Erin a language student from University of Ulster, Coleraine Northern Ireland is on a 2 week trip to Hangzhou to learn about Chinese life and culture. Yesterday afternoon we met at the Zhejiang Media University for a chat to discuss her experience so far.

By: Class 3 Erin and Yi Fengyu 

Q. Hello we are both students here at Zhejiang Media University, if you wouldn’t mind we would like to ask you a few questions about your first impressions of China?

The main thing I have noticed is the food here is very different, especially at meal times and the variety of dishes.

Normally in the UK for breakfast we wouldn’t have rice or noodles we would have cereal or toast instead. Also using chopsticks was difficult to master at the beginning, in UK we use knifes & forks and spoons. In addition the dishes are very unusual in particular chicken feet and turtle soup were quite shocking.

Q. Is university life here similar to that in the UK?

No student life here, is very different to the UK as here there are very strict rules and curfews. In my university we don’t have bells also the university in China is huge and probably about 10 times the size of our university in the UK. Many the students in the UK only live on campus for their first year and then in private housing near the university but here the students live on campus for their entire degree course.

Q. What has your experience been of daily life here in China?

It is very hot and humid here whereas in the UK it rains most of the time and we only have a few hot sunny days during the summer. I was surprised at how cheap everything is to buy out here especially clothes and food. It’s quite unusual to see people using umbrellas to protect them from the sun rather than the rain like in the UK.

Also one of the more difficult things to adapt to were the different type of toilets here compared to the UK.

Chinese cities are very overcrowded and huge compared to those in the UK.

Finally what myself and the other students from my university that are also on this trip find quite amusing is the fact that wherever we go people take photos and stare at us.

Q. Finally what have been your highlights so far during your stay?

I really enjoyed visiting Shanghai and seeing the amazing skyscrapers and view from the top floor of the Oriental Pearl, also the beautiful gardens in Suzhou. I have found many Chinese people to be very welcoming and even though there are many differences between life in China and the UK I would to like to return to another part of China in the future as it is a country which has a fascinating culture and history.

Many thanks Erin for letting us interview you today and we hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.