Today was our first university visit. We left at 8:45 am and drove about an hour to the Central University of Finance and Economics. Two current university students, Grayson and Richard, and the director of international students generously greeted us. They escorted us to a classroom and two professors gave lectures.
The first professor was Chinese and had studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He discussed how big data can be used to successfully market products to customers. This is especially important with the rapid rise of e-commerce in China. We discussed how most Chinese people purchase products from apps on their smart phones and pay almost exclusively with online payment methods, such as WeChat and Alipay. The second professor was an American who originally moved to China to work in investment banking. His lecture discussed common American things, such as ketchup, Kanye west, and the American Revolution and how they connect to China. It taught me how much ancient and present China impact our daily lives.
After the lectures, the Chinese students took us to their dining hall for lunch. We sat with Richard and Nancy, our program coordinator, and showed them Instagram and Snapchat, both of which are banned in China. It was interesting to learn about their versions of social media and how the platforms differ from ours. We had another banquet style meal, but the food was more traditional. Some traditional dishes included pigs’ blood and thousand-year eggs, but I did not try them . Anyone who knows me knows I am usually adventurous, but when it comes to blood, I stay far away…
After lunch, we had a campus tour and the main part included the newly built library, which was finished in 2016. The 5-story building was very modern and high tech. For example, students at the university can scan their IDs and the library system will tell them which seats are open. The students showed us the basement with amazing scenic pictures hung in the halls like a museum. Lastly, we took a group picture in front of the school seal – a dragon horse.
For the final part of the university visit, we jumped rope with the Chinese students and had a team hula hoop competition. I think Dr. Li won the best jump roper (please see the picture below :). Sadly, my team lost the hula hoop competition and our punishment was to sing “Old Town Road” by Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X. Despite the little practice, it was a great performance. China’s Got Talent – here we come!
My favorite part of today was the dinner. Jane, our program manager, took us to a dumpling and noodle restaurant called Jiangnan. I ordered tomato beef noodle soup and pork dumplings. The food has been great so far, but I think this was the best meal. We had fun talking about our day and we ended up at Starbucks after dinner (we might be staying in China, but we are still Americans haha).
Goodnight from Beijing!
Ttylxox,
Ali <3
