Xiamen is the place to be.
I am Leo, German, studying International Business Management in the 5th semester and stayed in Xiamen from September 2017 until January 2018.
Studying in China is a big adventure. However, it was not as big as I expected. At my home university I attended several courses concerning Chinese culture and economy. Moreover, I had some previous Chinese knowledge which is very helpful, but not a must as most of the exchange students did not have any Chinese knowledge before coming here. As I knew what to expect, there was no culture shock for me at all. Many things are different from Germany but with time approaching you will not even notice them anymore. Just be open to discover new things and you will have a great time.
Xiamen is very nice. From what I heard it is supposed to have one of the highest living standards in China and I can understand why. The campus is beautiful and next to beach. On the weekends there are many tourists visiting the campus. Furthermore, the weather is awesome. The lowest temperatures were 15 degrees Celsius in January. Also, the air is clean, so there is no need to wear a mask like in other parts of China.
In general, as you arrive there are two options concerning accommodation, either you decide to live on campus in a dormitory like mostly all Chinese students do or you look for an apartment off campus like most exchange students do. The dormitories on campus offer less privacy but are of course cheaper. Due to the attractiveness of Xiamen real estate prices are high. If you wish to live off campus the school of management will provide the contact details of real estate agents who can speak English as well as Chinese. Finding a flat usually takes one week. Better arrive with some spare time, so that it does not become stressful in the beginning.
If you arrive in Xiamen you need a Chinese sim-card and a Chinese bank account. I got a sim-card from China Unicom as it is supposed to be the only provider supporting 4G for foreign phones. I opened my bank account at the Bank of China. It is very convenient as there are a China Unicom as well as Bank of China facility on campus. If you go there take a Chinese friend with you as communication might be difficult sometimes. With a Chinese bank account and sim-card you have many opportunities. You can pay with your phone, use shared bikes, order food online, top-up your Xiamen university card in order to eat at one of the several canteens on campus.
Everything in China is digital. Make sure you have a reliable phone with you as it might be your lifesaver in many situations. Here a short overview of my most used apps:
• Wechat (most used messenger, ability to pay with wechat pay)
• Alipay (ability to pay with Alipay)
• Didi (useful taxi app)
• Tmall (online shopping)
• Ofo, Mobike (bike sharing apps)
• Ctrip (to book accommodation, also book flights and trains)
• Eleme (to order food)
• Good translator
• Map
Another advice I can give you is make Chinese friends. In some situations, it is very important to have a Chinese friend with you to overcome language and culture barriers. Most people in Xiamen do not speak English. Chinese people are very friendly, happy to help you and welcoming. In addition, it is even more exciting to check out Xiamen together with your Chinese friends.
Summing up I can only recommend Xiamen University to everyone considering to study in China. A big thank you to everyone involved giving me such a pleasant stay. I will definitely come back.
