Summer Course Shanghai, 2014 Travel Report: Reinie Gerrits Master Health Economics, Policy and Management Karolinska Institutet Fudan University

Transcription

1 Doing Business in China Summer Course Shanghai, 2014 Travel Report: Reinie Gerrits Master Health Economics, Policy and Management Karolinska Institutet Fudan University

2 Contents Pre-departure... 3 Arrival... 4 Financing... 5 Accommodation... 6 Studies abroad... 6 Language and culture... 7 Leisure time... 7 Conclusion... 8 Final information

3 Pre-departure Early in the start of the academic year the summer courses in Shanghai by Fudan University were advertised at KI. Although back then I had no plans for summer yet, it already seemed like a good opportunity. As an international student I still did not know what to do with three full months of summer holidays. China however, has always been a place I wanted to go to, and the interesting summer courses were a good way to start my trip there. Considering the expense I would make, and the effort to travel that far, it took some time before I decided. Only during April a few days before the deadline I made the decision to apply for the summer course. At the same time I decided to stay in China for two months to travel after the summer course ended. The first action to take was to write the motivation letter. It is not very difficult to find a motivation to go to either Shanghai, or join a summer course which is offered by Fudan University, the reputation of the University is excellent. By looking at the reports of the students in previous years, I got a good image of what it would be like. Visa I worried a lot about the trouble of getting a visa. Being foreign in Sweden, I needed to provide extra proof of my legal residence here, as well of being a student at KI. In the end, I did not have to worry this much. The Visa application is relatively relaxed. Because I wanted to travel afterwards, and because it seemed the easiest option, I applied for a tourist (L) visa. At the visa application site all the information is given of what you need to provide. It was a daunting list, but not difficult to gather all the papers. I printed the conversation with the student housing Tohee as proof of my stay in Shanghai. I made an appointment at the visa center (which was not necessary early in the morning), and gave them all the papers I had (including the bookings of my hostels during those two months, I never used them). It turned out I missed my personsbevis, for which I could simply call skatteverket and had it be faxed to the visa center (which took some time). Four days later I could pick up my Visa (L, double entry, 60 days each). Looking back I would have applied later for my Visa, the procedure takes only for days, but because I applied early my second entry was earlier also. Others in the course had either tourist or student visa, they received an acceptance letter from Fudan University. One person had an invitation from a friend in China, which gave more trouble because of residence registration there. Health In 2014 China had no mandatory vaccinations, so if you stay for only a short time in Shanghai, it is not necessary to get any. Since I was traveling, I did visit my GP (check if your GP is licensed for travel advice). He advised me to take DTP, HepA, and Typhoid. For the province of Yunnan I took malaria pills with me. 3

4 Other preparations I took were a large stash of medicine, including: Loperamide, Paracetamol, allergy pills, cold medicine, medicine against a sore throat (air-conditioning and pollution), and ORS. (You cannot avoid diarrhea, or other stomach problems, and food poisoning is not rare.) Other information The Nordic Center will give you excellent information about what to prepare. It was easy to address them with any questions, and they were incredibly helpful. After a while they set up a Facebook group to get in contact with the others in the course. They will reserve some rooms in the student housing Tohee, which is usually quite decent, and most of the students will be staying there. Apply immediately to avoid trouble of finding a hotel later on. Most importantly: 1. If you are attached to Facebook and google, get a VPN! 2. Get WeChat! (Chinese app similar to Facebook, WhatsApp etc.) 3. If you do not get a VPN, get a good map on your phone of Shanghai, google maps does not work. 4. Bring your student card to get discount everywhere (although they usually do not see the difference from any other card). Arrival Airport The course would start 27 June, and I arrived 25 June afternoon at Pudong airport. I flew with Malaysian Airlines from Amsterdam, through Kuala Lumpur, a long flight, but cheap through Kilroy with changeable return ticket. At the airport I bought a simcard (life is a lot easier with a Chinese number), with 2,5 GB internet. You can get it cheaper near the campus. And I got some money from the ATM, which is cheaper than preparing the money beforehand at your bank. Transport The Nordic center advised taking a Taxi (watch out for illegal ones, stand in line outside to get a legal one), which was 270. I showed the card I received from the Nordic center to the taxi driver. Instead of dropping me of at the gate of Tohee, he went to the gate of the Chinese student campus a bit further on. This created the problem of finding the way to Tohee in the pouring rain without speaking Chinese. It happened to nearly everyone in the class. A cheaper way would have been to take the Maglev train (40, show your plane ticket), then take the subway (6, they have a really easy system) to Jianwan Town station, and walk (15min), or take a taxi from there (14 ). Or take the subway from the airport directly (takes a really long time). 4

5 When there Since we all still only had contact through Facebook, I could not reach my classmates about meeting up. I was lucky to meet two of my classmates in the lobby while checking in, so we could meet up for dinner and hang out the day afterwards. Financing Major costs: - Flight: I had a return ticket to Shanghai, however, it can be cheaper to fly to Beijing first and take the fast train to Shanghai. Ticket prices can vary a lot, so check all the companies and booking sites. Count on paying around 6000SEK for a return ticket to Shanghai. - Accommodation: The room in Tohee was 120 per night, it was easy to book the room for the dates convenient to me. It is possible to stay in a hotel outside the center for the same price, but you would be away from the other students. There is a deposit of 1000 which will be returned without problems (usually) at the end of your stay. - Course fee: The course fee is 800, for which there is a refund from KI if you write a travel report. Living costs: - Eating out is really cheap in China, however since we did it every evening and lunch; it does not make living any cheaper than back home. For a good meal (share the dishes with some rice) the price will be around 35. During lunch we usually walked around the campus and found some cheaper street food (15 ). Breakfast most of us got at the family mart around the corner at Tohee. - We took a taxi everywhere. To get from the campus to the city is about 50. It is more expensive at night. To get a taxi in the evening from the city is a drama. Taxies will not want to take you to the campus (too far away), or charge you triple. Keep in mind the option of the subway (4 ) and take a taxi or walk from the subway station home. - Beer in restaurants should be 10, in clubs that will be 50. But at most clubs they serve free drinks to foreigners, if you get a deal with a promoter. Shopping: - Shopping at any brand store is the same price or more expensive than in Europe. However, at the fake markets I got some great things for really low prices. Pearls, Silk, electronics, and tailor made clothes become cheaper the better you are at haggling. Costs for preparations: - My vaccinations cost me 100, my visa around 700SEK. 5

