Things to bring to Beijing

Are you done packing your bags and ready to fly to Beijing? Wait! Before you lock up your luggage and go, there might be a few things you need that you can't or won't easily find in Beijing.

Things to bring to Beijing:

1. Ethyl or Isopropyl Alcohol - If you're conscious about cleanliness and hand sanitation, bring several bottles of Ethyl or Isopropyl Alcohol with you. I've been to several groceries in Beijing, but I didn't find any. Good thing before I left for Beijing, a friend reminded me to bring some with me as I leave. If you're wondering how many bottles of alcohol I brought, I had a large, medium and pocket-sized one so I can use it anywhere I go. A pretty large quantity for 4 months of stay, but it was worth the weight!

2. Deodorant - For women who use deodorant, I heard they only sell deodorants for males. You can't find you're usual Rexona, Dove or Secret deodorants here,. So you better prepare enough for the whole duration of stay.

3. Enough Make up - Maybe you'll say, WHAT?! No need to panic, Beijing sells make up. It's just that most of their products have Chinese brands and you can't really read them so it's better to bring enough make - up of your preferred brand and color. For emergency situations, you can go for the nearest Watsons and grab something that looks familiar.

4. Western medicine - Yes it's hard to find in Beijing. Although they may have western hospitals, the medicine they sell would usually have a Chinese brand, with everything in it written in Chinese! They do have several stores that sell western medicine, but it's terribly difficult to find one. So bring all the medicines that you need, and even bring the ones you might need because you'll never know when illnesses will strike you.

5. Facial Moisturizer - During the winter season, skin dryness is inevitable. You can peel all over your body and you're face will be dryer than it ever was before. Although grocery stores may sell moisturizers, you'll only be confused by the number of products they display. It took me close to an hour just to confirm that the item I was getting was actually a moisturizer and not a facial wash!

So far, those are the things I observed that are hard to find in Beijing. There might be other things I'm missing, so If you know of any others feel free to comment below! 

How long should I study Chinese in BLCU?

Hello Everyone!

I'm finally back home after more than 4 months of study in Beijing Language and Culture University, or shall we say 1 semester. It has been a very rich and cultural experience for me. I did not only get to explore the beauty of Chinese people, the Chinese language and China itself, but I also met loads of amazing people from all over the world who are excellent in so many ways possible.

Basing from my experience, I would want to give you an idea on how long it should take you to study Chinese in BLCU.

Before I went to Beijing, I literally knew almost 0 Chinese. Yes, I grew up in a Chinese Community and learned Mandarin Chinese when I was in elementary, but the words I really knew by heart were less than 20 characters. I arrived in Beijing and felt like I was in another planet... And no I'm not kidding.

It may or may not surprise you, but you cannot use English in Beijing, unless you speak to your classmates or to students taking up English Majors. The teachers, restaurant personnel, drivers, store owners, EVERYONE else you see speaks in Chinese. Although this may sound horrible, but this was the most helpful part for me. The environment itself will push you to learn Chinese. I believe that there's no quicker way to learn than this method.

So, how many days did it take me to finally speak a bit in Chinese? It's actually surprising that after a week in class, and you go to a restaurant, you'd be able to call the waiter, ask for the menu, and then ask for the bill in Chinese. You'll learn to say How much? and Can you make it cheaper? when you go into the clothing market. You'll be able to say Hello to your teacher, say you're present and understand when the teacher says open your book to page so on and so forth. In the first weeks, you'll learn in class how to read the Chinese Pinyin, so you don't confuse the b with the p sound, the g with the k sound etc. It requires daily practice and it may become boring in some days but little do you know that you're actually learning Chinese!

Let me clarify that in the first month you will but learn the very basics of the Chinese language. It can only make you survive. At this point, you'll realize that there's more than 5000 words you need to learn, but you just have to keep motivated. Keep the fire burning. I was taught that if you learn and master even 800 words, you are already considered fluent and able in daily conversations.

