An introduction to China: Which accounts to follow
An introduction to China
Keen to learn more about China before carrying out your internship? We have picked out some of the best social media accounts and websites for learning about China, its language, culture and travel destinations! We have also chosen a couple of city-specific accounts if you are struggling to choose which city to do an internship in or want to find out more about the destination you have picked.
Learning Chinese
Looking for fun and easy ways to learn Chinese â take a look at the accounts below!
han_characters
The Instagram account han_characters makes Chinese characters easier to remember by creating drawings of them. Each post shows a single character as a picture and explains the different words that that character features in with example sentences. Not only does this make learning Chinese easier, especially if you have a picture memory, it also helps you to understand the meaning of single characters which helps in learning multi-character words. Your time on social media can be made productive by learning Chinese just scrolling through Instagram!
Check out their Instagram here
The Chairmanâs Bao
The Chairmanâs Bao has abridged news articles in Chinese which you can filter according to HSK level. The website and app have a built-in dictionary and keywords and grammar points are listed at the end of every article. You can read sample articles for free, but to access all their language resources you have to pay a monthly subscription fee. However, the blog section is free and offers good tips and advice for learning Chinese, as well as articles about Chinese culture and news.
Check out the website here or download the app here
Travel in China
Want some inspiration of where to travel to China? Follow these accounts to see some incredible photography of Chinaâs gorgeous landscapes, historic sites and cityscapes.
loves_china
This account collates photos from around China and provides a description of the location, including an explanation about the placeâs history and geography.
Check out their Instagram here
nathan_ackley
Nathan Ackley is a photographer based in Shanghai and Taiwan and the majority of his photos document these two places. He captures the buzzing cosmopolitan life in Shanghai, as well as beautiful temples and traditional buildings.
Check out his Instagram here
theotherchina
The account provides awe-inspiring photographs of life in rural China with short extracts explaining their background. It is summarised by their bio: âyou know the city, now get to know the country – see how Chinaâs other half livesâ.
Check out their Instagram here
News about China
Sixthtone
Sixthtone offers news and investigatory stories about China which you may not find in the mainstream news. The stories are split into five sections, based on the Chinese languageâs five tones: rising tones, half tones, deep tones, broad tones and vivid tones. Each offers a different perspective on news and life in contemporary China. Sixthtoneâs articles, photography and videos cover a wide scope of issues including social trends, economic development and life in rural areas. The weekly summary of Chinaâs Week in Photos provides an insight into the hugely varied events and developments going on in China.
Check out their website here, Instagram here or Facebook here
China Daily
Follow China Daily if you want to keep up-to-date with national news and understand a Chinese perspective on international news stories.
Scan the QR code below to follow their WeChat account
Cultural differences
Tinyeyescomics
This Instagram account uses pictures to convey the cultural differences between China and the West which are based on the illustratorâs experience of being a Chinese person living in the West. They may help prepare you for some of the cultural differences you will experience in China and resonate with you if you have spent time in China before!
Check out their Instagram here
Chengdu
Chengdu Expat
Chengdu Expatâs WeChat and Facebook account lists recent news and upcoming events in Chengdu. Look here for all the best business, cultural and nightlife events, as well as some discounts and deals. The Instagram account also features a variety of pictures showcasing life in Chengdu which will give you an idea of what you might see, do and eat while youâre here!
Check out their Instagram here, Facebook here or follow them on WeChat: Chengdu Expat.
sheleads
sheleads is an international network for professional females in Chengdu and offers a mentorship programme and listing of events which focus on female empowerment and feature women. In 2019, they organised a Female Week and launched a podcast.
Follow them on Wechat: sheleads
Zhuhai
discoverzhuhai
discoverzhuhai showcases the local sites of Zhuhai and the surrounding region.
Check out their Instagram here
zhuhaieater
This new account started by an InternChina intern shows the vast range of delicious food available in Zhuhai with their locations listed. With zhuhaieaterâs help, you will never go hungry in Zhuhai again!
Check out their Instagram here
Qingdao
RedStar
This account targeted at expats lists upcoming events in Qingdao and information about the city.
Check out their Instagram here or follow them on WeChat: redstarqd
Visit.qingdao
The official tourist account for Qingdao offers snapshots of its scenery throughout the seasons.
Check out their Instagram here
Dalian
Unfortunately, Dalian is currently lacking any English language accounts but check out InternChinaâs blog section about Dalian to learn more about previous internsâ experience here and maybe you will be inspired to start an account during your placement!
Get in touch:
Early on Saturday morning our interns from the Chengdu branch headed out on the train for Leshan. The forecast suggested it would snow; a rare sight in Sichuan Province, but that didnât dampen our spirits.
