7~ Song Dynasty Theatre

After a whole day of classes we all had to meet for 7pm to get the coach to an excursion that had been organised for us to the Song Dynasty Theatre which was in a sort of theme park. It was so bizarre to see 'Old China' but with all the electric signs and lights, definitely more of a touristy spot than any actual history but still worth a visit if you're around there. 

We all walked through the park in the direction of the theatre, Nik always joking that no one could be slower than me and that I am always the last person because I take too many pictures! I always tell him to just wait until he is in England taking pictures of a post box and i'm hurrying him up! 

I wasn't feeling too great that day and didn't think I would appreciate the theatre, usually its not my sort of thing for fun in England so I didn't go there with high hopes but boy was I wrong! Chinese theatre is so completely different to anything I have ever seen before, I was awestruck! The effects, the music and the dancing it was an incredible experience, so much so that I felt I couldn't write about it and give it justice so I compiled together a little video down here to see a little snippet for yourself  :P. 

Incredible! Bella and I were amazed afterwards and couldn't stop raving about it - it definitely perked us up and was just what we needed. 

Lowering of lanterns over the audience~

The theatre performance was about Hangzhou and its past, they also performed some ancient stories (like the White Snake I mentioned in a previous post) - all in all absolutely incredible and would highly recommend, they even had English and Korean subtitles on the backdrop for the story telling part so no worries if your Chinese (like mine) isn't up to scratch! Overall it was just brilliant and I'm really thankful for Zhejiang University and StudyChina to have organised that for us it really definitely worth it! :D ~

2~ Off to Hangzhou

I woke up so early this morning thanks to jet lag (probably one of the only times in my life that i'll naturally get up early) which worked out great as my flight from Beijing - Hangzhou was at 11am. The weather was beautiful and warm with a blue sky, so I decided to go for a walk around my old favourite places in 五道口 (wudaokou) which is where BLCU is located. 

I picked up breakfast from a little stall near the gate (30p for a spicy wrap and coffee!) and took a wander around, can't even explain the feeling! In that morning on my walk I made the decision to move my flight forward and try anyway I can to get back to China ASAP, i'm still working on it but we will see what happens! :P 

The morning flew by and quickly it was time to check out and get my taxi to the airport, Lirong and Kangkang came to the hotel to send me off which was so nice, I really can't wait to fly back and spend more time with them in a few weeks. Found out quickly that my taxi driver was just the cutest guy ever, he couldn't speak a word of English but was determined to speak to me throughout the 40 minute ride to the airport so I found my Chinese was really tested, probably for the first time as I usually hide behind my Chinese friends and let them do the talking. It was a bit awkward for me at first but gradually it became pretty comfortable, he even made me a little video and let me take a picture of him, such a funny guy! 

My cute taxi driver!

All went well with my flight, I flew with China Eastern Airlines to get down to Hangzhou, it was a bit weird actually I took a photo as we flew up over the pollution, it was like a dark line separating the clean and dirty air, really odd. Once landed I had to wait over two hours in the airport for the pickup coach to Zhejiang University so I just chilled out playing Lego Harry Potter and eating 包子 (baozi) which are stuffed buns and very delicious, normally priced at £2.70 in London China Town and only around 25p in China which is just amazing. 

I was picked up by two student volunteers at Zhejiang, they were really cute and looked after us a lot, thats where I met Charlotte who had just come in from a flight from London and who later this evening became my roommate. We took the coach to Zhejiang university (I slept the entire way as jet lag had really caught up to me then) and only had 15 minutes to dump our stuff before going on a campus tour. It was pretty dark and we were all just knackered so I didn't take in much to be honest (thats probably why during the following days I continued to get lost), but it was pretty cool to meet all the Chinese student volunteers, they are so so kind and lovely and I had fun practising my Chinese with them! We also all had ice cream from McDonalds  it was a new flavour out in China - sesame seed! The ice cream is literally just grey and looks a bit gross but really it tastes delicious and its been a huge hit in China so hopefully its being made into a permanent flavour! 

After the campus tour it was time to get into bed, it had been a LONG few days travelling over 20 hours in just 2 days I was absolutely knackered and so we went straight to sleep in our hotel style rooms, preparing to be up early the next morning for the induction meeting! And so Study China begins.. 

Our room for the next 3 weeks~

1~ Hello Beijing

So the day has finally arrived, Friday 27th March, the day I could return to my beloved China and I really couldn’t wait to get on that plane!! I took a Finnair flight from Heathrow – Helsinki, waited around at the airport for a few hours then got onto my Helsinki – Beijing flight where I had planned to meet my friends from BLCU (北京语言大学) from where I had studied previously last summer.