After 1 semester of Intensive Chinese study, with several meet ups with my Chinese friend and several exposures to different people I met in Beijing, I can say I am very happy with the results. Although my Chinese is still just slightly above the beginner level, I know I can do what I want, ask for what I want and go where ever I want to now using the words I learnt in BLCU. I flew all by myself from Beijing to Xiamen and it was nice to know I could even understand airport terms.

Maybe you'll think that 1 semester or 4 months of Chinese study is too long, but when you go to Beijing, you'll realize how fast time flies. Beijing is such a fun place! Before you know it, it's time to go back and face your old life.

I honestly think that in order to fully master what you've learned, 1 school year is recommended (around 9 months) of learning. 1 semester though is just enough to get a good foundation of Chinese. If you already have some knowledge in Mandarin Chinese, you can always take the short term courses (3 - 12 weeks) depending on you're preference. Language learning is all about practicing and using what you've learned.

Have you studied Chinese in BLCU before? If not, do you plan to study Chinese? For how long?  :)

Internet Connection in BLCU

      When you become a student in Beijing Language and Culture University, you might consider having your own internet connection. The two most popular choices for establishing an internet connection in BLCU University include Cernet and China Unicom. Both of them have stores located inside the school and you can easily notice them because they are usually packed during the first few days of class. If you want to know how to establish an internet connection in BLCU and how much internet connection in BLCU will cost you, feel free to read on.

Cernet

 

     Cernet in BLCU is located near the West gate of the school ( close to the Dorm 17, International students housing center). Due to it's convenient location and quick Customer Support services, it is the most preferred connection by the students. Establishing a connection is also quite easy.

     In order to establish an internet connection with Cernet, you will just need to bring your Laptop and a valid school ID/passport to their office.When you open an account with Cernet, they will charge you 50 RMB for setting up your connection and this non-refundable.

     Depending on your Internet usage, you can choose among the following plan rates:

     -50 RMB - 40 hours / month

     -100 RMB - 120 hours / month

     -140 RMB - Unlimited Internet for 30 days

     -850 RMB - Unlimited Internet for 6 months

     All the above connections have a uniform speed of 1 mbps. If ever you stay for 5 weeks and opt for the unlimited service, you can buy an extra 50 RMB card for the remaining days of your stay. If you didn't bring your cable wire with you, you will also need to purchase one for 10 RMB. Eg. If you want an unlimited internet connection for 1 month (inclusive of a cable wire and connection fee), you will spend a total of 200 RMB. The longer your stay, the cheaper the cost.

The steps above are for students who live in a single room dorm and those who are living in Dorm 17. In older dorms, there is only one slot for the internet cable wire, so, in cases where you have a room mate, you will need to purchase an Exchange Machine (this is what they call it) which costs 75 RMB and 3 wires (about 3 meters long) for 10 RMB. Both of you should go to the Cernet office together and open your account. 

Before leaving, they will  give you your username and password, as well as instructions on how to do the set-up in your room.

China Unicom

     China Unicom can be another alternative for those who require cheaper internet connection or don't want to be part of the Long Lines in Cernet during the first few days of class. Their establishment is located across Alliance France which is near BLCU Dorm 4. 

     This internet connection is quite fast, but some people will encounter problems during installation like my roommate and I experienced when we first tried to establish a connection. Unlike Cernet where the technician tweaks your laptop as soon as you apply, China Unicom is more of a do-it-yourself Internet company. They will also give you instructions, but it's all written in Chinese. If all else fails, you can contact their technician (which I found quite rude because he walked out on us without fixing my laptop connection), but he will come when you request for him in the office. 

     Anyway, if you also want a connection that allows you to use a router, you can go for this connection. China Unicom has routers for rent at 105 RMB and they will refund you 100 RMB as soon as you return it. 

     They also have several cards you can choose from. Here are their Internet rates:

     -30 RMB - 50 hours / month

     -80 RMB - Unlimited Internet for 1 month (1mbps speed)

     -120 RMB - Unlimited Internet for 1 month (2 mbps speed)

     -420 RMB - Unlimited Internet for 155 days (2 mbps speed)

     

     In order to contact their technician, you can call these numbers 82303144 / 82303155. Sometimes they have staff members who can speak English, but most of the time they don't. So if you don't know any Chinese Mandarin, better proceed to their office instead of calling so you can ask help from other people around.      

