CDHAW and CDHK of Tongji University, 2011-2012

At a glance

Where, who, when

Full name of the host university: CDHAW and CDHK of Tongji University
City, country: Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Homepage of the host university:
http://cdhaw.tongji.edu.cn/de/
http://cdhk.tongji.edu.cn/de/
http://www.tongji.edu.cn/english
Author of the field report: Felix Doepke
Degree programme at FH Aachen: Industrial Engineering and Management, Faculty 8
Start and end of the stay abroad: 28/08/2011 - 20/01/2012
The semester abroad was completed in: 5th semester

Assessments

Quality of the programme content: 2,3
Study conditions / facilities at the host university: 2.3
On-site support and assistance: 1.7
Campus: 2.3
Transport links to the campus: 2.7
Food on campus (dining hall (Mensa), etc.): 1,3
Sports facilities: 1.3
Leisure activities: 1.3
Bars / discos / nightlife: 1.0
Quality / cost of living: 2.0
Contact with locals: 3.0

Preparations

When did you start the preparations? I had my first discussions with Prof. Reichert in autumn 2010 and received the first forms in January 2011.
How does the application process work and what documents are required? In 2011, there were 20 places for German industrial engineers from the partner universities. After the applications have been sent in, the university selects who gets a place. An application form from the CDHAW, some forms for the International Office of FH Aachen and a health certificate for stays of more than 6 months are required. This can be done at the RWTH within one day. You can get a blood test beforehand by donating blood, for example. I recommend getting the certificate in Germany in any case. Otherwise you may well have to catch up on it in China even though you won't be staying for 6 months.
Does the host university require a language test? Yes, an English test such as TOEFL or CAE.
Useful tips or further information on preparation: The vaccinations recommended for China are not required for Shanghai. However, in order to be able to travel with a clear conscience, I recommend that you have all the recommended vaccinations.

Formalities

Do I have to pay fees at the host university? No tuition fees, but you will have to pay for some things such as insurance, recognition of the health certificate or visa processing.
Did you receive a scholarship to finance your stay abroad? No.
Which way of travelling to the host university is recommended? What are the approximate travelling costs? You should take a taxi from Pudong Airport the first time. The journey takes a long time, about 1 - 1.5 hours depending on traffic, and costs around €35. Alternatively, you can take metro line 2 to Jiangsu Road station and change to line 11 to Shanghai Automobile City (but be careful, this line splits at Jiading Xincheng. Be sure to take the underground with terminus Anting). At Automobile City, take an official or unofficial taxi (negotiate approx. 15 yuan beforehand) the rest of the way to the campus. Be sure to take a note with the name and address of the campus with you when you first arrive. Taxi drivers cannot understand or read English! This method costs less than €4 in total.
Did you have to take out additional health insurance? Yes, you should take out international health insurance if you don't already have it. Mine with HUK cost around €150 for the 4.5 months.
Is further insurance necessary? The university required every student to take out additional international health insurance on site. This cost around €35 for the entire period.

On site

What formalities have to be completed after arrival? A lot and in many small steps. You often have to collect stamps and go from place to place.
If you stay in the hall of residence, you go to the International Office with your tenancy agreement and are registered with the police. If you are looking for a flat yourself, you also have to do this yourself. The visa must also be submitted to the university again for a permanent stay.
If you had the health certificate done in Aachen, it only has to be submitted on a certain date. Otherwise, you can collect it on the same day as the others.
Where is the best place to live and what are the average housing costs? On the Jiading Campus, it is easiest to stay in a hall of residence. The south-facing rooms are best as they are warmer in winter. You pay 3000 yuan for a single month and 5400 yuan for 3 months in a row. If you don't like these rooms, you can look for something nicer in the neighbouring housing estates. Be sure to take a Chinese fellow student with you to translate and negotiate the contract. The International Office can also help a little. The rental costs are negotiated, but are not higher than in a hall of residence.
How did the search for accommodation go? See above, you can only look for accommodation near the Jiading Campus on site. If you only have a few lectures and live in the city, I recommend searching online at smartshanghai.com
What is the average cost of living? I didn't spend more on food than in Aachen.
What is cheap/expensive? Eating out is much cheaper than in Germany. On campus, you can get a delicious meal for just €1.50 in most restaurants. In the supermarket, dairy products in particular are more expensive than in Germany. A litre costs around €2.
What are the shopping facilities like? There are several large and small supermarkets on campus. There is no fridge in the hall of residence, which is why you often help yourself to fresh food from the chiller cabinet in the morning.

