australia china youth association’s guide …...2018/03/26 · australia china youth...

AUSTRALIA CHINA YOUTH ASSOCIATION’S

Guide to Nanjing

南京留学指南

A university town, Nanjing has more students per capita than that of preferred

study destinations Shanghai and Beijing. Home to no less than 54 universities,

many of Nanjing’s higher education institutes also have new purpose-built

campuses in Pukou and Jiangning Districts and in Xianlin University Town,

which accommodates 100,000 students.

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Welcome! Liam Flaherty / ACYA Nanjing Chapter President, 2017–18

Nanjing is a city that has become my second home. I was lucky enough to spend a year

studying at Nanjing University, one of China’s C9 league universities which quickly

improved my Chinese to a level that allowed me to start a beer and wine import company

amongst other business ventures.

In my opinion, Nanjing is the perfect place to come and study, whether that be on

exchange for a semester studying aeronautical engineering or studying Chinese

language in one of the many universities intensive language programs. Nanjing, a city of

nearly 10 million, has far less western influence than Tier 1 cities such as Beijing or

Shanghai, giving students a great chance to experience “real China” — yet being a

one-hour bullet train away from Shanghai and 3.5 hours from Beijing. Another unique part

of Nanjing, a past capital city of China, is that many of its major universities have

campuses located right in the heart of the city (very similar to RMIT and Melbourne

University in Melbourne).

I’d highly recommend any students with an interest in China to find out what partnerships

your university might have with the many universities around Nanjing, and look into the

multiple options for scholarships/support that are available to young Australians

interested in studying in China — to name a few, the New Colombo Plan, Confucius

Institute Scholarship, for Victorians the Hamer Government Scholarship and many more,

as most universities often offer mobility grants for studying abroad.

ACYA GUIDE to NANJING — 1

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What is ACYA? We strive to bridge the gap between Australia and China and to

develop a generation of young professionals who are able to identify,

seize and create opportunities for closer bilateral ties and greater

mutual understanding between our two countries.

OUR HISTORY

The Australia-China Youth Association (“ACYA”) is the only non-profit devoted to

promoting engagement between students and young professionals in both Australia and

China. We position ourselves the preeminent stakeholder for youth in the crucial bilateral

relationship between Australia and China.

We provide a platform for Australian and Chinese youth to learn from one another and, in

turn, strengthen this bilateral relationship. This is achieved by chapters across both

countries executing impactful projects centred around three "pillars":

Education / Careers / People-to-People Exchange

Since our formation in 2008, ACYA has been run by youth, for youth on an entirely

voluntary basis.

OUR MISSION

We aspire to be the organisation through which young Australians interested in China

(and vice versa) forge lasting connections and access a network of unique and diverse

educational and career opportunities.


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OUR VISION

ACYA strives to create a dynamic ecosystem that not only encourages Australian and

Chinese youth to involve themselves in this bilateral relationship, but also reach new

heights of mutual understanding, diplomacy and appreciation, through:

1. Providing a robust and well connected community within which young Australians

and Chinese can forge lasting friendships, develop academic and business

partnerships, and share educational, extracurricular and professional opportunities;

2. Acting as a non-political advocate and facilitator to promote cross-cultural

understanding and greater interaction with professionals, government and NGOs as

well as provide a support base enabling our members to deliver initiatives that

increase opportunities for Australia-China engagement; and

3. Strengthening a bilateral youth community at a grassroots level through an

expansive network of chapters in China and Australia.

These Chapters regularly deliver quality social and educational events, publications and

language exchange for an international community of over 6,000 ACYA Members and,

altogether, host well over 100 major events annually— •


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What is the New Colombo Plan? The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government which aims

to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates

to study and undertake internships in the region.

It encourages a two-way flow of students between Australia and the rest of our region,

complementing the thousands of students from the region coming to Australia to study

each year.

The New Colombo Plan is intended to be transformational, deepening Australia's

relationships in the region, both at the individual level and through expanding university,

business and other links.

Over time, the Australian Government wants to see study in the Indo-Pacific region

become a rite of passage for Australian undergraduate students, and as an endeavour

that is highly valued across the Australian community.