After getting off the train at Leshan, we took a short taxi ride to the Leshan Buddha and surrounding area. After paying our admission fee and entering through the gates, the beauty and the attraction on show stunned us!
Whilst it may be expected that it is just the Buddha on show at Leshan, there is in fact a whole array of statues and monuments to be admired. We started by ascending the mountain up to a look out point over the rivers beneath, where there was a fantastic view over the valley below.
After a short walk through a forested area we ended up at a pagoda standing tall at the top of a wide staircase. When we reached the foot of the pagoda we could see a few Buddhists walking around the square base reciting prayers.
We then headed towards the Giant Buddha taking in the sights as we walked through beautiful lily ponds full of Koi fish gracefully gliding through the water. At the head of the Buddha there was a giant bell being rung by a monk to ward off evil.
After briefly pausing at the top of the Buddha we headed towards the temple at the top of the mountain. Inside the temple were lots of people paying their respect to Buddhist figures, burning incense and leaving offerings.
Then it was time for the main event.
The Leshan Giant Buddha
The Leshan Giant Buddha stands a giant 71m tall and looks over the confluence of the rivers Dadu and Min. Which eventually flow in the giant Yangtze river. The Dadu starts its journey in the Tibetan plateau before winding its way through Kanding. Then onto Leshan eventually ending up in the East China Sea. This towering structure was built between 700-803 AD and contains an elaborate drainage system in order to prevent weathering.
After a short fact file by myself to prepare the interns for what was ahead, we made our way to the top of the stairs, which descend down the cliff face beside the Buddha. This allowed us to get a true feeling for the scale of the massive structure. Descending our way down was the perfect opportunity to capture some fantastic pictures before reaching the bottom. We took our time, and stood at the feet of the worldâs largest pre-modern statue, capturing some images and enjoying the roars from the rivers below.
Inspired by this adventure? Apply Now!
Women of Business at The Bookworm
This week in Chengdu I had the pleasure of attending the Chengdu Women in Business workshop organized by Chengdu Expat. It is a four-series event to encourage the professional development and entrepreneurship by sharing resources and knowledge of like-minded business women in Chengdu. As a business student in my final year, I try to attend as many of these workshops as possible. Not only do you learn about other peopleâs stories but you build a great network.
General Manager of Chengdu Expat
These workshops provide professional assessments, books, interactive exercises with professional coaching. We went through the books self-assessment over the areas of âHow you play the game, how you act, how you think and how you brand & market yourself, how you sound, how you look and lastly, how you respondâ. It gave me an insight of what I am strong at and which area needs improving. The night essentially consisted of how we can stop making unconscious mistakes in business.
My group discussing “How You Respond”One of the things that really impressed me was when the guest speaker, Raquel Ramirez, mentioned that at the age of 15 she already knew exactly what she wanted to do in life and what it required to get there. That is something that fascinates me, people that can have that drive and focus to achieve all they set out to do and more!
Though, it doesnât come easily, as Raquel mentioned; sometimes we go through bumps in the road such as family issues, financial stability, other peopleâs judgement or even sadly, your own securities and low confidence. Despite all of this, the atmosphere in the room was electric, a room full of strong, similar minded women that came together to learn what it takes to succeed as a professional.
Raquel RamirezSo, it got me thinking, what decisions have I made in the past that have helped me to where I am and where it will lead me in the not-so distant future. For sure, one of them was moving to the Netherlands to continue studying. This later gave me the opportunity to study abroad in China where I fell in love with the country and its culture. That ultimately ended with me moving to Chengdu, where I am doing my final year internship at InternChina.
What was yours? Let me know what was your turning point decision and where you are now or even heading!
Check out other pictures from last night’s event at Fun and Bike.
For information on the next workshop of Women in Business keep an eye out on Chengdu Expat.
Last week I introduced you to some really good places for a night out in Chengdu. But aside from American-style parties, western clubs and rooftop bars, in Chengdu you can also experience some crazy Chinese clubs, chilled pubs and amazing riverside bars.
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Lan Kwai Fong (ć °æĄć)
Lan Kwai Fong Chengdu, named after the infamous party street in Hong Kong, is a purpose-built entertainment complex in the heart of the Waitan area on the riverbank. Itâs the place where you can find a Latino-American bar like Rumba bar alonside a Chinese club next door. It offers some restaurants, cafes and shops, but even more clubs and bars for the keen party goers ! Lan Kwai Fong attracts an international crowd with its numerous establishments. Every club has differents things and atmospheres to offer : MIU bar for free alcohol, Venus for itâs crazy atmosphere and its original dancefloor.
