2019 was an unexpected ride that I didn’t know I was in line for. It was filled with an abundance of blessings that truly taught me two things: don’t be afraid to put your dreams in motion and be open to life’s unpredictability. Through a series of really lucky occurrences (message me if you ever want to talk about this), I ended 2019 at a dual degree MBA / MS program, where I will be living in Beijing for a year and then moving to Boston in the fall of 2020!
This section will be a mix of highlights / lowlights of weekend adventures I’ve done in China and thoughts I have of living in one of the fastest growing economies in the world, while studying at one of the major universities in China.
Need to know
Download VPN. Use this to get into blocked sites (Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Google).
GoogleFi has been my saving grace. I have unlimited data (anywhere in the world) for $70 a month PLUS they have built in VPN. Often times (ie, National Week) I would have better data connection than my friends.
Astrill > Express VPN #trust but I have both downloaded on my phone and laptop
Download VPN before you get to China, and when calling VPN on WeChat use an acronym like “Very Prickly Nurses”
Download Didi. China’s version of Uber. Use it for transportation from calling cabs to bikes. Almost impossible to order call a taxi from the street.
No Uber in China (!!) And practically impossible to call at taxi on your own because all taxis will be routed through Didi.
Fun fact, rumor has it TK was offered $500M to buy Didi Dache from Uber, and TK turned it down saying “Nah, I will destroy you instead”. This fight ended up causing over a $7B+ battle. Tl;dr Uber now owns 17% of Didi, bringing equity to $9.5B. But in my own opinion (long tangent lol feel free to breeze past this: this helped Uber gain an “ownership mentality”: how to win and successfully launch in cities instead of acquisition, investment in anti-fraud technology).
Download WeChat. Use this as main form of communication to others, to pay, and to split bills.
WeChat is THE SUPERAPP of China. People always carry their cell phones & external battery packs around because this app is legit life. You’ll add people (from recruiters to hair technicians to friends LOL), pay for everything (utilities, water, restaurants), and split bills on this app.
Link your credit cards to WeChat.
Download AliPay. Another form of payment in China.
Get your China Visa. Allow at least one month processing.
Cost $140 to do it at your local consulate, not including having to go to the consulate, pay for parking, and probably waiting at least 6+ hours. Recommend going through a travel agent, I paid $240 for mine (including Visa) but think the premium was worth the price.
Visa last 10 years!
ITINERARY
Beijing, China - August 2019 to June 2020 | Here for a year studying at Tsinghua University
For those studying at Tsinghua: I am staying in Haidan District, at Hongshan Apartments (Redwood Apartments) and can’t recommend this place enough for Tsinghua students! Usually it students studying at Tsinghua will be clumped in two spots: on campus or off campus near Wudaokou. I found a happy in between at Hongshan, and on bike it is actually closer than those living on campus! Really safe apartment complex with great view. Tanning seems to be the other popular apartment complex (but from hearing my classmates questionable water and electricity fixtures).
For those visiting Beijing: recommend staying near Sanlitun. Sanlitun is the “expat”, “cool posh” area of Beijing. It is where you will find all the must eats, clubs, and shopping.
In general: Beijing is split up into circles. Staying closest to the center (near Tiananmen) will keep you closest to the touristy things and limit your commute to <30 minutes when traveling around. Recommend no matter what to stay within circle 2!
Dalian, China - September 2019 | 6 days @ Miao’s hometown during National Week
Nanjing, China - October 2019 | 4 days when parents came to visit and hung out with them and friends during a long weekend
Tianjin, China - October 2019 | Day trip from Beijing, classmate’s hometown so showed us around
Xuzhou, China - November 2019 | 3 days volunteering with 7th & 8th graders
BEIJING
Highlights
Fall in Beijing is one of the best you will ever see! Biking through Tsinghua was absolutely beautiful, and then hoping over next door to Peking University (Badai) was absolutely splendid
Hiking 香山 (xiangshan). Really beautiful hiking spot with gorgeous gardens. Makes you feel like you are truly outside the Beijing city. Best to go during fall to see the beautiful changing leaves!
Go eat at 兰溪小馆 (Lanxi Restaurant) at the bottom of xiangshan hike. Definitely get their steamed fish (always), mochi dessert, preserved vegetables with pork belly, and tofu noodles (their speciality!)
Also great is they have wonderful market for shopping and cafes after.
