A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: Tsinghau University

  • Joanie Geldenhuys at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    Joanie Geldenhuys at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    Graduate Academic Forum of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    The following documents the experience I had while representing Stellenbosch University at the Graduate Academic forum of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) and will serves as a useful guideline of how to prepare for the trip to China.  The GAUC consists of twelve universities, namely MIT, the London School of Economics, University of Cambridge, Australian National University, University of Tokyo, California, Berkeley, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Imperial College London, the Indian Institute of Science, Stellenbosch University and Tsinghua University.  The focus of the forum is to establish student-level participation and conversations regarding climate change as a major global challenge and priority for the youth.

    Pre-departure

    For a visa application at the Chinese embassy you do not need an appointment, it is first come first serve, so it is best to be early.  The Chinese VISAs only take a week (which is fairly quick), but try to go at least two weeks in advance, best case a month before. It is advised to take the following:

    • Completed online application form. Select type F visa.
    • VISA photos according to specifications for Chinese visa photos). Wear a shirt that’s not white so that you stand out against the white background.
    • Your invitation letter provided by the conference organisers.
    • A leave letter from your study leader saying that you have leave from Stellenbosch University and specifying that you will be required to come back to complete your studies for degree purposes after the trip.
    • Official registration letter for VISA purposes from the university.
    • Accommodation reservation: if you want to stay a day or two longer in Beijing you will have to provide a booking reservation. Agoda and Bookings.com both have good deals and allows you to pay at the property. To see the sights, I recommend to stay in a place with someone who understands English and is situated safe and central to the main attractions.     TripAdvisor has accurate reviews, visitor photos and advice about each place.
    • Your flight itinerary.
    • A colour copy of your passport Bio page – verified at the post office or the police station that’s open 24hrs.

    Additional documents that might prove useful to take with you to the Chinese embassy:

    • Three months bank statements with at least $100 per day in your account for the time you’re out of South Africa, but they might not use these depending on your visa type (that can changed by the assistant once you are at the VISA office).
    • Flight purchase or some form of indication that you, or a sponsor can/will pay it.
    • Travel insurance if you have purchased (not a requirement for Chinese visa but a good idea and not too expensive).
    • Conference info and agenda.

    Print out the address and directions to your hotel in Chinese/Mandarin to take with you.  This is the easiest way to communicate with taxi drivers as they do not understand English.  Installing a translator app that works in China will also be important, as the best way to communicate is to type your message in the translator and show it to the other person.   You should install the WeChat, Didi and Alipay apps as opposed to WhatsApp, Uber and PayPal.  Most people in China pay with their phones using Alipay.  China also has their own apps for navigation and maps.  I bought a Chinese SIM card at the airport and would recommend you doing so as well.  This also helps the organisers to contract you if you should get lost on campus or to inform you about last minute changes on their schedules.

    During the Forum

    The work you submitted for the forum will either be asked to be presented on a A2 poster or you will be asked to do a formal oral presentation in one of the parallel sessions.  The themes for the parallel sessions were: “The Zero Emission Technical Revolution” and “Building Green Future: Economic-Social-Ecological System”. The Youth Declaration on Climate Change was also established to state that climate change is a very important priority and responsibility of the youth and that we should take an active stand in order to solve its challenges.

    There were also cultural activities integrated with the forum program. The hosts took us to both the Tsinghua University Art and History Museums.  Keep your passport and a bit of cash on you, museums and tourist sites require your passport and you will be asked to pay your own entrance fees.

    Breakfast was provided at the hotel restaurant where they accommodated all the delegates.  We were also provided with a meal card to use at the campus cafeterias for lunch and dinner.  The best and most affordable place to use the food cards is the Tsinghua University Student Culture Activity Centre where the food is similar to McDonalds, but prices are roughly R30-R40 per meal (burger, chips and coke).  This is also one of the cafeterias that serve western foods.  Some of the burgers and food can be very spicy, so it would be a good idea to have a Chinese translation of what food you would like to order before placing your order.

    After the Forum

    You may want to go see one or two sights after the forum has finished and there isn’t really any free time to do so during the forum.  Also, as China gets rapidly colder as November progresses, it would most probably be better to book the extra day or two for sight seeing before the forum starts to have a few degrees warmer weather.  Some of the students went to see the Great Wall of China which is about 2 hours away by bus, though this might be a relative expensive option.  No worry, Beijing has many sights that is inexpensive and not far from Tsinghua.   The “Palace Museum” is situated in the center of Beijing where the “The Last Emperor” movie was shot and the “Lama Palace” also nearby where you can go see typical Chinese artwork buildings and experience a piece of the Buddhism culture.  Both these place offer student discount on tickets, but will ask if you are undergraduate as China only offer student discount to undergraduate students.

    Lastly, student delegates were offered an opportunity to write a collaborative letter to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, as to highlight the importance of climate change in our society and that we as youth see it as an important priority and personal challenge to solve.  The president responded with an email after the forum where he shared his personal experience, when he was still a young man, with the devastating effects of unsustainable development in a small village resulting in economic collapse.  He also shared his vision for China in tackling climate change towards becoming a sustainable ecological civilisation. The delegates also received the opportunity to respond to the president’s letter.   It is clear that climate change is bigger and accelerating faster than what is historically considered to be natural. It is all of our duty to become informed and involved in order to divert from our current path towards a sustainable future.

