The 4th in China

This will be the first fourth of July in which I am outside of the United States. To celebrate, another intern and I went to a western-style restaurant in Beijing specifically to order cheese burgers and it was one of the first burgers I have had since being in Beijing. From what we read online this restaurant was supposed to have won an award for having the “best burger in Beijing.” We were not disappointed as I think even by American standards it was a really good burger. The restaurant was also full of other Americans who seemed to be missing home on the fourth and wanted a good burger to celebrate. Though it was not a Fourth that I am used to in the U.S., it was still pretty fun.

In the mean time we have continued to explore different parts of Beijing. This weekend we visited the Lama temple. It is a Buddhist temple in the middle of the city. It is surrounded by a high way and modern office buildings that make it easy to walk right by the temple without noticing it. However, when you walk in there are several large buildings housing different statues honoring Buddha. As we went back there was a temple with a large Buddha statue in the middle and monks surrounding it chanting and meditating. Visitors could sit on mats around the monks or stand on the outside. It was interesting to watch them practicing their religion and to learn more about how they practice. As we went further back the last building housed the largest Buddha statue in the world. It was massive and amazing to look at. Though we could not take pictures of the statues, as it was seen as disrespectful, I think I will always remember it.

Though we are still learning more about Chinese customs and cultures, it is also nice to be able to celebrate the fourth even though we are far away from home. It definitely a fourth that I will remember.

The post The 4th in China appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Past the Halfway Mark

I can’t believe that a month has already passed and the interns who only signed up for the one month program have left. At the midway point, I’m feeling excited that I can look forward to July 27, yet a little nostalgic that my time to leave is also coming up. I’m not necessarily homesick because I love traveling and wasn’t planning to go home this summer, but I’m looking forward to having access to regular sitting toilets, lighter/non-spicy food, normal service, and access to websites that are blocked here. These two months have definitely taught me to not take all of the above for granted, and also to remind me of how sweet home is.

This Saturday, we visited Lama Temple, which was a really cool experience with the Tibetan Buddhist monks and the tallest Buddha statue in China. After strolling through the hutongs looking for a place for lunch, we ended up at KFC, which we noticed usually is located near more touristy areas, and the meal didn’t go wrong. If you’re ever doubtful about the food or restaurant you’re at, never hesitate to fall back on trustworthy KFC. Since I’ve been traveling since early May, my body hasn’t been doing well with the work schedule, heavy food, and inconsistent exercise routine, so I went to Song Lin Spa for their 2 hour foot and whole body massage for only 138 kuai. If anyone’s looking for a massage place that offers private and group rooms that has tons of local and foreign customers, Song Lin Spa is the place to go!

Sunday was a chill day and with our dwindling list of places we want to visit, we decided to go to World Park, or 世界公园, which unfortunately was at the southwest corner of Beijing and took a pretty long time to reach. The mini replicas of different wonders around the world were pretty cute, but when we came across a couple that we’ve personally visited before and seen in person (like the Golden Gate bridge, Grand Canyon, Lincoln memorial, and Statue of Liberty), the replicas came off as too fake to take seriously. In the afternoon, it suddenly began pouring, so during a twenty minute break when the rain stopped where we thought we could run to the subway stop for shelter, the rain started again halfway, and we got soaked. That’s definitely going to be a moment I’ll remember when I look back at Beijing-we were so in shock ourselves we couldn’t begin to process the looks on people’s faces when we walked into the subway station with dripping clothes and squishy shoes.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend taking a trip to the Lama Temple, but I’d recommend only visiting World Park if you’re aspiring to travel the world (and haven’t yet seen several of the places they built replicas of) or have young cousins or children who would find it fun.

The post Past the Halfway Mark appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Half way through!

After a month of living here I can safely say that visiting Beijing through the CRCC Asia program has been an incredibly insightful and fulfilling experience in my life from a number angles. And I’ve still got a month to go!

On the first day of my internship, CRCC made sure we were all dropped off at our host company locations. Betty (CRCC coordinator) went out of her way to make sure I arrived safe and sound. She directed me into the building where I was met by the British Council Education team – the people I would be working with and learning from for the two months to follow. Right from the start, the Education team have been incredibly welcoming, listening to my learning objectives and providing guidance where possible. On my first day I was introduced to exciting projects such as Generation UK – China. The purpose of Generation UK – China is to provide 80,000 UK students with the opportunity to experience studying and working in China by 2020. Within Generation UK – China, I have been working on the Spotlight campaign. The aim of the campaign is to inspire Generation UK alumni to return to China. This involves identifying individuals with unique China experiences to write a blog post about their China experiences on the Generation UK: China Linked In Network page. I have picked up some key skills whilst working on the Spotlight campaign such as partnership management, market research and content creation. In addition to Spotlight I have also been working on the China resources pack. The objective of the China resource pack is to highlight additional scholarship, internship and volunteering opportunities for British alumni. Working on the resources pack has allowed me to develop my project planning, project management and time management skills.