BLCU Chinese Courses

I know you visited this page because you plan to study in BLCU University but you have this question in mind, should you take up the Chinese Intensive Course or the Basic/Regular Course? What is the difference between the two? Since I am a Beijing and Language Culture University intensive course student, I can think I can give you more information about the Intensive class, but I did some research about the Regular Class as well. I will try to compare these two courses the best way I can and I hope I can help you decide which one suits you better.

First of all let me give you a brief background about the Intensive Course. This course is comprised of 30 hours/week which means that you have classes from 8:00 am - 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm from Mondays to Fridays. You can choose to study for a length of 4-20 weeks depending on your preferred length of stay.

The 20-week program is equivalent to 1 semester and usually begins from September to January (winter semester) and March to July (summer semester). I will discuss further about the 1 semester stay in BLCU since it is the program I took.

INTENSIVE COURSE

Some books used in the Intensive Class - for A Level Students

Advantages
- Since the Intensive Course is designed for you to learn in 6 months what a regular student can learn in 1 year, your vocabulary is definitely going to be wider and more comprehensive than a regular student.

- You have an extra 3 hours of class everyday, so you will literally be "forced" to study Chinese and not sleep in the afternoons!

- Usually, you will spend every Friday afternoon for each of these extra class activities: visiting the Great wall, going to Summer Palace, learning the Chinese Culture (Calligraphy, Chinese Painting, Opera Mask making, Knot Making etc.), Watching the Beijing Opera, Meeting Chinese Friends.. the list goes on.

- Since you have only an hour to spend for lunch, you will usually eat with your classmates everyday so you will soon become really close with them.

- Your tuition fee includes 1 free long distance trip (about 5 days) to different places in China, usually in Nanjing-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Wuzhen-Shanghai for the Winter Semester and in Zhengzhou-Luoyang-Xi'An for the Summer Semester. (I have to admit, this was my reason for taking up the Intensive course.)

Disadvantages
- Since most of the day is already spent in the Classroom, you have less time spent to practice your Chinese in the outside world.

- You need to do homework after class! Sometimes you have a lot, and sometimes you have more than a lot! So yes, it will exhaust you at one point. You'll need to keep yourself motivated.

- It's hard to juggle your time. If you are a gym buddy, it will be hard for you to schedule your time to the gym especially during the weekdays.

- Hard to fix meeting time with a Chinese Tutor because of your schedule.

- Too many things to learn in one time. Sometimes you just cannot pack in everything.

- You only have the weekends free. It's hard to go out shopping or travelling during the weekdays because of, again, your schedule.

- If you plan to get a part-time job like teaching English, I suggest that you do not take the Intensive course!

Now that you know some things about the Intensive Course, let me talk about the Regular Course. This course is comprised of 20 hours per week which means that you only have classes from 8:00 am - 12:00 noon from Mondays to Fridays. Your afternoons are free. The length of program is still between 4-20 weeks.

REGULAR COURSE

Some books used in the Regular class - for A level students

Advantages
- Your schedule is so much more relaxed. You still learn Mandarin but the teaching method is at a slower pace so there is not much pressure on you. Learning becomes much more natural.

- You have the afternoons free so you can either choose to still study Mandarin (in a different school), go shopping, go to the gym, travel around Beijing, take a nap or just do whatever you want. You're free!

- You can have more time to spend with a Chinese tutor (If you want to enhance your speaking skills more or if you want to learn business Chinese since it is only taught to more advanced students).

- You can also look for Language Partners. Apart from having a Chinese tutor, you can spend your time meeting Chinese Friends who want to learn English, French, Spanish etc.

- You can take in Part-time jobs like teaching English and get paid while you learn.

- You have more time to do your homework!

Disadvantages
- If you rely solely on Classroom learning, you will be behind students in the Intensive course. Unless you take 1 year Regular Course.

- If you don't have a Chinese language partner or tutor, it will be harder for you to be conversational. This is because You have less time in class (so less learning) and no practice!

