File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I hope to go on a gap year to the Peoples Republic of China (from England) to study at Tsinghua university. A short course in Mandarin is what I hope to do. Any suggestions on how to make things easier, or what its like there? Any general Info on Tsinghua or Bejjing would be very much appriciated !
>> Anonymous
get a full blown gas mask so you won't die from suffocation.

honestly though, the air is horrible, so you might want to see a doctor and ask for advices, especially if you have breathing disorders.

Please remember that Tsinghua's admittance is based on entrance exam, so don't expect people you meet to be interesting (not that they can't be, they just probably aren't).
>> Anonymous
>>26267

why would they not be interesting people?
>> Anonymous
>get a full blown gas mask

I'd recommend a Darth Vader outfit with oxygen tanks concealed below the cape.
>> Anonymous
>>26269

Pollution can't be that bad, can it? >..<
>> Anonymous
>>26270

You'll be ready for anything, and you'll look way cooler. Dudes with gas masks don't get the chicks.
>> Anonymous
>>26270

I find your lack of faith disturbing ...
>> Anonymous
>>26275

lol wut /?/
>> Anonymous
>>26270
http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/2007/02/19/BC_CHINA_POLLUTION18_COX.html

I'm sure the level of pollution varies from place to place, China is a pretty big country.

Personally I would be more worried about the (chemically tainted) food, and the results it will have on my body in 20 years. Just look at how many scares we in America/Canada had regarding poisoned food/toy imports from China in the past few years. Now imagine how bad it is in China where the government just doesn't give a shit.
>> Anonymous
>>26277
>Personally I would be more worried about the (chemically tainted) food

Bah, OP is from England. The food can only be better elsewhere.
>> Anonymous
Hmm.. I thought food was better in China
>> Anonymous
lol fox news fags.

Japs are reallly paranoid about their food too.
Their import standards are the most strident in the world. They ban shitty beef that Americans scarf down without a care.
>> Anonymous
>>26288
And look at how much healthier Japan is compared to America. Far higher life expectancy, and an almost negligible number of fatties. Think there might be something to it, maybe?
>> Anonymous
take it from a chink
if something looks too good, it probably is
>> Anonymous
Food's great. GREAT. In fact, the best food I've ever had. Chemically-tainted is a pretty silly assumption, that's only in Chinese restaurants in the West. In China they do it the authentic way.
>> Anonymous
>>26333In China they do it the authentic way.
Yeah, with soy sauce made from human hair.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I went to Guangzhou for a few days this February (side trip from Hong Kong). I'm an asthmatic, and the air didn't bother me at all, so you should be fine unless you have a severe respiratory condition, or plan to run a marathon. The air will be worse during the summer, but at that point the ungodly humidity is a bigger worry imo.

Pic related, Guangzhou on an overcast day. Delicious smog.
>> Anonymous
sage for PRC. Enjoy your cancer, propaganda, and AIDS.
>> Anonymous
>>26267
>>26269
>>26277
>>26334
>>26338
I find the number of people who make stereotyped assumptions on China quite amusing, especially seeing as the posters quoted above probably have never even been to China.
China isn't as terrible as immature 13-year-old boys who believe there's no such thing as Western propaganda make it out to be. It's a pretty enjoyable experience, visiting China. Most of the major cities are pretty modern, I didn't get food poisoning once, I didn't actually feel any different breathing the air (though it did appear pretty hazy), I wasn't kidnapped by Chinese government officials, there wasn't propaganda stuck all over the walls (in fact I didn't even notice any propaganda, though there probably was a bit of biased news reports on TV but I couldn't understand anyway), there are a ton of natural scenery spots away from the cities, people were pretty nice.
I haven't actually been up north around Beijing, so I can't tell you about that, but I've heard the pollution is worse than the south, so watch out for that.
Also, Chinese students are pretty damn smart and competitive (imagine your smart Asian nerd in a Western school, except the whole schools/universities are full of them), so prepare for some tough competition if you're going to study there ;).

And before some "superior" Amerifag comes and calls me a liar or delusional pro-China propagandist or other common arrogance-filled insults, try actually setting foot in China before you throw more ignorant abuse.
>> Anonymous
CHINA HATES OUT FREEDOMZ AND IS TRYING TO KILL US WITH POISONED SEAFOOD AND PLASTICS! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE THEY START INVADING? RUN INTO THE WOODS WITH YOUR FRIENDS? CALL YOURSELVES THE WOLVERINES?
>> Anonymous
>>26338
>BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
>> Anonymous
>>26350
rofl has the Chinese government started an internet propaganda team or something? How much they paying you bro?
>> Anonymous
>>26354
Lol, another one.
>> Anonymous
>>26354
26350 here. I guess I really shouldn't be expecting maturity or any form of intelligence from a 12-year-old... how inconsiderate of me to put such faith in anon. Kids these days, never learn.
gb2homework, kiddo.
>> Anonymous
>>26354
>>26338

I used to think 4chan was full of intelligent people pretending to be dumb for 'lulz', now i've come to realise it also has its fair sure of flat out retards.

