your credit card, I would suggest that you also bring cash. In my case, I brought the whole amount I was going to need for my entire stay in Beijing. Take note though that you can't bring more than $10,000 cash with you(due to some airport rule that I'm not so familiar about).

So, yes, the whole amount. It included my tuition fee and my allowance for the whole semester. It was really a risky thing to do, but it was an assurance for me that I have money to survive in Beijing.

If bringing that much cash with you makes you feel uneasy, you can just bring some cash and your ATM card with you. Just make sure that it has the Visa, Cirrus or Master card logo on it. Else, the machines won't be able to recognize it and you won't be able to withdraw. Since it is an international card, each pull will cost you around 30 RMB and it also has a daily withdrawal limit.

Currency

If you intend to bring cash with you, it wouldn't be a smart decision to bring everything in RMB. This will be equivalent to bundles and bundles of cash and it will not be easy to handle.

I would suggest that you bring some cash in RMB, any amount that you think can last you around 3 weeks in Beijing would be good enough.

For the remaining amount, you can use a different currency. The best currency to bring with you is US dollar. The thinner your wallet looks, the better. ;)

Currency Exchange in Beijing
If you cannot exchange your money to RMB in your own country, you don't need to worry. There are currency exchange counters found in the arrival area of the airport but it will cost you an extra 50 RMB if I'm not mistaken.

But the best place to get currency exchange would be at the ICBC bank, located inside the school. It is packed with people especially during the first few days of enrollment, but it gets better after a week or so. They don't have extra charges for the currency exchange and the rates are not so bad either.

Did I give enough information? :) Your comments will be highly appreciated.

Dormitory versus Apartment

Prior to their stay in school, many students encounter this dilemma of either renting an apartment or living in one of the school dormitories in Beijing Language and Culture University. In choosing your own living space, here are some points to ponder:

Personalized space
One of the main differences of apartments and dormitories is the way they can actually design the space. If you rent a dormitory, then you'll only probably have a bed, a study table with chair, a closet for your clothes and a toilet. There will be no area for hanging your clothes outside, so you should buy a clothes dryer rack or maybe just hang your clothes on top of the curtains. The space is not very generous and you cannot really decorate it since pasting on walls is prohibited. If this doesn't bother you and you don't really have passion for interior decorating (like me), then living in the dorm will be fine. Otherwise, if you want a homey space with a living room, kitchen,dining area and personalized room, then you should stick with the apartment.

Convenience
For people who take convenience as the most important priority for a living space, then I suggest that you stay in a dormitory. If you live in a school dormitory, especially at Dorm 4, then everything is just so near to you! The classroom is less than a hundred steps away and the Dining hall is just in front of the Intensive Building. You can wake up at 7:30 a.m. and still be early for class! If you stay in Dorm 17, it's quite farther away from the classrooms but still, it will only need 10 minutes by foot and around 5 minutes by bike. There are some apartments nearby, but the closer the apartment, the higher is the price to pay. So, if you don't mind spending extra few minutes to ride the bus to school, you can take an apartment. 

Residence permit
For dorm residents, the residence permit will be given within the enrollment procedure. For those residing in apartments, you and your landlord should go together to the police station and claim your residence permit. This will only take less than a day or so, so the earlier you come to Beijing (before the class starts), the better.

Safety
The BLCU school ground is open to the public so anyone can just enter the school and pass by, but each dorm has a front desk and a number of CCTV cameras to watch who comes in and out the dormitories. Apartments don't have front desks, but it shouldn't be that unsafe either since the main doors have big locks to keep you safe from burglars and the like.

Electric and Water bill
When you rent a school dorm, your rental fee includes your stay, water and electric bill. You can use the electricity without limits provided that they are included in the dormitory guidelines. You don't need to refill electric cards so the problem about getting power shutdowns are out of the question. But if you're renting an apartment, you should coordinate with your flatmates in paying for the bill since it will be divided among yourselves. I'm not sure how much it costs every month, but it shouldn't be that big. Electricity is not very expensive in China.

Internet
The most people that can share an internet connection in the dormitory are two people (in a double room), unless you have friends next door who are willing to share with the internet expense. Routers can be rented at a really low price so it won't cost too much. In an apartment, you can have at most around 3-4 flatmates, so you can share the cost amongst yourselves.

Chill time
Since most apartments have a living room, with a sofa and television and a little bit more extra space, then this will be great for people who like to chill with friends. You can invite friends over for dinner or drinking sessions anytime since it doesn't have limits on visiting hours like dormitories have.

Where do you think it's more suitable for you to stay and why? Tell us more about it!