Life in Beijing: What No One Tells You Before You Land

The Internet Situation

Every major Western platform is blocked in China:

• Google & Gmail
• YouTube
• Wikipedia
• Facebook & Instagram
• WhatsApp
• Reddit & Twitter/X
• Most Western news sites

China has its own ecosystem

You need a VPN. Here is what to know.

Get a VPN before you land. VPN apps cannot be downloaded from inside China — the App Store in China does not have them, and the websites are blocked.

Download 2–3 VPN apps before you board your flight. Test them in the first days after arrival. The best-performing VPN changes frequently as providers and the Great Firewall adapt to each other. The one that worked six months ago may not work as well now.

Ask current Yenching scholars what's working when you're about to arrive. They will know better than any review site what's reliable right now.

WeChat and Communication

WeChat is not a nice-to-have in China. It is the infrastructure of daily life. Yenching communicates internally through WeChat group chats. Your stipend notifications come through WeChat. You pay for coffee, groceries, and taxis through WeChat Pay. Doctors' offices, administrative offices, and delivery services all operate through WeChat.

If you refuse to use WeChat, you will create constant friction for yourself. There is no alternative that covers the same ground.

Tell your family now

Ask the people you communicate with most — parents, partner, close friends — to install WeChat before you leave. WhatsApp does not work in China without a VPN. WeChat does. Make the switch before you land.

For full WeChat Pay access

You need a Chinese phone number and a Chinese bank account to unlock WeChat Pay fully. Both are usually set up soon after arrival, often with help during orientation. Until then, you can still use WeChat for messaging but payments will be limited.

Essential Apps to Install Before Arrival

Download all of these before your flight, or immediately after landing with a VPN active. Once you're in China without a VPN, you won't be able to download apps that aren't on the Chinese App Store.

Air Quality

This is real. Beijing's air pollution is not an urban legend. Particulate matter — PM2.5 — spikes significantly in autumn and winter when heating season begins. Dust storms in spring add another layer. Summer is often the cleanest season.

Budget for an air purifier as an upfront cost. Get one for your room. The models available on Taobao are perfectly adequate and significantly cheaper than Western brands.

Wear KN95 or N95 masks on high-AQI days. Check AirVisual (with VPN) daily during autumn and winter. An AQI below 50 is clean; above 150 is concerning; above 200 is a day to wear a mask outdoors.

Know your own body

Many longtime Beijing residents say they stopped noticing the pollution after a while. Others find that it consistently affects their energy, sinuses, or respiratory health throughout their time there. There's genuine variation in individual response.

If you have asthma, allergies, or any respiratory condition, talk to your doctor before accepting. This isn't a reason not to go, but it's a reason to go prepared.

• Buy an air purifier in first week
• Pack KN95/N95 masks for the flight
• Install AirVisual before landing
• Note where to buy more filters in Beijing

Your stipend arrives at the end of September. You arrive in early September. That gap is 3–4 weeks of life in a new city with no local income. Plan accordingly.

Opening a Chinese bank account

Required to receive your stipend and activate full Alipay/WeChat Pay functionality. The process is straightforward: bring your passport and your Yenching student ID. Most scholars use Bank of China (中国银行) or ICBC (工商银行), both of which have branches on or near the PKU campus. Alumni say this is typically sorted out during orientation week, so don't stress about it in advance.

Cash vs. mobile payment

China is more cashless than most Western countries. WeChat Pay and Alipay are accepted almost everywhere — restaurants, markets, taxis, vending machines, small shops. Cash is still accepted widely but you'll use it less than you expect. Once your bank account and payment apps are set up, your phone is your wallet.

International cards

Visa and Mastercard are accepted at some international hotels, malls, and restaurants. They are not accepted at most local shops, markets, or smaller restaurants. Don't rely on your home card for daily expenses. Get local banking sorted in week one.

What to Bring From Home

Health and Medical Care

What's included

Basic medical insurance is included in the fellowship package. The PKU campus clinic and nearby Peking University Third Hospital (北医三院) are accessible with your student ID. These are functional, affordable, and suitable for common illnesses.

Western-style international clinics

Available in Beijing at facilities like Beijing United Family Hospital. English-speaking doctors, familiar medication brands, familiar medical practices. Significantly more expensive than Chinese hospitals. Covered partially by private international insurance if you have it, not fully covered by Yenching's basic package.

Pre-existing conditions

Bring an adequate supply of any medication you take regularly. Coordinate with your doctor before departure. Prescription medications that are standard in the West can be difficult to source or require lengthy prescriptions in China. Western pharmaceutical brands are often unavailable or need to be imported through pharmacies, which takes time.

Getting Around Beijing

Beijing is a very large city, but getting around is easier than you'd think.

The subway

Excellent, cheap, and mostly easy to navigate even without Chinese. Major stations have English signage. Covers a huge area of the city. The go-to option for medium to long distances.

Didi (ride-share)

Reliable and affordable. The app has an English mode. Input your destination in the app — no need to speak Chinese to the driver. More door-to-door convenient than the subway for late nights and heavy bags.

Bikes (Meituan / Hello)

Shared bikes are everywhere. Cheap per ride, unlocked with the app. Extremely useful for short trips within campus and surrounding areas. Perfect for getting to subway stations or nearby restaurants.

Taxis

Traditional taxis are fine and often sitting outside campus gates. They're slightly cheaper than Didi. Communicating your destination requires at least basic Chinese or showing the driver a written address in Chinese. Having your destination saved in Chinese characters in your phone solves this.

Safety

Personal safety

Beijing is generally very safe for international students. Street crime targeting foreigners is rare. Petty theft exists in crowded tourist areas — normal vigilance applies. The PKU campus and Haidian district where it sits are safe neighborhoods. Violent crime against international students is not a common concern.

The political environment

Public criticism of the government, organized political activity, or actions that could be construed as politically sensitive carry different consequences in China than in most Western countries. Use common sense. What you might post casually on social media at home can have real consequences in a different legal environment. This is not meant to alarm — most scholars navigate this without incident. It's just worth understanding before you arrive.

Social Life and Community

The 2026 cohort alone spans 37 countries and regions. You will have dinner conversations that span three continents. Don't spend your two years in your room.

The Yenching community is tight by design. The program brings scholars from wildly different backgrounds together and creates conditions for them to actually know each other. Alumni often describe the people they met at Yenching as the most valuable thing they took away from the experience, more than the degree or the courses.

Beijing itself rewards curiosity. The food scene is extraordinary, covering every regional cuisine in China. The history is layered in a way you can walk through. Art, music, and cultural events are plentiful. Weekends spent exploring hutongs, visiting museums, doing day trips to the Great Wall or countryside — these are the experiences that stay with scholars for decades.

Still have questions? The FAQ answers 30+ questions about Yenching, including the ones the official website sidesteps — VPNs, stipends, security clearances and thesis topics.