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Study China Programme
Dominic Povey (Mechanical Engineering), one of seven University of Bath students to be selected for the programme, reports back from his 3 weeks in China...
The Study China programme is funded by the British, Irish and Scottish governments and organised by Manchester University. They have made partnerships with universities in Shanghai and Beijing to offer the opportunity for UK undergraduates to live and study in China.
The programme pays for everything bar personal spending while away and the University of Bath International Office very kindly helped with the cost of the visa and travel insurance so all that was left to pay was the flights. Certainly, an incredible opportunity!
The three weeks are scheduled to ensure that the most is made of your time there. I can assure you it is successful in doing this - over the 3 weeks I had daily Chinese lessons; classes in Tai Chi, Calligraphy and Chinese art; lectures about the Chinese economy and the development of Shanghai; trips to museums and different parts of the city, and even a night-time boat cruise and a trip to a Chinese acrobatic show. We also spent a weekend in a local town experiencing the more traditional aspects of China, and a day at a local school!
Additional to the schedule, hours were spent exploring the city and experimenting with food. The evenings were often spent playing football or basketball with the local students and of course the night life was sampled - it is typical in Shanghai to pay a cover charge of about £10 to get into a club and then for the bar to be free all night!
I am a final year Mechanical Engineering student and have designed a product as part of my final year project. The opportunity to investigate the manufacturing of this product in China was one that I’m sure helped me during the selection process. It was this that occupied the last bit of spare time I had. I managed to make some appropriate contacts while away, one resulting in a very interesting traditional Chinese meal as it is custom for Chinese businessmen to form a relationship before any business talks are conducted. I would advise that all those who take part in the program in the future to set-up meetings with people and companies that would help their course or career. It does take effort with everything else going on but it is well worth it, and the response is generally positive. A friend interested in internet marketing was able to visit the Shanghai office of the company he is interested in, and another made progress towards a financial placement in Shanghai over the summer.
At the beginning of the program I couldn’t help but wonder why the government would fund such a program, it just seemed a little too good to be true. After the three weeks I can confirm that it is as good as it looks, but I can now also see its worth. I now feel I better understand the country I am constantly reading about, and have seen first hand what the fuss is all about, regarding both its strengths and its weaknesses. I plan to continue learning the Chinese language as I’m sure it will benefit me in the future.
This is something I’m sure would not be the case had it not been for the program.
The Study China programme has benefited me in so many ways. I have made some useful contacts and amazing friends, broadened my horizons even further and had a huge amount of fun. I would therefore advise everyone who’s slightly interested in the program to apply, and wish you all luck in getting a place!
If anyone would like to know more about it, please contact me on dp216@bath.ac.uk