To date, the New Colombo Plan is supporting students to study and undertake

internships across the Indo-Pacific from Pakistan in the west to Mongolia in the north,

and the Cook Islands in the east.

The New Colombo Plan pilot year of 2014 supported 40 scholars and more than 1300

mobility students to study and undertake work placements across four pilot locations.

In 2015 the New Colombo Plan built on this success, expanding the program across the

Indo-Pacific region and awarding 69 scholarships and supporting more than 3,100

mobility students.

The program continued to grow in 2016, supporting more than 5450 mobility students

and 100 scholars to live, study and undertake work placements in the region.


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By 2018, the start of the fifth year of the program, the New Colombo Plan is supporting

around 13,000 mobility students and 120 scholars.

Over its first five years, the New Colombo Plan will support more than 30,000 Australian

undergraduate students to live, work and study in the Indo-Pacific.

This growing cohort of scholars and mobility students are all eligible to be part of the New

Colombo Plan Alumni Program, which supports alumni to maintain a connection to each

other, the New Colombo Plan and the Indo-Pacific region as they progress in their lives

and careers.

Over time the growing cohort of New Colombo Plan alumni will play an increasingly

important role in Australia's relationships with its neighbours to become an influential and

diverse network of Australians with direct experience in the Indo-Pacific, strong

professional and personal networks across our region, and a driving force in Australia's

future prosperity.


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Introduction to Nanjing HISTORY

Nanjing city has an extensive history of almost 2,500 years. In 472BC, Gou Jian, the

regional king ordered Fan Li, his most trusted general to build “Yue City” which is today

known as Zhonghua gate.

In 1368 Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang founder of the Ming Dynasty made Nanjing his capital

and his entourage were keen to construct an imperial enclave for their new leader, the

result was a forbidden city that was to later serve as the model for Beijing's Forbidden

City. As capital of perhaps the most successful of any dynasty in history, the thriving

Nanjing quickly became a centre of international trade; the Asian version of ancient

Rome.

Perhaps the biggest impact of all made by Nanjing upon China and the world, was made

by Sun Zhongshan, or Sun Yat-sen as he was more commonly known. After his revolution

established the democratic Republic of China in 1912, his name was to be given to a major

thoroughfare in many Chinese cities, and his mausoleum can be found in the hills of

Purple Mountain.

HISTORY

Nanjing University

Nanjing University (NJU) is one of China’s key comprehensive universities under the

direct supervision of the Ministry of Education; dating from 1902 when it was known as

Sanjiang Normal School. Nanjing University is one of the oldest and most prestigious

institutions of higher learning in China. Consisting of three beautiful campuses, Gulou,

Pukou, and Xianlin. As a top university in China, it boasts advanced teaching and research

facilities. RMIT, Melbourne University, the University of Queensland, and UNSW all have

partnerships with Nanjing University across many disciplines.

For those who have a certificate of Chinese proficiency (above HSK 5), students will take

courses in Chinese with Chinese students. Alternatively, there are also English-taught


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courses available (in, for example, business, Chinese culture, geology, history,

international studies, and law).

Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA)

NUAA is one of the top 250 universities in the world in mechanical, aeronautical, and

manufacturing engineering, and one of the top 200 universities in Asia. It is regarded as

one of the best engineering universities in China and has a great influence on China’s

aerospace industry. RMIT’s School of Engineering has an exchange program with NUAA.

Other notable universities in Nanjing include Nanjing Normal University, Southeast

University, Hohai University, Nanjing Forestry University; all of which have reputable

Chinese language programmes.


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Need-to-knows COST OF LIVING

China caters for all budgets, if you’re looking for a low-cost experience then Nanjing is the

place for you.

A regular Chinese breakfast of a few pork buns baozi (包子) at a cost of ¥2–3, an

on-campus canteen or local noodle/rice shop will serve a large lunch meal for ¥10–15, and

if you’re feeling fancy try a local dinner specialty of duck’s blood Soup with vermicelli

noodles yaxue fensi tang (鸭血粉丝汤) will similarly cost around ¥10. Washed down with

Tsingtao Beer qingdao pijiu (青岛啤酒) from a corner convenience store ¥4!

