Yanshan University

[roddy]

This topic is for discussion and reviews of Yanshan University. Accommodation, courses, on-campus facilities and activities - anything to do with Yanshan University goes in here. If there's a lot of discussion about any one particular topic we might split it into a new thread and leave a link here.

[ZhangKaiRong]

Hello everybody!

I'm currently studying at Yanshan University, I would like to share some information about the university.

I study here as an EU Window Chinese Government Scholarship recipient, so I applied here through the PRC EU Mission Embassy. In mid June I was informed that I got the scholarship to here, and around mid July we got our admission packages. Communication was very good, teachers in the International Office can speak and write English well, I got all the necessary information from them.

I arrived here two days before the official registration time, but it was no problem, I was really surprised that it went so smoothly. Registration was easy, I only had to pay 60 RMB for the medical administration fee (my foreigner physical examination form was okay), after that we went to the immagration office to get our residence permit. It was 400 RMB, but there were no problems getting it. There is a coordinator in the international office who guided us through this administration process, so we didn't have to do it on our own, which is a great advantage, other scholarship students told me that they had to do everything on their own.

Accomodation is really really good. There are only shared rooms, but they are big enough for two people. All the furnitures are brand-new. Every room has a fridge, a microwave oven, an air-conditioner, an electronic kettle and a full HD LED TV, they are also brand-new as well (and only the TV is Chinese, the other ones are Western brands). There are three rooms in a block, and every block has a seperate bathroom. Bathroom is so-so okay, no big surprises. The toilets are Chinese-styled, though, you have to get used to it, but after that it's okay. It gets cleaned every day. You have to pay for the Internet, the fee for one semester is 580 RMB, and you also need to pay for the electricity: 160 kWh is free for each room in each month, after spending this amount, you have to pay 40 RMB to have electricity.

I am quite satisfied with the language program here. There are five groups, starter 1-2, intermediate 1-2, and advanced. I'm in the intermediate 1 group, we use the Peking University Press' (Chinese Intermediate Listening Course, Intermediate Chinese Reading Course, Intermediate Spoken Chinese) and the BLCU Press' (Climbing Up, Teaching Foreigners Practical Chinese Grammar, China's Cultural Heritage) books. I have a lot of classes, there is 汉语，口语，听力，语法，阅读 and 文化. Teachers are strict but also helpful, though I didn't need to get used to the Chinese-styled teaching methods since in my home country I also had a native Chinese teacher. There is homework every day. No extra-curricular classes, though, only the intermediate2 and advanced group can select facultative courses. We have two exams in each class, one in the first week of November, one in late December.

There are 11 people in this group, most of them are South Koreans, but there are some Russians as well. Classrooms are big and modern (have air-conditioner, computer, projector, screen), everything is brand-new.

Campus is quite big as well, there is an Eastern Campus and a Western Campus. Dormitory and teaching building is on the Western Campus. The main gate is on the Eastern Campus, though, so we have to walk or take the campus bus to get out to the city, it can be tiring sometimes. However, you can access everything on campus: there are 7 different canteens, at least 5 supermarkets, several shops, banks, China Mobile/Unicom offices, post offices, a train ticket office, a teahouse. Transportation is also quite well from the university, there is a bus stop next to the main gate, by bus you can get everywhere, both to downtown and Beidaihe, which is the tourist paradise. The biggest problem with this city is that there is no nightlife, after 2AM everything closes. It is not a problem for foreign students, because our dorm's gate is also closed at 11PM, so we can't be outside too late.

The Western Campus is full of Chinese students, they are very friendly and easy-going, you can easily make friends with them. After the first week, I already had about 8 Chinese friends, they help me a lot, we spend a lot of time together. The girls here are quite beautiful as well

If someone has any questions, feel free to ask me.

[imron]

Go Qinhuangdao! (I lived in Nandaihe for 3 years - although now it's all completely changed).

and Beidaihe, which is the tourist paradise.

For varying definitions of paradise

[roddy]

Great to see some info on less well-known universities, thanks!

