Studying abroad for a year – Aalish in Beijing

Joint honours student Aalish is spending her year abroad at Peking University. She studies Chinese and History with the School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures.

The opportunity to combine both of my interests in History and Languages was something I knew I wanted to pursue at university and Edinburgh offered me not only that, but also the chance to study abroad in the world’s most up and coming capital, Beijing. My degree is in Chinese and History and this year I am undertaking my year abroad at Peking University, China’s number one university.

Why study a language and history at the University of Edinburgh?

Beijing lit up to celebrate the mid-autumn festival.

The four-year degree programme offered by the University of Edinburgh really drew me to choose to study here. Not only does Edinburgh have amazing connections across the world with leading universities providing you with the opportunity to study at the very highest level, it also provides you with the opportunity to delve into both passions and does not limit you to only one field of study. Another perk of studying at Edinburgh, is that everyone partakes in a four-year degree, so once I return from my year abroad, I will be able to study history alongside my classmates once amore. On top of this, I still get the opportunity to continue my studies of history through the University of Edinburgh while I am studying in Beijing.

What does my year abroad in Beijing look like?

While studying at Peking University, I have 18 hours of contact with my Chinese language teachers, which is quite a lot! On top of this I am studying historiography and historical research methods through the University of Edinburgh online. Currently I have just started my historiography module, and I have been assigned a personal tutor to mentor me and help me through the topic. This has been extremely helpful, and my tutor is incredibly knowledge and quick at responding to any queries I have, despite the time difference. During my time here, I am most looking forward to exploring the living history around Beijing and the rest of China. Beijing is a very historical city with many museums and historical sites to explore.

The history of Beijing I have explored so far

The Old Summer Palace.

Peking University is the first national university in China established in 1898 and the campus is on the former site of the Qing dynasties imperial gardens and encompasses traditional Chinese buildings alongside a pagoda and many lakes. Peking University campus borders the Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace, two incredible historical sites I have been lucky enough to visit. On top of this, there is Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, next to which is a man-made hill made with all the earth dug out from creating the moat in the Forbidden City. It serves as a wonderful viewpoint as well as being a feng shui shield for those located in the centre of the city! There is also the Temple of Heaven, which I hope to visit soon.

In terms of more modern history, the 2008 Olympic games were hosted within Beijing and some marvellous architecture came out of this, from the Bird’s Nest (the Chinese National Stadium) to the ‘trouser’ building (the China Central Television headquarters).

While there is still so much to explore in Beijing, China is also rich in history. I plan to visit the great wall next month as this can be done as a day trip from Beijing. Additionally, I will get the opportunity to travel around China in my winter break and can travel to other cities within China. Top of my list is to visit is Xi’an to see the terracotta warriors!