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The Internet Situation
Every major Western platform is blocked in China.
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.
Not Optional
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 set up during orientation. Until then, you can still use WeChat for messaging but payments will be limited.
Your Digital Toolkit
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.
Messaging, payments, daily life infrastructure. Non-negotiable.
Payments, financial services, utilities. Works alongside WeChat Pay.
Ride-sharing. Works like Uber. Has an English-language mode.
Food delivery, hotel bookings, restaurant discovery. Use it constantly.
Navigation in China. Google Maps data is unreliable inside China.
Online shopping. Everything is on here, usually cheaper than physical stores.
Restaurant and business reviews. Like Yelp for China. Essential for finding food.
Real-time Air Quality Index. Check daily in autumn and winter. Requires VPN.
Chinese dictionary app. Works offline. The best Mandarin learning tool available.
This Is Real
Air Quality
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.
The official welcome materials mention an air purifier as an upfront cost you should expect. They're right. 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.
Quick checklist:
- ✓ 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 First Month
Money and Banking
Your stipend arrives at the end of September. You arrive in early September. That gap is 3-4 weeks of life in an expensive city with no local income. Plan accordingly.
Bring $500–$1,000 USD equivalent for your first month.
Cash or card for immediate expenses before your bank account and stipend are set up.
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. This is typically handled 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.
Pack Smart
What to Bring From Home
Clothing and Shoes (Larger Sizes)
US men's shoe sizes 11 and above, and XL+ clothing, are genuinely difficult to find in standard Chinese stores and markets. They exist in Beijing but require specific shopping trips. Bring a sufficient supply from home.
Your Full Seasonal Wardrobe
Beijing has four distinct seasons. January temperatures drop well below freezing. July is very hot and humid. Bring clothes for the full range, including a proper winter coat.
Western Medications
For specific conditions — anxiety, ADHD, hormonal treatments, specialized skin conditions, specific antidepressants — your exact medication may not be available in China or may require complex importing. Bring a full supply or plan ahead with your doctor.
Specialty Food Items
International food is available in Beijing but varies. Specific dietary staples from your home country, halal-specific products, or foods you depend on for health or comfort may be hard to source reliably. Bring a starter supply.
Personal Hygiene Products
If you're particular about deodorant, specific shampoos, or skincare products, bring what you can. Chinese drugstores carry many international brands, but your exact product may not be there.
KN95/N95 Masks
Available easily in China, but having some on your first day matters. You can't predict the AQI when you land.
Staying Well
Health and Medical Care
What's Included
Basic medical insurance is included in the fellowship package. PKU Third Hospital (北大医院) and the PKU campus clinic 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.
Mental health support in English is limited at standard Beijing hospitals. If this is relevant for you, research English-speaking therapists or teletherapy options before you depart. Several platforms offer remote mental health services that work via VPN.
A Very Large City
Getting Around Beijing
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 (Mobike / 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.
On 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.
What to Know
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.
Next Chapter
Still Have Questions?
The FAQ answers 30+ questions about Yenching, including the ones the official website sidesteps. VPNs, stipends, security clearances, thesis topics, the FBI — it's all there.
Chapter 8: Full FAQ →
The Best Part
Social Life and Community
"The cohort spans 50+ nationalities. 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 consistently 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.
Get into Beijing. Two years goes faster than it feels on day one. Make the city part of the experience, not just the campus.