Really cheap and incredibly high quality beauty care! One of the best parts of Chinese culture is all these “speakeasy” beauty salons. They are a bunch of beauty / female ex-pat beauty groups you can join and a lot of them will share famous and well known WeChat ID’s of salons that are located in either apartment buildings (but when you walk in it is a full fledged salon) or even better they will come to you.
Eyelashes: $238 RMB So cheap and she comes direct to your door. My lashes last 4+ weeks and I’ll ask her to come in at like 8am so I can nap while she’s doing my lashes hehe [WeChat ID: hanyanxi428]
Alice Facial & Nails: Facials, nails, microblading, laser hair removal, massages… she legit does it all. You walk into this beautiful apartment complex, and then when you get to her place it looks just like a beauty salon. [WeChat ID: p1123985027]
Sofia: For keratin / botox hair (like keratin) / color, my go to for all hair needs. [WeChat ID: ssonya]
千子连足道: Foot massage place, skip dinner go here and get full off all their free dumplings and snacks
克丽缇娜 (chlitina): Facials
Incredibly cheap stuff. My classmates’ dad does the manufacturing for all the NFL / NBA jersey wear and after talking to him (and shopping in China) I truly realize now how cheap it is to make things in China and why everything is out-sourced here!
Taobao / Jingdong: China version of Amazon. Can get anything in 2 days or under. Crazy shopping holidays included 11/11 and 12/11 (Cyber Monday of China). I have gotten really great fitness clothes for $5, a Christmas tree for $3, and an oven for $7. Since all my moves in 2019, I own almost nothing name brand and have probably spent <$10 on each item of clothing in China. How am I suppose to go back to the US now and spend $100 on a sweater at Aritiza now?!?!?!
Pearl Market: This is the go-to if you want fake shit. Supreme bag for 60RMB, Longchamp bag for 45RMB (my go to, I love carry this as my gym bag to work and not caring if it gets dirty), large Rimowa hardcore 60RMB (great for make up / fragile items) suitcase 150RMB (for when you buy too much shit and need an extra suitcase to haul back to the States). Tips for haggling: they will give you an outrageous price. Don’t fall for it. Go 20% of what they ask, and just keep saying that number over and over again until you are out of breath.
Feiyue: Introduced to me by Leah, and then spread to my classmates, and now everybody who comes visit me in China. Feiyue is an athletic brand in China, that went bankrupt, was bought out by a European brand, and now is at Urban Outfitters and Madewell selling for $80 (when you can get the same shoes in China #authentic for 35RMB!)
Really good Chinese food! All right, this will be a blend of “musts” in Beijing + my favorite Chinese food. I used to find Chinese food meh (judge me) because of its greasiness, but trust me on some of these dishes… they are A1!
Peking duck: I only get when friends are visiting. Traditional way to eat is to dip in hoisan sauce, throw a little sugar on it, wrap with cucumber and radish, and throw it into a rice wrap. Save leftover duck for amazing duck congee or duck noodle soup! Two must places are Da Dong and Quanjude.
Hot pot: Either opt for traditional Beijing hot pot or Haidilao.
Haidilao has places in the US, but ones in Beijing are significantly cheaper with crazy good service. They have free nail salon, baggies for your phone, hair ties to tie your hair back, and free dates / rice crackers before! LOL Fun fact, Haidilao owners used to be Chinese and then moved to Singapore to claim a tax break. Heh Don’t forget to order the dancing noodles in tomato broth yum!
Skewers / Chuàn / 串: Sigh, the ultimate drunk food. Make sure you get extra bread (lightly sprinkled with some sugar!)
丰茂烤串(知春路店) Great restaurant where you can grill your own skewers! Don’t forget the beer tower.
AYCE Buffet (第六季自助餐厅(北太平庄店)): Bomb. $269 (so a bit pricey) but comes with unlimited drinks, crabs, personal hot pot, fresh cut sashimi & the Beijing Duck is on par with any you would get at a speciality store.
Boba: My friend Norman was visiting and he looked up “Boba” in Google and couldn’t find anything. Turned to his girlfriend and was like, “Jess, I guess people don’t drink boba here”. hahaha Boba in China is called 珍珠奶茶 (zhēnzhū nǎichá).
Boba in China has two main categories, traditional and new style. Traditional style is the fast casual on the go milk tea, while new style is more expensive and has a wide variety of flavors like cheese. In China, the tea industry comes out to be $9.6B, with around $1B~ coming from the boba market. It’s actually quite interesting when you compare this to traditional Chinese cuisine when both milk and cheese were not popular items. For further reading top Chinese boba shops and competitive advantages and bubble tea market.
