Studying in a foreign country, you will come across some problems except for the problems about study, for studying in a foreign country means that you need to begin a new life in that country. So if you want to make your study experience in China more pleasant, you may need to pay attention to the following five aspects.

Climate of China

As a country lies mainly in the temperate and subtropical zones, different zones will have different climate. Generally, its southern part (East China, South China and Southwest china) is warm, humid, and rainy; its northern part (North China, Northeast China, and northwest China) is dry and windy.

In spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) you will need a lined jacket or woolen sweater over light clothes. In summer (June to August) cool cotton garments are recommended. In winter (December to February) a light cotton-patted coat will keep you warm enough in the south; but in the north a heavy woolen coat or down parka is a must.

Plugs

The voltage is 220V, but the pins in the plugs are arranged differently. An international adaptor can be bought easily, though they're a good deal easier to find in the airport before you leave than on the ground after you arrive. This is especially important for those taking their laptops into China.

Videos are PAL, also like the UK, but most Chinese don't watch them. They do watch VCDs (Video CD), a cheap player is about ￡40, and the films about 50p, which can be brought back and watched.

Telephone, Telegram and Fax

China's phone system runs smoothly. Direct long-distance dials (DDD) and International calls (IDD) can be made from hotel rooms or roadside telephone kiosks. When making a domestic call, visitors should dial the domestic prefix 0 plus area code and the number. When make an international call, just dial the international prefix 00, plus country code, area code and number.

IDD calls have a six-second minimum charge; the rate is 0.80 yuan per six second. All long distance phone made between 21:00 and 07:00 the next morning only need pay half the daytime price.

In some large cities, you can now buy IP phone cards which can save you money. Telegram, fax and telex facilities are available in hotels, post offices and telecommunication centers.

Chinese Food

Northeastern food (Jilin, Heilongjiang Provinces) is the most similar to the U.S., with more beef, potatoes, stews, corn, and bread. Ethnic Korean restaurants serving dog meat are common in Jilin.

Guangdong is famous for dim sum, pastries with hot dogs in the middle, and for eating all kinds of weird animals. Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei food is usually fiery hot with peppers (e.g. Kung pao chicken -- gongbaoji). At the same time, Shanghai food tends to be sweeter and milder.

Xian has a very cool street where you can eat all kinds of Muslim foods, which are heavy on mutton and beef (no pork or beer). There are muslim restaurants and muslim neighborhoods in Beijing and most other northern cities. You can find vendors selling mutton kebabs on the street everywhere.

Chinese transportation

Buses are still major public transportation means in all large cities of China. There are normally dozens of routes of buses in large cities. The buses are generally named with Arabic figures, e.g., Buses of Route 1, Route 15 and Route 320. Given the large numbers of passengers, crowded roads and complicated routes, it is not easy for a foreign newcomer to take a correct bus in China.

The four largest Chinese cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou - all boast well-equipped subway systems, with all the stations, ticket-booking offices and transit points clearly marked with their names both in Chinese and English. In every subway train, travel information is read alternately in Chinese and English.

With large numbers of taxis running around, it is very convenient to take taxis in all large Chinese cities. It is not very expensive to hire a taxi in China. There are taxi companies in most of the urban areas in Chinese cities. Taxis are available at any time around big hotels, guesthouses, railway stations, airports, major communications trunk lines and busy commercial areas. There is the time taxi service, which is available at any time at the request of passengers. One can also reserve a taxi by phone. However, the time taxi service is more expensive than the general service.