  • Heinrich Geldenhuys at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    Heinrich Geldenhuys at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    Graduate Academic Forum of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

    The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) was established at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.  The aim is to create international collaboration regarding support measures for the United Nations climate change and Sustainable Development Goals.  This alliance consists of twelve leading universities internationally, of which Stellenbosch University was included as the African continent’s representative in climate change research. The need was identified for the active exchange of information at a student level regarding climate change.  Hereby the very first Graduate Academic Forum of the GAUC was set in motion by inviting student representatives from each member university.

    Pre-departure

    The following detail describes the preparations I had to undertake for the trip and will provide a good perspective and guideline of what to expect to the students that follow the years to come.  The first priority is to start applying for a visa and collecting all the documentation needed.  Fill in, print and sign the online application form to take with you.  Apply for a type F visa.  Visa photos should be sized 33mm x 48mm (measure them since the photo shops make mistakes sometimes), and make sure that you comply to the Chinese guides of how the photo should look.  Also bring along your invitation letter from the organisers or Tsinghua University.  We were fortunate that the organisers sent us invitation letters signed by the Chinese Minister of Education.  Copies of passport pages, proof of registration, flight and accommodation reservations, and a leave letter written by your supervisor should also be taken with you.

    The Chinese consulate is situated on the 20th floor, 1 Thibault Square, Long Street, Cape Town.  They open 9am and close 12:30pm, 9am is the recommended time and the traffic isn’t great there so be sure to check on Google Maps for the predicted TOA from where you are driving (from Stellenbosch it should take you about an hour to two hours). You can use the Thibault Square Parking (it is under a neighbouring building) to park, take cash to pay parking.

    When packing one’s bag it is important to consider the weather to be expected.  Beijing is very cold in November so pack gloves, a scarf and long johns or thermal underwear for under your pants.  Puffer jackets are the preferred type of clothing to insulate against the cold in Beijing and are widely worn by the locals.  Layering one’s clothing also works well.

    It is a good idea to have a copy of all your documentation with you during your flights, especially your letter of invitation confirming your purpose of visit.  It does happen that customs experience problems with your passport and ask for documentation.  Buy a Chinese SIM card at the airport in China to make your journey easier.  Remember with some carriers to cancel your SIM card before leaving the country, as this could apparently have implications such as blacklisting. We used Unicom and they confirmed that the SIM card we bought does not require cancellation as it will terminate by itself after a certain time.

    The organisers relied on WeChat (Whatsapp does not work in China) to communicate the arrangements to all the attendees in a group chat.  Install WeChat early on as it is tricky to get it up and running, you need to be invited by another Chinese/user on the app and it is not unusual to get blocked.

    During the Forum

    The organisers provided us with accommodation at one of their guesthouses/hotels in shared rooms of 2 -3 persons. We received meal cards to use on campus and breakfast was included at the hotel.  It is easy to get lost on campus, especially if you rely on google maps.  The best is to stay in groups, use the campus map or install the Chinese map apps, Didi (their Uber app), and Alipay (like Paypal).

    I was selected to do a presentation on my work, it entails how an existing city’s infrastructure can be transitioned to become a smart sustainable city.  The organisers provided us with themed templates for posters and presentations beforehand. The forum started with a welcoming reception in the evening where the GAUC welcomed us with special entertainment ranging from singing, Chinese opera and a magician.  The first day we attended the opening ceremony that entailed the opening address and keynote speeches by selected chairs of the GAUC Leadership, ending with a panel discussion.  Most of the speeches were in Chinese/Mandarin, but a translation service was in place so that everyone were able to participate.  The poster sessions and presentations followed during the main part of the forum, including the World Youth Roundtable, where the Youth Declaration on Climate Change was established, to discuss and promote the role and involvement of students and the youth in tackling climate change.

    After the Forum

    Sightseeing is a must in Beijing.  Beijing is also very safe due to their thorough camera surveillance, but make sure that you arrive home before 10pm or 11pm, as taxis become scarce and the rail metro closes.  After 5pm temperatures drop drastically.  Shops are open until 9pm, but close earlier on Saturdays.  Make use of TripAdvisor recommendations for visiting the tourist sights.  One of the sites are very near to Tsinghua University and ideal to go see after the forum.  It is the Summer Palace which showcases some of China’s most amazing heritage and scenery.

    Tsinghua University is the number one university in China and they have a beautiful campus, it reminded me a lot of Stellenbosch University and how proud I am to be associated with such an established university.  It was really an honour to represent Stellenbosch University amongst students from other leading universities of the world, to exchange insights and learn from each other.

    During the forum delegates had a choice to help write an email to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, about the challenges and reality of climate change and how this matter is of great importance to a country but especially the youth.  After returning to South Africa the feedback from president Jinping was shared with the students who participated and the students had the opportunity to again comment and provide their insights in another response.