喜茶 / xicha / Hey Tea: Highly rated boba shop in China. Sometimes 1+ hour wait! Things to order: 之之莓莓 (strawberry drink w/ cheese foam) & 芋泥 (taro ice cream with taro balls)
Tiger Sugar: One opened up in LA and apparently has a 1+ hour wait. Go here for half the LA price and twice the flavor!
Lelecha: Higher end boba chain in terms of $. My favorite is brown sugar with boba. Also popular is 桃子草莓 (peach/strawberry drink)
一点点 / yidiandian: Neighborhood boba spot, without seats. Grab and go but super cheap (think sub <$1). Really good oolong green milk tea and boba
兰熊 / Blue Bear: Get the taro drink! Instead of boba they have fresh made taro, and will mix in some oreo in it. YUMMM (Lactose be aware, it’s super heavy on milk)
Tsinghua Canteens: Okay if you’re visiting anytime until June 2020 and I am in town please hit me up!!! I will swipe you into our dining halls that I am legit obsessed with. Tsinghua has government subsidized food and legit every. dish. is. so. good. And under $2!!! LMFAO Hit me up and I’ll take you on a bike tour of our campus, swipe you into our dining hall, and show you an authentic Tsinghua experience.
Other great food:
Date cake bread: 枣糕 (zǎogāo) This (!!!) I’m not a huge super sweets fan, but this really always hits the spot. It’s not super sweet, and goes great with coffee and tea in the morning. It’s SO good that friends will waimai this during class, and we will legit order 5 lbs of this bread. I brought some for my parents and they were in love.
Green Beans: 干煸四季豆 (gān biān sìjì dòu) I just really love this, you can definitely get this in the states but this is probably my favorite dish to eat in Beijing
Mala: Mala everything! Numbing spice that is so good, I always end up eating too much and then my stomach is burning later. My favorite is mala fish, but you can truly get anything mala and live your best life.
Visiting Tiananmen Square: Highly highly implore you to read up more about this historic event before you visit. Largely considered a watershed event, this area represents way more than the lovely shops / restaurants you’ll see. Considered one of the most censored topics in China today, I think everyone should read more (outside of China bc you will be stopped by VPN) and then visit to truly understand depths of censorship and political reform in China.
Getting to see really great friends! Different from living in Buenos Aires, I have ended up seeing so many wonderful friends who either happen to be passing through Beijing or will make a visit on route during their Asia visit! It is so nice having a little bit of home all the way in China. If you’re ever in town… let me know!
List as follows… Scott (Shaun’s little brother in August), Shen (+ other Uber coworkers in August), Marco (Uber coworker in August), Jeanette (SF friend in September), Karen (Caro’s mom in October), Leah (SD friend in October) Jamila & Crystal (AK-babies in November), Norman & Jess (AKPsi college friends in November)
Things I wish I got to do during spring semester at Tsinghua:
Great Wall of China
Forbidden City
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
NanjIng
Highlights
Walking around Nanjing Amusement Park Festival at night: beautiful country flags and walk ways / buildings lit up at night
Definitely must check out Nanjing food specialities…
salt water duck: I definitely prefer Beijing roast duck but my family friends gifted me a duck before I left (#why) and during a drunken night my classmates and I decided to cut and cook it and it was DELICIOUS. We had delicious sliced duck with sauce from Haidilao (HAHA) and the next day I made duck soup with enoki mushrooms, tomato, and cabbage. (YUMMMM)
sugar cane: so fresh! actual sugar cane you bite with your teeth
Presidential Palace of Nanjing: Huge! Great garden outside with beautiful scenery.
Shopping in 老li門東 (Laomendong): Wonderful night market and alleyway shop! Amazing cute shops with fun souvenirs. Not too crowded, very clean, can easily spend the day browsing around.
Spending time with my parents. My parents were on a month long (LOL) vacation in Asia, and traveling through Shanghai, Nanjing and Taiwan so I met up with them in Nanjing for a long weekend. One of the best parts of living in China was seeing my parents thrive in their environment. I’ve had a hard time letting go of San Francisco / my comfort zone but getting to grow closer to my parents in that moment was 100% worth the discomfort of being living in a foreign country.
xuzhou
My trip to XuZhou left for so much to be unpacked; this truly was such a life-changing trip. I was chosen as part of a few Tsinghua students (mix of undergrad, masters & exchange) to go to XuZhou in November to teach three separate classes of 7th grade students. We were allowed to teach topics on anything of our choice and I choose to talk about inspirational people. I wanted to focus on small stories of people I had looked up to in the past and end with my own personal inspiration.