- It comes out to be more expensive because you pay for your daily living expenses and it's advised that you spend at least a year if you take Regular classes to learn Mandarin.

- No Long Distance Class trip and extra Friday activities (except for a trip to Great wall).

- Not that close with classmates because you separate ways as soon as you depart class. (Debatable)

The choice of taking up either the Intensive or Regular Class will always depend on your priorities. Have you decided which course to take and why?

If you are or have been a student of BLCU, please don't hesitate to give comments below and help out other students to decide!

Inside the BLCU Library

Once you become a student of Beijing Language and Culture University, you'll probably pass through this building everyday. Whether or not you've attempted to go in, you deserve to know what it's like inside and what this place could offer you. Located at the heart of the school, the BLCU library or better yet known as 图书馆 (Túshū guǎn), is actually one of the most useful places for students who are looking for a quiet and convenient place to study and read books. Here are several places you might want to visit in the Library:

The Sauce - Cafe

Before you even recognize the building (that it's actually the library), you will surely see this place first. The Sauce sells a variety of snacks/meals which includes Sandwiches, Salads, Coffee and the like. Coffee is sold at around 10-20 RMB a cup. Some students choose to spend their time studying inside the Sauce rather than the library, some also like to spend time chatting outside this Coffee shop, since they have chairs and tables arranged outside as well. I have never tried their Sandwiches, but the large ones are about a foot tall and they look really good! Not bad for it's price.

Photo booth

When you enter the Library, just look at the immediate left area and you will see an instant photo booth. This will be very convenient for you especially when you need your photos taken during the enrollment procedure.

Newspapers and Periodicals Reading Room

This area is located on the First floor of the BLCU library, beside the staircase. It is opened from Mondays to Saturdays from 8:00-11:30, 14:00-17:30 and 18:30-21:30. In this area, you can find a lot of reading materials including magazines and the like, but as far as I'm concerned, they have English newspapers, which you can read when you want to get updates about the World Events.

This is my secret study area. Whenever all the Quiet Study rooms are full, you can always try to visit this room because usually, there will be a free space. Once you enter the room, you'll need to get a number with a key, open a locker and leave your bag inside. Don't forget to get your things back when you leave and return the key!


Book Shops
There are 2 Book Shops inside the Library. One is located at the first floor, close to the toilet area. All the books inside are in Chinese. It sells maps of Beijing, Chinese to other languages dictionary and many others. If your Chinese is quite advanced, you can come by to buy books that you may like. The other book shop is located at the second floor. It's not very noticeable, but you just need to turn right as soon as you get up and you will see it. This book shop sells books suitable for foreigners like us. It sells all kinds of Learn Chinese Books, Dictionaries and DVD's. It also sells our own Text books! This book shop is pretty interesting, I think it has all the resources we need for our study in BLCU.

Quiet Study Room

For people who like a well-lighted and quiet place to study, you can come by the library and take a spot on it's Quiet study rooms. The quiet study room is opened from 7:00 - 22:30 daily. It is really quiet inside, barely having any noise except for people coming in and leaving the area. Also, everyone inside is studying so you can get the motivation to study yourself. But because it's free for everyone to use, it is more often than not, full.

There are I think about 3 study rooms in the BLCU library, one in every floor. You can come by at an earlier time to reserve your seat by leaving a book/notebook on top of the table. Make it appear like you're in the middle of studying by opening your book and you can come back again later when you decide to study. You can also do the same when you're out for lunch/dinner so that you're seat will not be taken from you.

Convenience Store
This store is located just beside the book shop. You can buy some snacks, bottled coffee, notebooks and other basic necessities inside. You can also enter and exit the library through this store.

Copy/Print Shop

The Copy/Print Shop is located right after the Convenience store. If you enter from the back door (exit leads to the Conference center building), you just need to walk pass a small tea shop to get here. For photocopying, it will cost you around 1 mao (1/10 of an 1 RMB) for each copy. They also offer scanning services for 2 RMB per page.

Tea House
There is a tea house located just behind the Copy/Print shop. You can try coming by to study if all other areas in the library are full. I think this area is usually less visited by students.