[cin05]

I rearranged my preferential list before applying, I put Qinhuangdao on the first spot, Tianjin on the second and Qingdao to the third, and I got my scholarship to Qinhuangdao, I'm here just right now, and I do not regret my choice. Small cities are just fine for me, during my travel to here I spent 2 days in Beijing, but I didn't like it at all. Here in QHD everything seems perfect for me, the teachers are very good, there are only 10 people in my group, the Chinese students are nice as well, I made some friends, they are from here, and they speak quite clear mandarin, I can understand them well.

Hello ZhangKaiRong

Can u give me some information about Qinhuangdao? Are you really happy to be there? How about learning mandarin in there?

[ZhangKaiRong]

@cin05

I tried to send you a PM, but there was some problem, so I answer here.

Yanshan University is quite great, but I suppose you have to reconsider what do you want to do in China during your stay. Qinhuangdao is a small, provincial city, so the entertainment segment is horribly awful, there are no clubs or pubs near here, so compared to Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing or any other big cities, Qinhuangdao is very dull. There are only 150-200 foreigners in the whole city, including the native English teachers, excluding the Russians from Beidaihe, so you rarely see a foreigner here. But, from an other point of view, it's not just a weakness of the city, but also a strenght, because in this way the only thing you can do here is learn, learn, learn. This doesn't mean you just have to go to class and learn there, your biggest portion of learning Chinese here is come from your friends. I made some good Chinese friends here, they help me a lot, thanks to them, I improved my language skills.

The classes at YanDa are OK, there are some boring classes and there are some exciting ones, as my friends and classmates from different cities and universities told me, it is the same as every Chinese university's language program. I guess classes are good for grammar, reading and learning new characters and expressions, while chatting with friends is good for listening skills, spoken language and learning to use Chinese creatively. Both are necessary if you want to master your Chinese.

Just a comparision: my language skills compared to my friends' in Beijing improved better/faster. When we first got here, our language knowledge was about at the level of a good HSK2/a low HSK3, now the Beijing friends' knowledge is at the level of a good HSK3, while mine is at a good HSK4. I guess the main problem is that in bigger cities, foreigners always do things together, they have only a few Chinese friends (and I suppose those "friends" just want to raise their English skills), while in here you are forced to contact with Chinese students.

Hmmm, I don't know what else to stay... The dorm is fine, there are double rooms, the space is more than enough for two people, there is a new, modern fullHD LCD TV, a Whirlpool fridge, microwave oven, air-conditioner in each room. From 5th november, there is heating, the rooms are very warm. The bathroom is just so-so, but no big problems, and I guess it will be redecorated next summer.

So, in total, I am quite happy here. This is my first visit to China, and I'm glad that I could come here. IMO, big cities reflect a false image on China, small cities have a more accurate "Chinese" feeling, so if you interested in the real way of Chinese living, you should go to third-tier cities. If you want a somehow Western kind of lifestyle, then choose a first-tier big city

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

[icebear]

+1 for the follow up. I think most language students are well served by staying away from the big expat centers. A dedicate student can do this even while living in Beijing/Shanghai, but choosing a smaller place forces you to do so. QHD seemed pretty nice when I spent a weekend there last summer - and, as you mentioned, devoid of expats.

[cin05]

@ZhangKaiRong

Oh thank you very much for your amazing reply! I wanna study in China next year. I wanna talk with you but I couldnt send private message to you. I dont know what is problem O.o

QHD sounds really good. I'm thinking about it.. How can we contact?

[roddy]

You can PM now, but PLEASE ask questions here if possible, so that everyone can read the answers. I'm also moving some posts to the topic about Yanshan University - there's no point in having it under "Tianjin".

[brekk2]

@ZhangKaiRong

Hi, I'm going to Yanshan University with the same kind of EU scholarship you got. I haven't received the admission package yet, hence the confusion :$ I'm really excited about going to China and studying there but since I don't have much information about it yet, I also feel a bit left out

Could you please let me know if the cost of the medical administration fee and the residence permit are covered by the scholarship? or did you have to pay for it yourself? Also, as far as I know there is a refundable fee students have to pay when they move in their rooms and which they get back when they leave at the end of the academic year. Did you have to pay for this too?

