2011-12 Student Photo Essays

More Countries Chile China Denmark France Germany Ghana Italy Japan Korea Mexico Spain Sweden Taiwan United Kingdom All Countries

I was born in Qingdao, China, and my family moved to Los Angeles when I was little. I grew up learning both Chinese and English. In college, many teachers have said that China will become one of the dominant economies in the world. Therefore, as a business major, I decided to study in China to experience the Chinese economy firsthand.

Located in the northeast Haidian District, Peking University is often referred to as Beida. Consisting of 30 colleges and 12 departments, it is well-known for its applied sciences approach and research facilities. It is also renowned for its intellectual freedom and prominent thinkers who have attended, including Lu Xun, Mao Zedong and Li Dazhao.

Peking University is a cultural hall. With walking trails on campus and flowers, and even a sense of spirituality, the atmosphere is wonderful to study in. It's like a park within a school, which adds to the atmosphere of knowledge! I enjoyed my time here. Be prepared to study!

Great teachers! They will coach you every step of the way. All of them are very well qualified. I made some great friends also. Most everyone I met was down to earth and easy to talk to. As for the atmosphere of the school, its charm is its serenity. With ancient courtyards, it gives you a feeling of old Beijing. It's a great place to study!

Chinese architecture involves constructing buildings or building complexes that take up an entire property but encloses open spaces within itself. These enclosed spaces come in two forms: the open courtyard and the "sky well."

Confucius Temple consists of a cluster of symmetrically arranged buildings. The temple is home to excellent examples of both Ming and Qing dynasty architecture. However, the biggest draw for most Nanjing locals is the great food and shopping. The duck blood soup is one of my favorite foods after this trip.

This is probably one of the funniest moments in our first group trip. Nanjing was our first destination, where we found "Tiger Lake." Nick, Jon and I got a paddleboat. However the boat couldn't turn right, so in order to turn right we had to make a circle turning left. We spent most our time just trying to get back on land, but that was one of the best memories of that trip.

It doesn't matter where you are from or what your ethnicity is. In this upside-down room everyone feels a little awkward and funny at the same time.

The exchange program will not only widen your eyes but also grant you some of the best friendships. All of the IP participants come from different backgrounds, but come together as a group during this year, sharing their ups and downs with each other.