UK Chinese students interview-experiences&recommendations

In this interview, my interviewees talked about the gains and losses for their esperience of studying abroad. In addition, they recommend some places in different cities for Chinese students to travel around.

UK Chinese students interview-lifestyle

The environment is one of the factors that influence people’s behaviour, personality and habits. Except studying, what are the leisure activities for Chinese students to relax in the UK? Are they cooking by themselves or have they already been accustomed to British food? Living in one of the most fashionable countries in the world, have their fashion style been changed? Find the answer in the following interview.

UK Chinese students interview-study&culture

For most Chinese students in the UK, how to improve their English and adapt to British teaching model are the most urgent task. How to deal with ‘cultural shock’ and get involved in the society is another big challenge for these young Chinese people. To study abroad, you have to mind the “gap” of different language and different culture. Watch this interview and to see what are the difficulties for Chinese students in in terms of academic and cultural aspects.

Overseas student’s family interview

It is a big decision for a family decided to send their only one child to study abroad. Expecting their child to become successful  is an eager expectation for every parent. Fiona Wang, studying in the City University, invited her parent to visit her during the Easter holiday. I interviewed her father and found out his opinion about his daughter’s overseas study experience.

Sorry about the noisy background:)

Eason Chan Europe Tour 2010

Eason Chan, a prominent singer in Hong Kong, Mainland and Taiwan’s music industry, held his concert tour in the UK in May. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front-runner in the next generation of Cantopop. He also won lots of major music awards in mainland China, such as the “Best Male Singer” and the Best Album of the Year”. His music talent is shown by playing a variety of musical instrument as well, such as piano, violin, harmonica, bass, drums and guitar. He writes songs sometimes for his albums. Chan studied in the UK from 12, and graduated from Kinston University with an architecture degree.

On 3 May, 2010, Chan held his first stop of Europe Tour 2010 in London at the Royal Albert Hall. During the concert, he performed Cantonese songs, Mandarin songs, English songs and Japanese songs. As having a show in Royal Albert Hall, he performed an Italian opera song as well. He is the second Chinese artist to perform at this stage. His second show was held in Manchester at The Apollo on 6 May, 2010.

Eason Chan gave thanks to his audience at Royal Albert Hall

Over 5,000 Chinese students attended his concert, and felt happy to see their idol.

Here is a feature about Eason Chan and his Europ Tour, Time flies.
Join the Facebook group to discuss his concerts.

Did you go to the concert? Did you enjoy it? Which is your favourite song?

National mourning for the Qinghai earthquake

China marked a day of national mourning for the victims of last week’s earthquake in Yushu, as the death from the disaster rose to above 2,000.

Flags flew at half across China and at its overseas embassies, marking one week since the disaster struck. All public entertainment, including live sports and entertainment programmes on national television and internet games were be suspended for 24 hours.

Three minutes of silence was observed in Qinghai province, where the 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred.

Have you been to Yushu before? Do you know any related stories about this earthquake?

The changing lifestyle

When you have been studying in the UK for a while, your lifestyle will be influenced somehow. Here are some comment changes generated from a group of UK Chinese students.

Before studied in the UK	When study in the UK	During holiday in China
slept at 11p.m	chat with friends online or write essays until 2a.m	I sleep less in order to spend more time together with family and friends
I liked eating KFC, McDonald, beefsteak and everything from abroad	eat potatoes,cold dishes, sandwiches, and pastas	only like the home-cooked dishes
tried the most popular western hairstyle	do not have hair cut so often, or cut the hair by myself sometimes	no matter which kind of hairstyles,it is never expensive than a crew cut in the UK
was a proud owner of an HP computer	use three-inch SONY, which is small and handy	bring an Apple Mac back
used Renren.com (Chinese social networking site)	use Facebook	Facebook is blocked
always disagreed and quarreled with parents, and complained everything	only tell good news to parents to release their worrieshave not celebrated Chinese New Year with family for many years	it is a pleasure to celebrate festivals together with parents
liked drinking Fanta, Coke, and Sprite	bought Green tea from Chinatown	like all kinds of Chinese tea
said“Hello”, “Thank you”, and“Bye-bye” to foreign friends	used to say “How are you doing”, “Cheers” and “See ya” all the time	speak in Chinese mixed with English

Have you been changed as well? Share you experience with us!