Jiu Yan Qiao (äčçŒæĄ„)
Close to Sichuan University campus, there are various bars and clubs in this area. The surrounding street BBQ places, known as Shaokao, are always good for a midnight snack after long night out.
- ONLY : If you ever wanted to experience a Chinese club, then Only is the place to be. If you go you might be the only foreigners on the dancefloor, but the Chinese will be very welcoming, perhaps a little too much !
- Underground bar : A British bar located in the heart of Chengdu where you can find over 50 different beers and tasty homemade food. Nice place to chill with your friends after a long workday.
- MUSEÂ : You can find a Muse in almost every major city in China and the concept is always the same: stylish interior, pumping sounds and the occasional dance show on the stage. Good for a fun evening and a couple of whiskeys mixed with green tea.
Riverside Bars
The Riverside in Chengdu offers quite a few bars to hang out at different locations. There are bars along the river near Jiuyanqiao and west of Ren Min Nan Lu. One of the best ones is probably the reggae themed âJahbarâ. There are regular free jam sessions and cheap Tsingdao beer in a nice setting. What more can you ask for ?!
 Yu lin (çæ)
- Machu picchu (é©ŹäžæŻäž): A small and chilled bar hidden in a side street off Yu Lin Nan Lu (çæćè·Ż) with live music on the weekends. You can go there during the week and pleay video games on a gigantic screen while drinking beers !
- New little bar : The original Little Bar served for years as the capital of Chengduâs burgeoning rock music scene but after years of building their audience, the original location wasnât big enough to house the events that were taking place there. New Little Bar has now a capacity of about 80 patrons and features a stage and sound system thatâs a dramatic upgrade from their previous offering.
I hope I could give you an insight into Chengdu’s nightlife. If you also would like to do an internship here, check out our page.
See you soon for another blog!
Party Guide #1
Chengdu is a young, vibrant and dynamic city where you can experience the fast growing economy while being deeply imbeded in the Chinese culture, this city can offer the best of both worlds. Apart from that, there is also a really diverse nightlife that caters for all different tastes of music, beer and atmosphere.
Being here for more than 2 months now, has allowed me to discover more about the different clubs and bars in this crazy city. So I decided to make a list of the best places by areas.
Kehuabeilu ïŒç§ććè·ŻïŒ
A must go place when living in Chengdu as an expat is the Poly Center ( äżć©äžćż) On the daylight, this huge complex comprises commercial and residential buildings. But when the moon shows up, Poly Center is becoming Chengduâs top nightlife destination, gathering more than 12 clubs and bars up to the top floors !
- Tag bar & Here we go : 2 clubs located on the 21st floor, allow to a great view on the city while listening to electronic music with Chengduâs best DJs, coming from all around the world.
- Helens : a proper definition for Helens would be « perfect place for predrinks », with free drinks from 9 to 10 and really cheap amercian style food. Helens also have an other venue in Dong Men Jiao, which offers the view on the river side.
WangFuJing Rooftop :Â One of the best places Iâve been since Iâm here. In the summer the most amazing rooftop parties take place here. Hard place to find as you have to go through a deserted shopping mall by night, (quite scary at some point) but as soon as you get there, electro music, garden, deckchairs and cocktails are awaiting!
Tong Zi Lin (æĄæąæ)
Tong Zi Lin is the place where most foreigners live in Chengdu, hence has a bit more westernized bar and club scene.
- Jellyfish: Very popular with foreigners (males) and Chinese (girls) alike, this is the place to work on your international relations. Often the place you go when all the clubs around are closing when the sun rises !
- Beernest: A bit more expensive than Helens, the Beernest offers a wide range of beers and crazy good burgers and fries. Nice place for predrinks and to chill by playing pool. Interesting place to go during one of their monthly networking event.
- Tongzilin swimming pool: interesting as you may have noticed, it is not even a club or a bar. But every Sunday after a long partying weekend, it becomes the place to be for every expat, creating a âspringbreakâ atmosphere.
- Shamrock: This sports bar is popular which shows a lot live matches (rugby, AFL, NFL, etc.) and is also the home base of the local Western-Chinese rugby team. Ladies night on Fridays
Flower Town (äžćŁäčĄ)
- Dojo: If you come to Chengdu for the first time, the first word you may hear when you ask for party is this definitely Dojo. This is the venue for the infamous Flower Town House-Parties. Dojo is an American style party that takes place every two months.The music on the three floors ranges from Hip Hop to Funk and Minimal to Dub Step Chengduâs top DJs like Luna or Marco. Additionally, there is lot of other entertainment, like Beer Pong, fire shows, live visuals and a bouncy castle. The bar offers all sorts of drinks and snacks like homemade pizza and baijiu watermelon. It is really hard to get there, but then itâs definitley worth it !