In addition to working on Generation UK – China, I have also been working on the UK – China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Alliance. The purpose of the alliance is to create a platform for the UK and China to share best practices for teaching and entrepreneurship. The UK – China IEE Alliance is still in the research and planning stages. However, I have learnt a lot about how Entrepreneurship is taught and assessed by educators in the UK as well as policy expectations of entrepreneurship education set down by the UK government.

With so much to see outside the office I have also been trying to explore as much of Beijing as possible at the weekends and in the evenings. My top experiences so far have been camping out on the Great Wall, taking Kong Fu lessons in the Temple of Heaven and attending a tea ceremony in Western Beijing.

Camping on the Great Wall was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Myself and five friends from the CRCC program were picked up from the apartments and driven for two hours out of Beijing to Hebei province. Upon arrival we were given a Chinese feast for lunch consisting of around 5-7 different dishes to share between us. After a short rest to let our food settle, we set off to hike up to the Great Wall. Once we arrived at the Great Wall we set up camp, took a rest and drank some water before setting off for a long hike up the wall. After seeing some amazing views we headed back to our camp to eat a delicious barbecue on the great wall while we watched the sun set. A sight I will never forget. After a good nights sleep we woke up at 4:00am to watch the sun rise. Another beautiful view. We took one last hike up the Great Wall before being taken back to eat Chinese breakfast at the same place we ate lunch
the day before. Finally we drove back to Beijing, arriving before noon. An amazing 24 hours and definitely not one to miss out on!

Another rich Beijing experience was learning Kong Fu in the Temple of Heaven. I was up and out by 06:30am to be met by a local Chinese interpreter at the East gate of the Temple of Heaven for 08:00am. She escorted me to an area of the Temple of Heaven hidden by the trees. Here she introduced me to 76 year old Master Lee, a Kong Fu Master with a lifetime of experiences. He was training a group of 12-16 year olds. They were synchronistically pulling off punch kick combos and round house flips. I was very impressed. I joined in with the kids but I could only try to keep up. I was pleasantly surprised by their patience and willingness to teach me the moves. They were keen for me to return so they could continue to teach me authentic Kong Fu. This is something I would love to do. They told me I must purchase some adequate Kong Fu pants and shoes before returning!

I think the biggest culture shocks so far has been the prices in Beijing. It’s ridiculous how cheap the necessity items such as travel and food are. You can go from one side of Beijing to the other for 5 yuan. This is the equivalent of £0.65p. A price beyond anything you could ever imagine from Transport for London! Street food is cheap and tasty but you must be careful with who you buy it from as it’s hard to trust the hygiene of street sellers. But for a street food meal, you can expect to pay the same price as it costs you to go from one side of Beijing to the other, 5 yuan or £0.65p. The one thing that seems to be the same price if not more expensive than in the West is coffee. So if you rely on coffee, you may find your love for caffeine costs you more than food and transport in Beijing!

Up until now Beijing has been a life changing experience. I only have my parents, the British Council, CRCC Asia and everyone else involved who has made this a fantastic experience to thank! If you’re considering applying, all I can say is just do it. Don’t miss out on this enriching opportunity to experience a completely different culture from what you’ve become accustomed to in the West.

The post Half way through! appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Beijing So Far

 So far we have been in Beijing for about a month, which means I am about halfway through my trip and internship. The whole experience is going by way too fast and it is hard to believe that it is half done. So for this blog, I wanted to reflect on my impressions of China and my time here for the first month.

China is a beautiful place with an amazing cultural heritage. It is amazing to me that you can go from the urban city of Beijing with KFCs and a crazy amount of cars to an ancient, historical temple several centuries old on the same street. Or, there are lakes and rivers edged into different places in the city, giving a natural feeling among the urban sprawl. I love how on almost every street you go on in Beijing you can see a nod to China’s historical culture among the urbanization and that they have successfully held on to their traditions for so long. The city is also set up in a very organized way that it is very easy to get around. People are always busy and moving from place to the next. This gives the city a very fast-paced energetic vibe. That is something else that I really like about Beijing.
There is always something to do or see or experience and though it may seem exhausting the energy of the city helps you to keep moving. Overall, I am greatly enjoying my time here and I cannot wait to experience more. From the great food to the beautiful parks and temples, Beijing is definitely gorgeous and fascinating city to stay in for two months.

The post Beijing So Far appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Firsts

This week was full of very exciting firsts for me. At my internship this week I had an amazing opportunity to visit the Dutch embassy in Beijing. I work at an NGO and we often cooperate with international embassies when it comes to our events. Most of the embassies are located off of Liangmaqiao street in a very beautiful area. The Dutch embassy is right next to the United Nations in Beijing and that was pretty exciting to walk past as well. There is a river that runs through that area where people swim and relax. There is a little park area where people can eat lunch and play games.

Though I was not allowed to take pictures of the embassy, I did get pictures of the river and park area. Going to the embassy was really exciting for me because I love international politics and I hope to eventually work at an embassy or work with them such as in an NGO. I’ve also never been inside an embassy before, so it was exciting to see one and observe how NGOs interact with embassies.