OP check out the area around Hou hai, Gulou road and Nan luo gu xiang, these are my favourite places in Beijing. Also there's lots of really good bars and music venues around Qing hua if you're into that kinda stuff, its a good area.
>> Anonymous
>>26363
how did you know I was 12?! OMG R U LIEK SANTA CLAUSE R U WATCHI N ME LOL
>> Anonymous
>>26375
>>26363
>>26360
>>26353
>>26350

Same butthurt Chinafag.
>> Anonymous
>>26350
>>26360
>>26363
are all me. The other ones you quoted aren't (and I'm not Chink). Just accept the fact that not everyone is stupid enough (like you) to misinterpret stereotypes to be fact, son.
>> Anonymous
>>26379
Same fag as above quoted same fags.
>> Anonymous
>>26350
I'm another amerifag who completely agrees with the above poster. Before I went to China, I expected the plane to land on a dirt runway, to be taken to a holding cell via donkey-drawn shitcart, and be fed propaganda for six days before I could see the country under heavy surveillance.

Actually, I've found the same things that the OP said: very modern, a generally laid-back and friendly population, et cetera. Sure, I can't drink the tap water in China which sucks, but there are things about the US that suck equally.

Granted, the government there isn't quite as oppressive to Western visitors as they are to their own people, but I think that the sneaky shitty things that the US government does kind of balances it out.

Also, I've found that I (being raised as a pretty good American student) get my ass kicked routinely by the Chinese students. They all speak at least three languages fluently, have a better grasp of math than me, and learned both their own AND western history. Fuck, when I learned about WWII I didn't even know that China was involved until I took a specialized course in college.

tl;dr I agree; China's just getting a bad rap.
>> Anonymous
Another person Going to Beijing soon here

/trv is so useless when it comes to talking about China, guaranteed to devolve into political bullshit. Thanks to those anons who contributed useful information
>> Anonymous
>>26393
China's role is downplayed in Western schools because the communists took control, and America doesn't like communists. American relations with the original Chinese government were always good; this is why they protect Taiwan after they fled there after the communists took over.

As for the pollution and poverty, it does exist. It's just deep within the country, and there's no infrastructure, so you can't really find the places unless you actively seek them out. Some villages do not have paved roads, and the only way in is by hiring a guide. Visiting some of these places is like going back several hundred years in time. It contrasts very much to the urban lifestyle of the coastal metropolis.
>> Anonymous
>>26754

I would guess that's because China once belonged under Britain (just like India once did). America's going down, anyway. Russia has the oil, China has all the resources. Not to mention they can cut all the "Made in China" shit whenever they damn well please.

Learn to swim, see you down in Yangzi Jiang.
>> Anonymous
>>26768
China was never a colony... it was always independent.
Hong Kong was under British control until the 1990s, but that's a different story.
>> Anonymous
>>26769

Thanks for bringing this to light! I should really shut up and do my research next time.
>> Anonymous
We should never have ceded Hong Kong to the ChiComs

What part of perpetual lease didn't they get
>> Anonymous
>>26754
>>26393
You people must have gone to poorly funded schools, most American high school textbooks discuss the Pacific theater in rather good detail (even including quite a lot of the Rape of Nanking/Bataan Death Match BAWWWWWW-fest), with little being discussed on the firebombings of Dresden or Tokyo. Nukes get discussed a whole lot, though.
Compare to the Chinese textbook on modern history. According to that, the Chinese singlehandedly defeated the Japanese from the mainland with little foreign help; when in reality the communists were busy fighting the nationalists most of the time, hence why the nationalists eventually lost. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution are only "minor errors". Just try telling someone that the Xia dynasty was most likely legendary, they'll make it seem like you kicked them in the nuts.
China is a great country, but accurate history is not it's forte. In before someone who's never read a US textbook claims that Amerikkka whitewashes everything.
>> Anonymous
>>26825
here's this complimentary facepalm
>> Anonymous
Anon here:

I lived in China last year for a few months, and this is what'd say about it:

1) Pollution: It's bad. No denying it. However, I live in BC, so I'm used to pristine crystal air. : D

2) People: Yes, they're totally brainwashed, but I didn't meet too many fervent angry in-your-face automatons. Most of them just sincerely believed in the goodness of their government, and saw their country as greatly and unjustly misunderstood. It made me more sad than indignant.

3) Food: the best I've ever had in my life. Period. Of course, there are good and bad food, but the food in China is soooo gooood and soooo cheeeaap! I still miss it.

4) Buying stuff/shopping: low-quality crap is everywhere, but so is medium and okay quality stuff for dirt dirt dirt cheap if you know how to bargain.

Disclaimer: I was in central and northern China a lot, and when I went to Guanzhou I remember it was getting more expensive and less enjoyable cuz it's southern area near HK. Less charm.

And before anybody says I might be biased: I'm CBC (Chinese-Born Canadian), so I don't give a fuck about any country either way, since I live in the space in between. : P
>> Anonymous
>>26831

Your chinese AND canadian? Talk about double the fail.