FINDING AN APARTMENT

Accommodation can be one of the biggest headaches when moving to another country.

This is especially so in the case of China where "fraudsters" are a common occurrence in

the real estate business. In Nanjing, it is important to look at where your university

campus is as the districts of Nanjing are quite spread out.

Three popular areas where many students stay are:

1. Downtown Shanghai Lu / 上海路

This is where you will find most students who attend Nanjing University, Nanjing Normal

University, and Hohai University, as all three of them are located in close proximity. This is

a very vibrant part of the city with many international restaurants and going-out options,

while the universities offer a lot of classes to workout. If you are a student or young

professional looking for the action, this is the place to be. However, owing to the large

number of foreigners, prices tend to be rather high here. The average monthly rent of a

single bedroom apartment is ¥3,000.


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2. Xianlin / 仙林

Xianlin is popular with families, as the International School is located here. In addition,

most universities have a "new campus" in Xianlin, so university professors and some

students also find themselves in this part of Nanjing. On the North-western outskirts of

the city, this district is very big, very new, and very far away. Since it lies behind Purple

Mountain, the environment is much better than the inner city. It has also turned into the

test tube for Nanjing, as many restaurants open their doors out here to test their

business proposition before they venture further East into the more central parts of the

city and into more expensive rent. Hence, there are great food options in this area, though

like Jiangning, a trip to the city centre will turn into a bit of a trek. The average monthly

rent of a single bedroom apartment is ¥2,000.

3. Xinjiekou / 新街口

This is about as central as it gets. Xinjiekou is Nanjing's central business district and

boasts what is probably the largest metro station in the entire country (with almost 25

exits). Xinjiekou is busy, it is fashionable, and it is exclusive. Shopping and dining options

are so abundant that you will never get bored. Beware of the rent in this area of Nanjing.

The average monthly rent of a single bedroom apartment is ¥5,000.

MOBILE/CELL PHONE NUMBER

This may seem obvious but it’s even more important in China because everything runs on

your mobile. China missed the whole PC generation that the West had, they went straight

to smartphones, which means nearly everything in China is linked to your mobile phone.

You will learn that using email here is rare. Things like WeChat and QQ will dominate your

life.

Recommendation: China Unicom (联通) has much quicker data speed than China Mobile

(移动) which are the main two telecom companies. ¥60 package per month will provide

ample data (5GB) and calls/messages within Jiangsu province, note mobile packages are

linked to the province your sim card is purchased in, if travelling outside of Jiangsu

beware of data usage as it can eat away at your credit very quickly.


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SETTING UP A BANK ACCOUNT

In China, everything is paid via your phone that is linked with your credit card hence

getting a bank account is crucial in China.

The main bank accounts used by foreigners are the Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of

China, China Construction Bank, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China .

When setting up bank accounts it is important find out first if they accept passports as

valid form of identification and whether they can link to an Alipay/WeChat wallet.

MUST HAVE APPS

WeChat / 微信

Put simply, WeChat is the Facebook of

China. The application is easy to use and

incredibly simple to navigate. I

recommend you have this application

downloaded and installed before on

arrive in China, so you can begin to add

and message new friends right away!

WeChat also doubles as a digital

payment system. Merchants use QR

codes to receive payments through

scanning the code with your phone's

camera. Incredibly easy to use and all

you need is a Chinese bank account and

to prove your identity. Shops that use QR

code payments either use Wechat or

Alipay to receive digital payments.

Pleco / 魚

The app that will be your Bible whilst you

are living in China. An incredibly amazing

dictionary for translating Chinese to

English and vice-versa. As well you can

draw into the application and it will

recognize the character you are trying to

input. Packed with numerous other

features, this app is great for those who

don’t want to carry a translation book

with them around China.

Ali Pay / 支付宝

Having all your cash and cards wrapped

up into a digital one stop shop. To use

this application, you will need to set up a

bank account and have a small

understanding of Chinese. However, it is

more than worth it. This application is

used throughout all of China and comes


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packed with a broad range of features.