About the host university

Briefly describe the host university! Tongji University consists of 5 campuses spread throughout the city. I studied at the Jiading and Siping campuses. The Jiading Campus is relatively far outside the city. In 2011, the nearest underground station was Shanghai Automobile City, but a direct connection is under construction and, given the pace of construction in China, it will probably be finished soon. In 2011, it took about 1.5 hours to get to the city centre. The campus is a small world in itself with an incredible number of sports facilities, institutes and a shopping and restaurant mile. It is very spacious with large meadows and small woods. The hall of residence for foreign students is right next to this street. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the hall of residence to the campus entrance. The CDHAW, where you have your lectures, is close to the entrance.
The Siping Campus is closer to the city centre. It takes about 20 minutes to get to People's Square from here. This campus is much more densely built up. There are also many sports facilities and even a small park.
How was the quality of the courses? The standard depends very much on the lecturer. I found the strong reference to China in the lectures very interesting and useful. The written examinations are usually easier than at FH Aachen, but the requirements are less transparent.
How are the facilities at the host university? The Library is an impressive building, the lecture halls are fine. All lecturers work with scripts and projectors.
What are the opening hours on campus, how are the libraries, are there scripts for the lectures? The campus is always open, the Library from morning until 10pm. Lecture notes are available. It is best to ask the lecturer on site and they will send it to everyone by email. Unfortunately, there is no intranet.
How many hours a week did you work on average? On average, I was at university for at least 4 hours a day. At the CDHAW, the modules are worth 4 Chinese CP and exactly the same number of ECTS. At the CDHK it is often 3 Chinese CP and 5 ECTS. The grading system and scale are the same as in Germany.
Did the professors prepare you well for exams? Did you also receive help from them outside the lectures? You were well prepared and most lecturers are also extremely committed outside the lectures. There were excursions and counselling sessions on the course.
Are there special introductory courses for visiting students? There are Chinese language courses and a module on Chinese culture. These start together with the normal lectures. The modules that are intended for visiting students are almost exclusively attended by them.
What do I need to bear in mind when the certificate is issued at the foreign university? Nothing, it will be emailed to you or collected in person after you have completed your degree.
Who was the contact person at the foreign university? Ms MA, Yimin (Tel.: 0086-21-69583929) speaks German, English and Chinese and Ms LI, Jingjing speaks English and Chinese. Both are in the International Office of the CDHAW.
What did you like / dislike about the campus ? I really liked the wide range of sports on offer and also living together with my Chinese fellow students. The transport links from the Jiading Campus to the city were not so good.
What are the transport links like? What should I bear in mind? There is a shuttle bus between Jiading and Siping Campus. This leaves from the left at the main entrance to Jiading and from the northern edge of the Siping Campus. It takes between 1.5 and 2+ hours depending on traffic. At certain times there is also a much faster one, which takes about 1 hour because it uses the motorway. Please enquire about the times on site.

About the courses and lectures attended at Tongji University

Course attended: China's Economic Order and Economic Systems
Lecturer: FENG, Xiao
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 3 hours per week, lecture
Keywords for course description: Insight into the development of the Chinese economy and its current status
Form of assessment: Written examination
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: E-Commerce
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 3 hours per week, lecture
Keywords for the course description: Insight into e-business and sales models
Form of assessment: Lecture and business plan to be presented
Is the course recommended? Not necessarily
Course attended: Lean management
Lecturer: Dr Christof Rau
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 5-day block seminar
Keywords for the course description: Introduction to lean management, the ideology and methods
Form of assessment: Oral participation and presentation in group work
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: Entrepreneurship
Lecturer: HAN
Course duration & scope, teaching form: 3 hours per week, lecture with presentations by company founders
Keywords for the course description: Theories on setting up a company especially in China
Form of assessment: Business plan and written examination
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: Global Sourcing
Lecturer: Voigt
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 5-day block seminar, lecture
Keywords for course description: Theories and personal experiences in global sourcing
Form of assessment: Written examination
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: HRM
Lecturer: Rehfeld
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 3 hours per week, lecture
Keywords for course description: Human resources with reference to China
Form of assessment: Lectures and written examination
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: Intercultural Communication
Lecturer: Gülow
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 5-day seminar (spread over several weeks), lecture with lively participation and simulations (role play)
Keywords for the course description: Speciality in intercultural interaction and negotiation
Form of assessment: Lectures
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: Lean Factory Planning
Lecturer: Ender
Course duration & scope, form of teaching: Several individual appointments, about 6 hours at a time, lecture and simulation
Keywords for the course description: Similar to lean management, but with a focus on factory planning
Form of assessment: Written examination
Is the course recommended? Yes
Course attended: Computer-aided design
Lecturer: Abramovici
Course duration & scope, teaching form: Several individual sessions, lecture and CAD
Keywords for the course description: Theories of CAD
Form of assessment: Written examination
Is the course recommended? No
Course attended: Supply Chain Management
Lecturer: ZHANG, Sidong
Course duration & scope, teaching format: 1.5 hours per week, lecture and computer simulation at the end of the lecture
Keywords for course description: Theories and Excel models of SCM
Form of assessment: Written examination and good participation in the computer simulation
Is the course recommended? Yes