Adventures in London

“When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”–Samuel Johnson

It is a great pleasure to study in London, the most cosmopolitan city on the earth. Here I will provide the guide to help Chinese students enjoy their time in London.

Short stay–If you study in other cities in the UK, and come to London for a short travel, here are somethings you cannot miss!

10 Things You Must Do While In London

1.    Visit the Big Ben.
2.    Photograph the Thames River.
3.    Ride on the London Eye, the largest ferries wheel in the world.
4.    Immerse yourself in culture at the British Museum.
5.    Visit the Buckingham Palace.
6.    Hike up the geometric staircase at a St. Paul’s Cathedral tour.
7.    Take the London Underground: These trains have cushioned seats and there’s a nice LED display overhead that gives riders the estimated time for the next train.
8.    Tour the Tower of London, where you can see the very precious Crown Jewels.
9.    Set your sights on the beautiful architecture at Westminster Abbey.
10.    Buy gifts for friends and family at the over 300 shops located on Oxford Street.

Looking for more must do things, please visit http://www.virgin-vacations.com/101-things-to-do-in-london.aspx

Long stay–If you have studied or worked in London for a long time, you must miss Chinese food. A Chinese phrase said that “Food is the first necessity of people.” If you have already board with fish&chips or sandwiches, don’t worry, I believe you can find one of your favourite Chinese restaurants from following recommendations.

Northern Chinese food
Name: My Old Place
If you like spicy Chinese cuisine, this is the place to come. It serves amazing Szechuan & Xinjiang dishes.
Address: 88-90 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7EZ
Nearest tube station: Liverpool street station
Average price: £15-20/ per person
Popular dishes: Chicken and Lamb BBQ Skewers/ The ‘Husband & Wife’ (a white meat & red meat dish) /The Chick Stews /Mushroom / Stir Fried Cabbage in a Vinegar sauce/Fried Potato, Green Pepper & Eggplant

Mongolian Hotpot

Name: Little Lamb
Address: 72 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6NA
Nearset tube station: Piccadilly circus station
Average price: set meal £18/per person
Popular dishes: Wonder Soup(a brew of herbs and spices)/ Beef and Lamb,
Fresh Seafood, Eastern Vegetables, Bean Curd, Exotic Mushrooms, Meatballs.

Cantonese

Name: HK Diner
Eating here is the most authentic Hong Kong experience in Chinatown
Address: 22 Wardour Street London W1D6QQ
Average price: &10-15/per person
Nearest tube station: Piccadilly circus station
Popular dishes: Roast Duck/ Barbecue Pork and Crispy Pork with Rice
(Char Siu and Siu Yo)/ Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef/Bubble Tea
(cold, milky tea with chewy tapioca pearls in it)

Dim sum

Name: Crispy Duck
Address: 7 Gerrard Street,London,W1D 5PH
Average price: £8/per person, 10 percent student discount
Nearest tube station:Leicester square station
Popular dishes: Steamed Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce/ Steamed Rice Rolls/ Steamed Honey BBQ Pork Bun

Chinese cakes
Name: Far east
In 2007, Prince Charles visited this restaurant
Address: 13 Gerrard Street London W1D 5PS
Average Price: £5/per person
Nearest tube station: Leicester square station
Popular dishes: Red Bean Sesame Ball/ The Pineapple Bun/ The Wonton Noodles in Soup/ Twisted Cruller/ Uncongealed Tofu

Do you know any other good Chinese restaurants in London?

To stay or not to stay? (2)

Stay in the UK

Advantages:

UK employers are being encouraged to give Chinese students more work experience opportunities. The China-UK Internship Programme, devised by international consultancy Global Education Group (GEG) and the Chinese Embassy in the UK, is designed to help Chinese students, who find it difficult to get practical work experience while they study. Under the UK’s new immigration system, international students who graduated from a UK institution can apply for the Post Study Work Visa. Successful applicants will be granted permission to work in the UK for up to two years without a work permit. After that, you may be allowed you to stay and work longer if you have been with the same employer for six months and you pass a further point-based assessment. This is an outstanding opportunity for those Chinese students who want to work in the UK.