Ofo / 共享单车

Important for many occasions where you

need to get around by bicycle. Trust me,

this is an incredibly handy application. All

you will need is a Chinese Bank account

and naturally a small understanding of

Chinese. I recommend this application

for people who do not want to commit to

buying a bicycle.

Taobao / 淘宝

If you love Ebay, Amazon or Gumtree.

Then you will love this even more. All you

will need for this app is a Chinese Bank

account and a postal address. If you do

have troubles it’s best to ask a native or

your bank branch for help.

didi / 滴滴出行

A fantastic ride sharing app that allows

you to conveniently get from A to B

hassle free. This application comes in

English as well. Incredibly simple to use

and great for getting around when you’re

not quite confident with telling a cab

driver exactly where you are going.

Baidu Maps / 百度地图

Since a number of services are blocked

in China, it is highly recommended that

you download Baidu Maps. Functions the

same as google maps, however the

maps are only available in Chinese.


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Eat & Drink Nanjing has a thriving social scene, with an abundance of international

students and English teachers across the city you’ll find that there is no

shortage of restaurants, bars or clubs on any given night of the week. Below

is a brief list of some of the more popular restaurants and bars around

Nanjing.

Gilly's Restaurant

3-108, 9 Wenfan Lu, Xianlin

栖霞区文范路9号康桥圣菲3栋108室

66066188

Highly regarded New York style pizza, along

with other quality western style dishes, has

made this a staple of the Xianlin community

that now draws increasing numbers all the way

from downtown.

Blue Sky Expat Bar & Grill / 蓝澳西餐厅

77 Shanghai Lu

上海路77 号

86639197

One of the original expat bars to open in Nanjing,

serving burgers, pizzas, Aussie meat pies and

Bundaburg Rum (Bundy). There are also weekly

and monthly pool competitions and board games’

nights.

Arcano Sangria & Wine Bar

Chic Hills, 286 Zhongshan Lu

中山路286 号羲和广场三楼

Trendy little Australian wine & craft beer bar with

great accompanying food. Also shows a range of

live sports including AFL and English Premier

League.

Jimmy's / 吉米来吧

193 Shigu Lu (inside Sunglow Bay

near the Sheraton)

石鼓路193 号 86792599

The place to be for live and recorded sports,

especially on Saturday nights, while enjoying

American style pizza, BBQ steaks, burgers,

hotdogs, tacos and more, accompanied by a large

selection of draft and bottled beers plus single

malt whiskeys and bourbon.

The Uncle Pizza / 披萨大叔

Shanghai Lu Market, 22 Hankou Xi Lu

汉口西路22号上海路菜场53号

8012979506

Big hit with the student population on account of

cheap prices for serious quality pizza, despite

being hidden down an alley that is easy to miss.

Motu Burger / 摩图

107 Gutong Xiang, Laomendong

老门洞箍桶巷107号

17701598220

Small balcony affords great people watching while

munching on delicious Kiwi burgers and ice

cream washed down with fine ales.


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Taj Mahal / 泰姬玛哈印度料理

117 Fengfu Lu / 丰富路117 号

84214123

187-1 Shanghai Lu / 上海路187-1 号

83350491

Established in 2003, the Taj Mahal offers a great

variety and exotic blend of high quality authentic

Indian cuisine that it continues to this day, making

it forever popular with the foreign community.

Skyways / 云中食品店

160 Shanghai Lu / 上海路160 号

83317103

A18, Yadong Commercial Plaza, 12

Xianyin Bei Lu / 仙隐北路12号亚东广场A18室

85791391

Wanda West, 222–2 Jiqing Men Da Jie

集庆门大街222–2万达西地区

85637995

A favourite of the expat community with breads,

made-to-order sandwiches, cakes, chocolates,

desserts, plus imported deli items such as cheese

and salami. Shanghai Lu location has a long queue

at lunchtimes.

MAZZO Club 玛索国际娱乐

1912 Leisure District / 1912 时尚休闲街区6号

楼

84418579

One of the oldest clubs in Nanjing and hangout

for the foreign community playing contemporary

electronica.

