The Campus Advisor (CA) Program consists of eight Chinese student leaders looking to help new international students transition to life in China. Each international student is assigned two CAs who they can turn to for basic questions, language barrier problems, or even just advice for where to have the best hot pot!
This academic year, the Campus Advisor (CAs) Program saw a lot of turnover as our CAs graduated or left for study abroad programs. Get to know this year’s new group:
Anastacia Cheng, 程湜
School of Transnational Law, 4L
Hometown: Huanggang, Hubei Province. Hubei is known as “nine provinces thoroughfares”; it is in the middle of China, along side Long River. My hometown is famous for education. The food there is close to Sichuan Cuisine(and I love it, especially snacks in my home town).
Academic interests: I study American Law and Chinese Law, and my academic interest is in public law.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: OCT, a lot of interesting music shows and good bookstores, cafe and nice canteens are there. Every other time, there will be a small market selling various stuff including art works, cloth, handicrafts. You can always find fun there, at least good food there.
Advice for new international students: 1. Communicate with Chinese students first, instead of waiting for them to come to you. Chinese are willing to communicate and help with internationals. This is the best way to get to know China, learn Chinese and help you to better understand and get accustomed to a culture that is much different from yours. 2. Wechat is the commonly used app in China. We also use it for online payment.
Smiley Li, 李超凡
School of Transnational Law, 2L
Hometown: Sichuan! This is a city full of not only tasty food but also its glorious historical culture. It is famous for various spicy food. Lots of historical relics are well preserved there. Moreover, people there are hospitable and the natural beauty is wonderful！
Academic interests: International law and international commercial arbitration.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Dameisha and Xiaomeisha Beach resorts.. the sea, beach, and sunshine are a perfect match for me!
Advice for international students: 1. Know the convenient means of transportation in China. 2. Learn to use WeChat Wallet, it’s really helpful. 3. Learn some basic Chinese words for asking questions and simple conversation.
Daniel Shi, 施晓东
School of Urban Planning and Design, 2nd year
Hometown: My hometown is Datong, Shanxi. Datong was the capital of Northern Wei Dynasty, so there are many historical sites, and the Yungang Grottoes is the most famous one.
Academic interests: I major in Urban and Regional Planning, focusing on slow traffic system research.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Dutch Flower Town, a place with fragrant air.. or OCT Harbour, where you can enjoy creative multimedia water shows.
Advice for international students: If you want to expand your circle of Chinese friends, CAs or international students who are close to Chinese students may help you.
Lynn Wang, 王艺霖
School of Advanced Materials, 2nd year
Hometown: Qingdao. Well. we have the very famous Qingdao beer. And beautiful beaches.
Academic interests: Electrochromic materials & supercapacitors
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Wutong Mountain. Really nice view and also a good choice for leg training. 😉
Advice for international students: Sometimes, most of the Chinese will be a little bit shy at the initial meeting, but they’re all nice people. Be ready to explore the delicious Chinese foods and beautiful views. And also, enjoy the Chinese learning, it will be really interesting, and difficult at the beginning. 😉
Jimmy Xiao, 肖远进
School of Transnational Law, 2L
Hometown: My hometown is located in Meizhou, a beautiful city in the east part of Guangdong province. Meizhou is the world of Hakka. It is famous for its culture, football and Chinese overseas. There are lots of tourist attractions, such as Yannanfei Tea Plantation, Yinna Mountain, Changtan and so on. There are also lots of delicious Hakka foods in my hometown.
Academic interests: My major is Juris doctor in American law and Juris Master in Chinese law. My interests are primarily in corporation law.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Xi Chong beach! Xi Chong beach is the largest beach in Shenzhen. The water is very clean there, and there are not so many people compared with Dameisha beach. You can swim there, or you can barbecue with friends there. The beach is so quiet that you can bring a bottle of beer and just enjoy your time in the beach.
Advice for international students: First, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are really in need of it. Second, don’t be afraid of making friends with Chinese students!
Crystal Liang, 梁晨阳
School of Transnational Law, 2L
Hometown: Lanzhou, the origin of beef noodles and the only city which the Yellow River passes through.
Academic interests: Most interested in corporate law.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Yitian Holiday Plaza. It’s the nearest shopping center to our school with many great restaurants, fashion brands, and a movie theater. Happy Valley and Window of the World are nearby too.
Advice for international students: Welcome to Shenzhen, the vibrant city in south of China. People here are very nice and you will have an unforgettable experience in PKU.
Grace Xiao, 肖丹
School of Transnational Law, 2L
Hometown: Hunan and Guangxi Province; As a Hunaner, I am definitely a fanatic of spicy food (just cannot live without it)!
Favorite place in Shenzhen: My favorite place in Shenzhen would be Hongshulin (Shenzhen Mangrove Forest Nature Reserve), since it is one of the few places where I can really slow down and observe the world around me. Shekou, Dongmen, Coastal City, Coco Park and etc. are sure great places, but just a little bit crowded.
General Advice for international students: Learn local culture and overcome culture shock. Make new friends. Travel to different provinces of China, like Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan and etc. Have fun and enjoy life here. And research and study of course.
May Gao, 高美林
HSBC Business School, 2nd year
Hometown: I come from Liaoning province. It is in the northeastern part of China.
Academic interests: I major in finance and am most interested in the financial markets.
Favorite place in Shenzhen: Dameisha Beach, it has very beautiful scenery!
Advice for international students: Ask us for help anytime and anywhere ^_^
The Nanyan Observer 