Disadvantages:

Although many countries including the UK claim they will not treat those foreigners differently, the truth is that discrimination is everywhere. The discrimination is not only related with the policies of government, but also about the local citizens’ attitude. For local companies, they prefer to employ native people who know the local culture and society very well. Take journalists as an example, ethnic minorities are still under-represented in media industry. In the UK, a large number of journalists, particular in senior positions are white, middle class and men.

I interviewed some of my friends for their working plans.

Mu He, having her Post Study Work Visa and taking an accountant job said that “If people are seeking equal opportunity, I would say that stay London is a better choice. In China, it is usual to know many people use their relatives or contact’s resources get a job, instead of through the competition of talents. Despite certain prejudices in the UK, as long as you can show your talents and competency, you will get equal treatment.”

“I will come back to China.I have family and many good friends in China. I can make friends in a foreign country, but those friends will never be as good as the friends I grew up with. Another reason is if I stay in China, English will be my greatest advantage. But, if I stay in an English-speaking country, I do not have confident that I can use English better they can!” Xuan Dong, a third year students from Goldsmith College expressed her different view.

Jingyi Lee plans to go back China after finishing his economic degree. “I can see the bright future in China, but not in the UK. UK is still in severe financial crisis, which means the unemployment rate tends to be higher and higher and can not be controled in a short time.” he said.

“As far as I am concerned, I will not immediately come back as the salaries are really much higher in the UK,” Laura Liang explained, “I mean, for all the years you studied and all the money you have spent, isn’t the best way to stay here to make your money count?”

Overall, the final decision depends on the actual working situation and which side is better for different individuals.

If you will graduate soon, are you going to stay in the UK or return China? If you are still studying, have you even thought about your future plans? Leave comments to state your opinion about this topic.

To stay or not to stay? (1)

One crucial choice that Chinese students in the UK have to consider is, after graduation, should we stay and find a job or just go back to China to contribute?

Go back to China

Advantages:

Attracted by the rapid economic growth in China, an increasing number of Chinese overseas students decide to return China to work. Many high-tech companies, international cooperation’s and Sino-foreign joint ventures are seeking for employees with good English communications skills and have western education background, and familiar with cultures of both countries. For overseas returnees, the most valuable things they have learnt abroad are the advanced concepts. When they study in the UK, they can receive an open, creative, and more all-round development. They have many chances to gain practical experience. Through different projects, they have developed the spirit of team working, concepts of leadership, and the way to manage a team. These capabilities are what Chinese students lack, as in China, sometimes the education is more rigid, traditional, and emphasizes a lot on learning and memorizing. With the expanding business market in China, setting up own company is another opportunity for overseas returnees to develop their career.

A website helps overseas returnees to find jobs in China

There has been a nationally heated discussion on Chinese talents outflow for several years. In recent years, Chinese government encourages overseas students return by providing various preferential policies that returnees can enjoy. According to the report from People’s Daily in 2009, China has started a nationwide plan called “one-thousand-talents scheme”, which promises top salaries and attractive funding to elite overseas students or researchers, who are willing to return the country with the aim of boosting China’s innovation capability. China will fully trust and give free environment to returned talents. Preferential policies will be further modified to help them solve difficulties encountered in life and work.

The tradition of focus on family value is also a factor brings Chinese students back. Confucius said “You should not go on a long journey when your parents are still alive, if you have to do so you must have reasonable reasons” Having studied far away from home for several years, working in China is much easier for overseas students to look after parents and get together with family. Homesick and missing Chinese food make students to pack their bags and head for home.

Disadvantages:

A large number of returned overseas students has diluted their competitive advantage in the job market. Consider about the diminished quality of studying abroad, the over high expectation for salary, it is not easy as before for overseas returnees to find jobs in China. Since returning home, many students have discovered that overseas experience cannot guarantee an ideal job. According to a survey from China Youth Daily, although more than 71.3 percent managed to find work within 6 months of their return, 10.2 percent have remained unemployed for a year or more. For some, added expectations and pressures from family and friends make the situation even more stressful and frustrating.

More than 20 percent of returnees have started their own businesses, but this is difficult as well. They have had to adjust to the rules of the Chinese market and the domestic business culture. The overwhelming influence of interpersonal relations among the Chinese business community and the imperfect legal system are two of the main problems. In most west countries, people are quite business-oriented, while in China people don’t discuss business directly.

To be continued