NB: The Nanjinger (http://www.thenanjinger.com) is a great source of information about upcoming

events and new bars and restaurants in Nanjing.


http://www.thenanjinger.com/

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Insider Experiences

Andrew Morris / Exchange Student at Nanjing University, 2017

I’m a 24-year old finance student at the University of Melbourne and had my first taste of

China through a short-term exchange program in Shanghai in 2015. Leaving thoroughly

impressed, I knew I had to find a way to spend more time in China and was lucky enough

to receive a Victorian Government Hamer Scholarship to study at Nanjing University in

2017. The government’s relationship is with Jiangsu Province and as such my selection

included universities in Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing; I chose Nanjing University as it is part

of the C9 League and a few friends had been before.

I heard of the temptation to be sucked into a foreigner bubble before leaving, so decided

to live with a Chinese family for the duration of my time in the city. From dumpling

cooking classes, to a night at the Chinese Ballet, this was an amazing experience as I saw

how the Chinese equivalent of my family lived! Luckily they spoke English as I had very

little Chinese before arriving in Nanjing, but it was fantastic to track my learning in daily

conversations with them.

Nanjing is a fantastic city as you have to actually use your Chinese (Beijing and Shanghai

you can get away with little), but has a foreign student population and is close enough to

Shanghai to get a reminder of home every once in a while. The city is full of history being

the former capital, and has an abundance of parks and gardens to keep you busy in your


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spare time. I really loved my time in Nanjing and would strongly recommend it as first

choice for your China experience!

Bryant Soorkia / Hamer Scholar, 2014

My name is Bryant Soorkia. I have been visiting China since the age of thirteen. It all began on a charity trip to Guangdong province many years ago in which my horizons were greatly broadened and I became fascinated with the differences of current day living when compared to my hometown of Melbourne, Australia. I spent six months at a university in Guangzhou during my gap year studying Chinese. During my tertiary studies in Melbourne, I was lucky enough to be granted an Australian government Hamer scholarship that would allow me to study in Jiangsu province for two semesters. Having been to China many times, I had not yet left Guangdong province, and was thrilled to study in Nanjing. My time in Nanjing allowed me to solidify my Chinese written and verbal proficiency and although I may never achieve native speaker status, I am proud of my ability to freely communicate without any major issues in my second language of Mandarin Chinese. As a white looking Australian, it does make for good comedy at times when I am being spoken about in elevators or public places, and to their surprise, I respond to their comments.


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During 2016/17 I worked as an English teacher, a travelling musician and was involved in a small business venture in China. With a partner, we imported a quantity of Australian red wine and worked on building small-scale distribution networks around Jiangsu and surrounding provinces. Although this venture did not necessarily work out for myself, I couldn’t be more happy about the entrepreneurial and Chinese business etiquette experience that I have gained as a twenty-five year old. It has taught me valuable lessons that I will take with me in my career and China focused entrepreneurial future. Having travelled to many places in China, no where has ever felt quite like home like Nanjing has. Whilst being smaller than first tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, yet larger than small towns with growing access to foreign products and services, Nanjing has always felt like a ‘just right’ kind of city to me. Nanjing allowed me to live an adventurous and ‘can do’ lifestyle. As a foreigner, social pressures feel far less than at home in Australia. I was privileged enough to link up with people who introduced me to the lucrative world of music performance, and was blessed to join a band with two of the greatest musicians I have ever met. We travelled to many different areas in Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai and Zhejiang, performing at wedding, birthdays, car shows, product launches and even on tv shows. It was a great experience and one in which would had never been possible or quite the same in Australia. Although I am temporarily in Australia, China is definitely my second home and I am more than confident that my career will be very much structured around the growing opportunities that present themselves in relation to the China-Australia relationship. I wish you all the best on your China discovery adventure!


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Should you have any questions or

would like to get in touch with ACYA,

please feel free to get in touch by

emailing ACYA’s General Manager,

China at [email protected]

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australia china youth association’s guide …...2018/03/26 · australia china youth...

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