 

My second first is that I got to see the Great Wall of China for the first time. We went to a less tourist area of the wall called Jinshanling. Though the hike up was difficult the view was amazing. The part we were at was one of the longest stretches of the wall still intact and it is amazing to think of all the craftsmanship that went into building the wall. It was an incredible experience.                                           

 

Overall, this week has been full of amazing experiences and I feel incredibly lucky to have had these opportunities.

The post Firsts appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Beautiful China

Already almost time to go home… China really has grown on me these past 3 weeks and although I miss home, a part of me wishes I could stay longer.

 

Life

I feel much more comfortable now. As strange as it sounds, coming back from Guilin (which I’ll talk about later) felt like what I imagined going back to Canada would feel like. I had just started to get used to constantly feeling like a celebrity. If you’re confused, let me explain. Despite China being extremely modern, it seems that many people (especially in rural  areas that we travelled to) are not used to seeing foreigners, and it is very easy to tell. Be warned: people may take pictures. The way I see it, people are just curious (and if you talk to them very nice, albeit shy), and don’t mean it in a negative way. No such thing as bad publicity, right?

Work

I finished up my large project at work, and will be presenting it on Friday (my last day). If you’re interested in buy-side finance: it was an analysis of a company called Himax Technologies, where after doing my analysis I gave a “buy” recommendation supported by a report explaining the business model, growth projections, and the valuation model. My presentation will involve pitching to the analyst team, after which they will take a closer look and decide if they want to move forward.

Travel

Travelling took up the bulk of my time this week. We left for Guilin/Yangshuo on Thursday morning and came back Sunday night. If you’re planning on travelling during your time in China, the high-speed trains are extremely quick and convenient. Took us 3 hours to get to Guilin (~630km), and the scenery along the way was gorgeous. In Guilin we saw the Sun & Moon Pagodas, bargained with merchants in the Night Market, and went to the breath-taking Longsheng Rice Terraces. If you’re in Shenzhen, I would highly recommend visiting this area – you won’t regret it.

The highlight for me though, was Yangshuo (and getting there). We travelled to Yangshuo via the “Li River Cruise” which may have been the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. My words won’t do it justice, and neither will any pictures. You’ll have to visit and experience the Li River for yourself. Walking along the pier in Yangshuo made me feel like I was in a town from Game of Thrones. Very crowded, merchants everywhere, and languages I couldn’t understand. From there we entered “West Street” which is unlike any street I’ve seen in the western world. Filled with little shops, food stalls, and beautiful little buildings – I thoroughly enjoyed it. My most memorable experience though, was riding the Mopeds. For six hours, they cost us only 50RMB (~$10 for me). I can now say that I have driven in Chinese traffic. Definitely one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. Driving mopeds is one thing, but doing it on roads that have such a gorgeous backdrop is something that I think should be on everyone’s bucket list.

The post Beautiful China appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Must-Sees in Beijing

This past weekend we went to Xidan commercial area, Summer Palace, and Shichahai Lake. The weekday work schedule and exhausting commute has caught up to me and I wanted to keep the weekend trips more chill so that I would have more time to relax. Each place that we went to was unique in its own way, and the Summer Palace and Shichahai were my favorite places we’ve visited so far in Beijing.

This past weekend also served several firsts; the weather hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit, tons of natives in Summer Palace asking Christine to take selfies with them, and a mistake in ordering food led to extremely spicy bowls of noodles that we couldn’t continue eating (spicy in terms of the noodles being made with notorious Beijing peppers). I loved Summer Palace because of how beautiful the entire park was and how well the architecture all came together. I recommend spending time around the lake, which was my favorite spot, and looking out at the bridge, island, and Fragrant Hills that are in the background; that is one view I would never get tired of.

I’ve attached a picture of the bowl of noodles as a warning. Do not ever order this if you ever see it.

Our failed lunch left us staying in the safe lane with fish and chips for dinner at Wangfujing. A late night snack of Hong Kong egg waffles hit the spot, and I definitely recommend trying out ice cream with Hong Kong egg waffles if you ever get the chance! In addition, I wasn’t expecting much of Shichahai (Beihai is makes up one of the lakes there), but while I was strolling among the crowded sidewalks with tour groups, foreigners, and natives, the place still kept its traditional feeling. There were little shops, boutiques, and restaurants selling cute souvenirs, nifty trinkets, and interesting food.

The weather was even hotter on Sunday, past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the cloudy sky and breeze made it feel a lot cooler. I’ve been on the lookout for shaved ice, or 刨冰,every time we go out during the weekend, but haven’t had any luck so far. Since mangoes are especially juicy and sweet in Asia, most natives recommend mango shaved ice, which has pieces of fruit, ice cream, and various toppings like jellies, red bean, condensed milk, and etc. that mixes together to create a wonderful dessert. The heat and sweat made us settle for a pineapple smoothie and mango smoothie instead. If you walk far out enough along the river, you’ll hit the hutongs (or traditional residential area), which is also a nice place to stroll around if you want to get away from the bars, shops, and restaurants.

Overall, I cannot believe how fast the time is passing. During my morning commute, I take the bus with one or two other interns who are finishing up their one month internship program tomorrow. I can’t believe how fast the time is passing, and I want to size every moment that I have here!

The post Must-Sees in Beijing appeared first on CRCC Asia.