The plan was to stop off in Beijing for a whole day to meet up with friends and reminisce over the BLCU campus before flying on to Hangzhou which is where i'l be studying over the next three weeks as part of the Study China programme, so I just had one precious day in Beijing with my friends and I wanted to make the most of it!

My friend Lirong picked me up from Beijing airport at 9am Saturday morning, I haven’t seen her for 6 months so it was amazing to see her in real life again, such a great feeling!! We went directly to my hotel (conveniently located next to my old campus in Beijing) and then went straight for lunch at the canteen! Man i’ve missed that place so much, the food has such a wide variety, so delicious and crazily cheap compared to English prices (70p for lunch anyone??)!

Lirong and I stayed on campus for the day catching up and reminiscing from last year, I even got to visit my old dorm which was pretty cool, I can't wait to get back to studying in BLCU this September it's going to be great! 

After having a nap in the afternoon I was woken up by my Chinese girlies who were ready to go out for dinner! It was so surreal to see them all after so long, really strange but incredible feeling I've missed them so much! We wen't out to a restaurant outside of campus and ate lots of delicious food, although at the time I was still all messed up from the long flight and couldn't stomach much of it. After dinner we went to the beer garden on campus and chilled for a couple of hours. I've always loved the atmosphere in the beer garden in the evening. All in all a fab night, simple but perfect, almost like a dream to go back for one day into my old Beijing life of last summer and a day I won't be forgetting in a hurry~

Tomorrow morning i've got to get to the airport early for my final destination - Hangzhou! Fingers crossed I don't oversleep or something that would be an absolute nightmare!! Bye bye Beijing for now, see you in three weeks time~

Standing outside my old dormitory - Building 17!

An Introduction

Hello! Welcome to my little blog, where i'll be writing about my time studying in Hangzhou as part of the Study China programme. First of all I will explain the background of the programme, how it works, and why I highly recommend this programme to other students, i'll then add links with some advice on how to apply, of course if there are any queries don't hesitate to ask and I will get back to you as soon as I can~

What is the Study China programme? 

The Study China programme is a scholarship that allows you to study Mandarin Chinese at one of China's top universities for three weeks, it is funded by the British Government and managed by the University of Manchester. This scholarship funds all tuition, accommodation and excursion fee's, essentially all we need to pay for are the flights and visa's (I spent around £600 in total). 

The programme itself is very intense, we have 40 hours of Chinese language class over the course of three weeks, plus a chosen module (mine is Chinese business), which is a further 18 hours of class, plus mandatory excursions, a home visit and Taichi/kungfu classes during the week. I find that my schedule is completely packed, but the intensity vastly improves my Chinese which was my main goal. 

It is important to note that you are not required to have any previous Chinese knowledge, you will take a little test to demonstrate your ability and then will be placed into a specific class. The majority of students this year are absolute beginners so it is no problem at all if you can't speak any Chinese yet! 

How can I apply?

You can apply through the Study China website directly with this link, the application is essentially very simple but it is important to meet all specifications. The Study China programme is prestigious in the United Kingdom and competition is high, this year out of 1200 applicants only 82 students were chosen to receive this scholarship so I feel very honoured to be here. My number one tip would be to read all that they require, and make sure your application contains examples of how you fit their criteria, don't miss any aspect out of your application! 

Where can I study?

You can choose one of three universities by putting them in preferential order, your first choice is not always guaranteed but in this case I received my first choice (Zhejiang University). You will study at one of the following:

- Beijing Normal University 

- Zhejiang University 

- East China Normal University (Shanghai) 

All three of these universities are very highly regarded and rated in China and so no matter which one you are allocated you are sure to be getting a very high standard of education. 

Eligibility and Bursaries

There are a few criteria that you must meet in order to be accepted onto the Study China programme, the main one being that you must be a full time student enrolled into a university in the United Kingdom, you can check up on all the specifications on their website here here. 

Another thing to be aware of is the Study China bursary, if you meet the specifications and apply early you will receive £350 upon completion of the course. On top of that you must produce a daily blog of your experience which should be submitted after returning to England. Not only this, but your own university may also award you a travel grant/bursary for this opportunity which will depend on each university (for example Nottingham Trent has awarded me £250 for this experience), and other students have received up to £500 from their universities, it is definitely worth looking into this with your university if you have been accepted! 

All the information you need is on their website and if you are interested i'll be uploading daily blogs of my experience at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou over the next couple of weeks. Please feel free to ask any questions or advice if you're thinking about applying and good luck!! Hope to see you in China next year :D