I'm just asking because I'm not sure how much money I sould take with me... :$

Thank you for your help in advance.

[ycr88]

hello will go to yanshan university this month to study chinese, my first time in china, i hope i can use well all this information, i would like so much know poeple from there before,

[Viking]

@brekk2

Hello, I've also gottten to Yanshan Uni, but I am from other scholarship, so I cannot answer all of your questions, but maybe I could help a little bit. I know, that you should pay them 1020 元 as a deposit and those money will given you back at the end of the year or semester (depends on how long do you stay in China).

What else - I am not sure whether your scholarship will covered those cost, but I will tell you about some expenses at the beginning:

dorm: you are obliged to paid for a semester/year in advance, for 1 semester it is 4800RMB

insurance fee: 600 RMB/year

Medical Certification Fee - 60 RMB

Residential Permit Fee - 800 RMB/year

+ textbooks fees.

I also have one question - do you maybe know if I am obliged to pay for the access to the Internet? What if I want to have one for my own? ;)

[brekk2]

@ycr88

Good luck with your studies! Are you doing one of the short or long term courses?

[brekk2]

@Viking

Hi, Thank you for your reply!

According to the uni's website students have to pay for the internet and the bills separately, as these costs are not included in the accomodation fee - and they are not covered by the scholarships either. (http://gjhzc.ysu.edu.cn/siysu/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=343 ) On the other hand, I'm sure you are not obliged to pay for the internet if you don't want to have the connection in your room.

If you haven't done it yet, then you also have to fill out an "accomodation reservation form" and e-mail it to them in advance. - The form can be downloaded from the Chinese version of the website - the link on the English one doesn't work

Are you staying for 1 semester only?

[ZhangKaiRong]

@brekk2

Sorry, I haven't been online for a while. Thanks to roddy who messaged me about the activity here, I'm back again

Deposit is 1000 RMB, and there are 20 additional RMB for the keys. However, we didn't have to pay the deposit last year

The medical fee was 60 RMB, but I had to pay an additional 30 RMB because at the hospital they said my lung X-ray is not visible, lol. So in total it was 90 RMB. The residency permit was 400 RMB for a year. Insurance is covered by the scholarship, so no problems. Textbooks up to 300 RMB are also covered, it is enough (I paid 10 RMB additional fee in the second semester).

You can subscribe for the Internet at the 中国联通 next to the big school cantin, the fee for the first semester is 580 RMB, but they give you a 联通 SIM card for free as well. The SIM card has a solid 350 RMB account, so no need to buy from other service providers, 联通 is just fine. Ah, and they also give you access to an internet set-top box, so you can watch internet TV as well.

You have to pay for the electricity as well if you use more than 160 kWh per month per room, but honestly, this is a generous offer, our room has never ever been near that amount, so you don't have to worry about this.

We got our September stipend (1700 RMB) on the second week in cash, so you can manage these first-days-fees on that money.

BtW, brekk2, is it possible that you're from Hungary?

[brekk2]

@ZhangKaiRong

No problem Thanks a lot for your reply! (and for roddy's for letting you know about the questions! ) Thanks for all the information! It just seems there are so many things that need to be sorted before I leave the country, so I was a bit concerned, but after reading your message it seems I will be just fine

Yes, I am from Hungary Does this mean that you are Hungarian too?

[ZhangKaiRong]

Yes, I am Last year there were eight Hungarians at YanDa, we were the fourth biggest colony after the Koreans, Russians and Central Asians According to the list I saw at the International office, this year there will be 4 Hungarians, 3 girls and a boy, so you will have some company, you won't feel alone there.

[Viking]

@brekk2

Thanks for your help. Nope, I am staying longer - for the whole year.

Great that you reminded me about this accomodation form, because I have totally forgotten!

By the way, I am from Poland

[roddy]

Good to see some newcomers getting help from old hands!

[brekk2]

@ZhangKaiRong

haha, what a coincidence!

8? wow! I only saw 1 girl - apart from myself - on the 'first round' list.

I'm sure it will be a great experience, and based on your previous posts it sounds like you had a great time there! I bet your Chinese was better than mine when you started the course, but hopefully I will learn a lot too