Jonathan MO, Louie

Student of The University of New South Wales, Australia
Exchange to Peking University, China

I went to Beijing for a one year exchange program at Peking University. It was the most exciting, colourful, and memorable experience.

Beijing is an incredible city that certainly lives up to its status as the Chinese capital, being an urban centre of grand scale and many faces. From the historical monuments to the majesty of its government and commercial districts, one year is insufficient to fully explore everything the city has to offer.

The university campus contains a magnificent garden surrounding a large lake, overlooked by an elegant tower. During winter the lake freezes, and people can skate and even play hockey over it.

During the first semester, I undertook language studies, and in the second I enrolled into other faculties and studied alongside local students. Academic staffs are friendly and genuinely interested in teaching and engaging their students. Studying the same materials with local students also provided me with a challenging experience and new perspectives of Chinese academia.

While the dramatic shift in the language and cultural environment could have been overwhelming, there were many international students from different parts of the world back at the global village to mingle with. Through this support network, we fostered great friendships and gradually became familiar with life in the Chinese capital.

I must also stress one of my favourite moments of my China exchange was the food. Food in Beijing is relatively inexpensive with no shortage for choices.

There were selections from various provinces as well as Japanese, Korean and Western selections. Even on campus alone there were so many student cafeterias and food stores to satisfy the most demanding foodies.

An exchange study in Beijing was certainly a highlight of my university career and I have learnt so much from my experience. I highly recommend people to consider overseas exchange as part of their university degrees.

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