6 Accommodation Through I looked for the information on the housing the Nordic Center recommended and sent an to apply. They will ask your information and to transfer the deposit. Check in the s they send about the housing the Nordic center recommends. There were some problems with people getting a room, even though the Nordic Center reserved enough rooms, maybe they will have fixed this problem next year. The Tohee campus was 2 minutes away from the Chinese student campus, through which it will take some 10 min walk to get to the Nordic Centre. The dorm itself was perfectly decent, although hygiene may depend on the flat mates you will have. Studies abroad In general the whole course was great, from the information before arrival, the organization of the course, to the content. Culture Although a Chinese university, the Nordic Center has its own Nordic culture, which means that the communication between teacher and student was very informal. The main course leaders are from universities in Scandinavia. The organizers came to get us at the campus and walked us to the Nordic center (so we could not get lost), where we were introduced to the main course teachers. Even the coffee and tea was ready for us. Course itself The course itself was a mixture between (interactive) lectures, and company visits. The lectures were structured well, and teachers always welcomed any questions and discussions. There was a good mixture of several teachers, whose style of teaching was of course different. So, one lecture might be really entertaining, while another would be drier. However, all lectures were meant to be interactive and invited the class to participate as much as possible. At the start of each day the previous day was summarized by some students, and the main teacher. The best part of the course was the organized company visits, where we would be explained how the company survived in China, and why they were there. They always reserved a lot of time for questions. Unfortunately, with a group assignment, and a fulltime schedule during the day, we were given little time during the week to go see Shanghai. 6

7 Language and culture Suggested topics: How did you experience studying in a different language (if different from your native language)? Did you experience any cultural differences or cultural clashes? If so, please describe. Since very few people in China speak English, it is rather difficult to communicate with the Chinese. But Shanghai is the most international city in China. Needless to say, there are a lot of people everywhere, and the Chinese have a remarkable lack of personal space. What surprised me most is that the Chinese are relaxed people, without hurrying too much, and are not unnecessarily polite. In general people are willing to help you with anything, and are curious about you. Although it may be strange to be asked to take a picture with a Chinese tourist. During the course the contact was mostly with Nordic companies and teachers, with some Chinese professors. So the culture clash is very limited there. The difficulty lies with how to adapt to the daily routines, and food habits in Shanghai. Leisure time Suggested topics: Did the partner university arrange any social activities? Were there possibilities for sports and recreation? Was it easy to get in contact with other students? Please describe the city, the university and the student life. Please recommend useful links. Some leisure activities were also arranged by the Nordic center, one where we went to a Watertown close to Shanghai by bus. And we had an overnight trip to Suzhou including some company visits. We also received a lovely welcome dinner and goodbye dinner. However, during the week we did not have much time to see Shanghai. When we did we mostly stayed together with the whole class, or went along with a few to see some touristy things. For most of the dinners the whole class would find a place together. Everyone got along well, which was convenient, since we did not get in contact much with other students at Fudan. Due to the trip to Suzhou we did not have the chance to visit Beijing or another city in the weekend, and the other weekend we visited the Watertown. I was happy I could stay longer to see more of China, and most people who did not wished they had booked at least a couple days more to see Shanghai or another city. There will always be others there to join you for your trip. Shanghai is huge, but there are relatively few sights. The best thing about Shanghai is the Shanghai life. One of our classmates found a promoter who would get us in a club with free drinks, go eat all the best food shanghai has to offer, and see the different areas in the city. 7

8 Conclusion Please reflect on, if and how, you have been influenced by the studies abroad - personally and as a student. Do you think the experiences of your studies abroad will affect your future professional role? Please describe your general impressions of your study abroad period. I would go back to Shanghai and do the whole experience again if I had the chance. With the organization I felt completely safe coming to this huge city, and together with the other students I had a great time during my stay. The course opened up my eyes to a future career possibility in China, and gave me a pretty good idea of how to handle the situation if I get there. In general as a health student, it also enlightened me about some aspects of international business which I would not have thought of otherwise. Final information 1. In shanghai and other tourist cities there many scam to cheat you out of your money. There is the tea-scam, nice Chinese will sweet-talk you into going to a tea ceremony with them and make you pay a large amount for a little tea. Or the massage scam (for men), where you will be taken by nice girls for a massage and be threatened (by insinuating illegal prostitution) to pay immense amounts of money. Or the dinner scam. Where a nice girl/guy will take you to a random place for a dinner and force you to pay for a lot of things you did not order. 2. Write down all the places you need to get in Chinese, it will save you a lot of trouble communicating. 3. If you are vegetarian it will be very difficult to eat in China. Be very specific to the waiter and always ask if there is meat in anything (there nearly always is, yes also with tofu). 4. Haggle down any price in the smaller stands, and take your time to do it. The longer you haggle, the lower the price. 5. Get a good translator app or phrasebook. 6. Get a lonely planet, it will provide tons of information on nice things to visit. 7. Take multiple or good shoes, there might be a chance that Shanghai is still in a rain period, with incredible downpour. 8