China » Living in Beijing

Living in China

How can one sum up the experience of living in China, or any other country? The reason we go abroad to study, live or travel is precisely because we want to go beyond what we read on the printed page. We want to taste, smell and get the true feeling of a place. The OUS Beijing program provides an introduction, the support and the skills for students who want to explore China and “look behind the curtain.”

Materially, life in Beijing today is not much different than life in the United States. Consumer goods, from coffee and donuts, to designer jackets and cosmetics are all readily available in the city (if notably absent outside of the cities). So students today, worry less about what they can bring and what can they find there.

Getting around Beijing is similar to getting around New York. There are buses and subways and taxis, though they are a lot (and I mean, a lot) more crowded. And like New York, there are the same types of cultural activities that one would find in any large city, plays, museums, night clubs, historical sites, etc., etc..

Beijing is:

• Chinese. The heart and center of 2,000 years of civilization; the capital of China for the last 400 years.
• China’s capital city. And the epicenter of China’s efforts to build and project its rightful place on the global stage.
• Developing. The rapid pace of China’s economic development have created large gaps between the haves and have-nots. Chinese from all over the country immigrate to Beijing in search of economic opportunity for themselves and for their families.
• A global city. On a par with London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Singapore, Mexico City and more. Home to a stunning range of international businesses and organizations.

So, on one level, it’s not too different from living in the U.S., is it?

But of course, it’s not really the same. It’s not as simple as that. None of that even begins to capture the flavor of China, the experience. Some things are universally true, however. Students tell us that they were often frustrated by an aspect of Chinese society; by pollution; by vestiges of bureaucracy or disorganization; by buses, subways and other infrastructure that was full to bursting. In the end however, they all tell us that over time they began to both understand “why” and “why it is important.”

The Location

The Central University for Nationalities is located in the Haidian district in northwest Beijing. This area is home to most of the universities in Beijing including Peking University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Tsinghua University, etc...

The CUN campus is located a ten minute walk (or five minute bus ride) from a major shopping center. Immediately behind the university, there are a number of excellent restaurants capturing the diverse ethnic culinary traditions of CUN students.

Traveling from the university to Tian’anmen Square or the Forbidden City takes about 45 minutes by taxi or an hour and a half by bus and subway.

Accommodations

OUS Beijing students typically live in CUN’s international student dorm. CUN has a large international student population from other parts of Asia, and many OUS Beijing students elect to have a non-English speaking roommate where Chinese becomes the common language of communication.

Limited homestay or apartment options are available and assessed on a case-by-case basis.

On-Site Support

OUS Resident Director, Patrick Lucas has been studying China since 1985 and has over 14 years cumulative experience living and traveling in China.

As resident director, Pat is there to support students and ensure program quality from year to year. Pat also organizes and leads numerous causal activities including lunches, plays, movies, concerns, exhibitions and visits to important sites.

The resident director also maintains the dedicated OUS program office with computers, reference books, leisure reading, a wireless network and other resources for student use.

Campus Contacts

Click on the name of your University for contact information.

* Also serves as the program Coordinator/Assistant.

Downloads

• Program Application
• China Program Handbook
• This is Something Else
• China Slideshow

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