I spent time talking about a mix of people including Yao Ming (taking the harder path for greater reward re: joining US NBA & shark fin soup policy), Lebron James (being successful regardless of your upbringing re: growing up in Akron and creating a middle school), Sheryl Sandberg (overcoming difficulties and teaching others re: penning Lean In & Option B), and Jack Ma (not letting failure push you back re: being failing the Chinese exam four years in a row and unsuccessfully applying to Harvard Business School 10x before becoming the richest man in China).
Before I would present on each inspirational person’s story, I asked students who each person was and why they thought I picked them. Afterwards, I would share a bit more information about them and key takeaways I hope they would find from their stories. The presentation was filled with asking questions to students about who each person was, why they thought I picked them, and then asking them if they had any people they looked up to in these categories (female leaders, business leaders, athletes, & authors).
I ended my presentation by sharing with the students about how when I was younger I used to idolize celebrities because of their money and looks, and while they were people who have stories that are important and who have worthy qualities, what I realized of who I respect and gain the most inspiration from is my family. And then I told the story of how one of the people I look up to the most is my grandmother.
My grandmother was an eye doctor in Taiwan, and moved to California with her family in her 50’s. When my grandfather had a life threatening stroke and was paralyzed from the waist down, she took care of him. She even bought and moved houses with a room downstairs (even though she hates change) so that during the day he could be able to easily lie down. She installed a mobile chair lift in the staircase so that he could come up stairs at night and still sleep in the same room with her in case she needed to tend to him. She taught me how to love others selflessly, and also serves as the foundation of how to be a compassionate and caring person. If you ever see me offer water to someone when they come into my home, I have proudly got that trait from her.
A few takeaways I’d like to share:
Students have immense gratitude for their parents’ unconditional support: During one of the sessions I went a bit deeper and shared about how growing up I always looked up to my grandma because she was smart and was a doctor. But now looking back I realized that what I found most empowering about her is her strength in taking care of my grandpa when he had a stroke. I asked students if they found any family member that really took care of them and two students volunteered and shared stories of their own dads working hard and overcoming struggles. During this time both of the students seemed a bit overcome with emotion and started crying. Since moving to China I have encountered so many people (my ayi, didi drivers, my hair dresser) who sacrifice so much to give their children their best life. I was pleasantly surprised at how self-aware these students were, and how appreciative they were of their parents.
The sheer intensity of the educational school system. Children grow up being told about “清华梦” (translation: Tsinghua dream) and are ranked in each class. (Even the Chinese students in my MBA class were publicly ranked by application and interview when they applied to Tsinghua). But because of this…
The Tsinghua Dream (清华梦, qīnghuá mèng) is a Chinese students’ Northstar. All the students were just so receptive to us because starting from when they were little they are told to work hard so they can get into a university like Tsinghua or Peking University. At the end of each section they would come up to us, ask us questions and even ask for our signatures to sign their notebooks and even more intensely iPad cases! Sometimes the praise felt a bit undeserved, but I think it was a powerful experience for students to meet Tsinghua students. (Still kind of crazy though, imagine being so overcome that you treat a Harvard grad like a celebrity in the States when you’re in middle school…)
How lucky we are to pursue education. I think similarly to how I feel about being able to speak multiple languages, education unlocks the key to so many opportunities. These kids go to school on a Saturday (!!) because they truly want to learn more. Conditions aren’t always great (you’ll notice in most of my pictures we are wearing large jackets because it was snowing outside but schools can’t afford a heater), but students show up everyday and are excited to be there.
At the end of the day, we are all just kids who like to play games. If you know me, you know how much I love playing board games, riddles, or really any activity. Getting to spend free time with the students to play musical chairs, heads up seven up, or charades was so fun. I was grateful for the free time we had with the students, and seeing across languages and culture people just like having fun. :’)
I left XuZhou with a deeper understanding of China, a feeling of gratitude to both my parents for always supporting my dreams, and appreciation of Tsinghua for this opportunity of a lifetime.
Beijing
Life at Tsinghua
Nanjing - Parents visit & grandfather’s exhibition
Tianjin - Day trip led by classmate Marvin
Xuzhou - Volunteer with 7th Graders
