My plane lines up for it’s approach into Peking Airport and as I peer through the window, I get my first impression of this historic and traditional city. I’m confronted with clear blue skies and the temperature is registering in the negatives. It’s far from the smog covering and pollution that I have been promised by the media. The day is beautiful. Not many bottles of fresh air will be sold here today I suspect.
I’m told that a few enterprising entrepreneurs have made their millions by bottling and selling cans of fresh air to citizens of this city. I’m in Beijing, the capital of China. China is the most populated country in the world and has the fastest growing economy. Could there be a more challenging or interesting place than this to spend a semester abroad?
Over the next six months I will be attending Renmin University, which ranks as one of the best in the capital. During my time in the orient, I hope to learn some of the language, history and culture of this vast country.
Australia has a strong economic reliance on Chinese growth and demand for natural resources. As a result of our strong economic ties, the Australian Federal Government offers a significant amount of funding for Australian undergraduates to study in China under the New Colombo Plan. As part of this program, I strongly encourage anyone interested in undertaking a semester abroad in China to look into the grants available under this program.
If you are interested in following my experiences in the Far East, I will be making further posts over the next six months.
Until next time,
Chris