Leisure activities

What is the range of sports facilities on campus like? Very good, there are lots of sports fields, badminton, tennis and basketball courts. Table tennis tables and a fitness studio.
Do I have to pay for the sports facilities? Only the fitness centre. It is no more expensive than German fitness centres.
What leisure sports facilities does the university offer? The ones mentioned above. There is also a swimming pool and sports courses such as Kung Fu on the Siping Campus.
What sights are there locally? Shanghai has few attractions in the classical sense, but is rather an attraction in itself. The most famous places are People's Square, Nanjing Road, the World Financial Centre (especially the bar on the 91st floor), the TV Tower, Yu Garden, the tailors' market on Nanpu Bridge and the fakemarkets on Nanjing Lu and in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum underground station.
What tourist attractions does the surrounding area have to offer? FThe "Huangshan", the Yellow Mountains, are beautiful. We organised a shuttle bus from People's Square with Chinese friends. It's best to book a hotel at the summit beforehand, otherwise you might have to sleep in a tent. Suzhou is known for its gardens and Hangzhou fascinates with its "West Lake".
Are there any organised (possibly subsidised) excursions for visiting students? There was a tour to a neighbouring water town in Shanghai.
Are there many good restaurants and bars nearby? The town of Anting is close to the Jiading Campus. There is a Czech restaurant here. There are also good restaurants on the campus itself. At Siping Campus there are many good restaurants opposite the main entrance.
Are there any special features of the local cuisine? Restaurants with Yunnan and Sichuan specialities traditionally have the spiciest cuisine in China. It's best to look for a menu with pictures and not order the completely red dishes. The expression "Bù lade" (not spicy) often helps with street food too. Pay attention to hygiene, especially at the beginning when the German stomach is not yet used to a lot. Where there is a lot going on, it is usually also clean. Chinese cuisine is extremely varied and delicious.
Where do you go in the evening (pubs, bars, discos, cinemas) and what do you recommend? C's (cheap underground bar), bars in the "Window's" chain (cheap with billiards etc.), MINT (classy penthouse disco, make sure you're on the guest list beforehand!), Bar Rouge (one of Shanghai's most expensive discos right on the Bund), G+ (very modern disco), Club 88 (particularly popular with the Chinese), The Apartment (large club with lots of dance floors and a living room atmosphere, just check smartshanghai.com to see what looks good!
Are there any special customs/customs among the locals and what is an absolute taboo? You don't tip in China, in restaurants there is usually only one menu for everyone and one person orders for everyone. The food is then placed in the centre and simply shared. There are a few tourist traps on People's Square and Nanjing Road. Chinese people or small groups approach you and want to invite you for tea, a tea show or a drink. This is followed by a horrendous bill. Just don't go along or be absolutely sure that it's not a trap.

Final considerations - Conclusion

How would you rate your stay abroad overall? Very good. China is a fascinating country and you learn a lot for life. The most annoying things are the poorly isolated flats and the difficult contact with the population.
Did you choose the right time for your semester abroad? Basically, yes. If I had gone in the 6th semester, everything would have gone a bit more smoothly.
What were the high and low points of your stay ? The arrival was very tough because of the culture shock and jet lag. The travelling in China was fantastic, as were the many experiences with international friends.
What will remain unforgotten? Haggling over the price of a suit at the tailors' market. The friendliness of the ordinary people and the rough behaviour in the underground. The beautiful landscape. The humidity.
What advice would you like to give to other students on your degree programme who decide to spend a semester abroad at this foreign university? You can clarify a few things before you leave, but the Chinese are not like the Germans, who want to have everything planned in advance. So you have to live with the uncertainty that everything might be different next week. Patience is the key!