âšMorning Bar(æ©äžć„œ): The Flower Town branch of the Morning Bar has a mix of open air and indoor areas to chill out. There are some live performances and even occasionally small music festival here.
To be continued…
âYou need to go to this place!â, â It is totally worth the long bus trip!â, âYou will never regret to go there.â
These are just a few of the comments that I heard about JiuZhaiGou. Naive, I went to the bus station to meet all the new and some long term interns who joined the trip. All in all we were seventeen people. The bus departed on schedule and after two hours we already were able to see the first mountains. Long bus ride few words. Instead of around eight to ten hours journey we needed thirteen. But the welcome of JiuZhaiGou at night is awesome. Between the big mountains are the small cities which enlighten their houses and advertisements in every colour. We had a very late and delicious dinner. But my thoughts just jumped between âI need sleepâ and âhope it is worth this long bus rideâ.
The weather the next day was amazing. Blue sky and warm sun. The shadows were a little bit cold but only in the morning. After we entered the park we needed to take another bus to one of the two peaks. But it was a fast ride and the view out of the window was just a small appetiser of what we would see later. I donât know how nature transformed this place but it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You donât need any filters or Photoshop to create an astonishing picture. Just take your phone and you will have beautiful pictures. I never could imagine that water could be so clear. I never could imagine that a lake could look like a swimming pool (created by nature). You just want to jump into it and swim in it. Big waterfalls connect the different lakes and complete the picture of this gorgeous place.
After just one day in JiuZhaiGou I hope that I will be able to visit it again one time in the future. I just can say: âYou need to go to this place! It is totally worth the long bus ride! (Even thirteen hours) You will never regret to go there.â
Check out our video on Youtube:
The iBox is one of the most colourful places in Chengdu. It is next to the Niuwangmiao Subway Station and provides a place where creativity and urbanisation coexist. The design of this area is inspired by the Londonâs creative BOX â Park. It is an eye catcher for everybody who passes this area. The iBox showcases to the public a unique space with an unique atmosphere and astonishing galleries, designers and fashion from Europe, Taiwan and Japan. The comfortable CafĂ©, bars and food options give some space for you to free your mind and relax a little bit.
This weekend a Startup Weekend will take place over there and provide young entrepreneurs an opportunity to make friends, build ideas, improve skills, find mentors and hopefully start a company.
Even if the iBox is not so far from my home I wasn`t so often over there. But once you enter this place you can fell that something is different in there. The first time I came into this area I went into a gallery of an artist who draw some awesome horror pictures. His skills of to draw with a pencil were amazing and the Chinese content immediately caught my attention. I couldnât help myself and bought a small notebook for my Chinese Characters.
If you are in Chengdu and want to have a rest this one of the places you will find some relaxing moments.
How to make friends in a city like Chengdu? Everybody will tell you a different story about that. Some will focus on the intern group and some go out late at night and make some good friends in a bar etc.
I have been rock climbing now for a few years. Bouldering is one of my favourites, the walls are not higher than 4-5 meters and there is no need for a rope. Standing in front of the wall, seeing the handles of the rout and figuring out how to climb it, is a situation in which you will make friends quickly. After three astonishing weeks in Chengdu, I decided to look for a climbing hall and I finally found it on top of a shopping mall. Firstly, I needed to ask a few people how to get there. It was not clear how to get there because it was on the 5th floor and I had to go to the 3rd floor in the elevator and then go upstairs to the 5th floor, but in the end I found it.
After figuring out how the routs are marked, I saw lots of stones but only a few routs so I approached another climber and asked him. It only took a few words and I was invited to climb with him. Finally I understand that you need to be a little bit more creative in this climbing hall which makes climbing more exciting. I enjoyed my first visit there and my new WeChat group keep me in contact with the other climbers of four different nationalities. The group helps me to socialise as well as improve my Chinese.
That is my story on how to make friends in Chengdu.
Hello!
My name is Joanna Embley and I am currently working with InternChina as an intern. I have been in China for just over a week now and I am enjoying every second. I secured a place with the InternChina team by applying through my University, UCLan which is based in Preston, Lancashire. The application process was challenging however I was determined to try my hardest and do what I could to be able to visit China. After multiple emails and conversations, I received the email that I had been accepted onto InternChina and I couldnât have been happier. I just wanted to tell the world that a 20 year old female from a small town in Lancashire called Burnley was going to do an Internship in Chengdu. I could not believe it. I began researching the InternChina, Chengdu and what Chinese culture has to offer immediately!
I arrived at Manchester Airport and met the other lucky 13 applicants as we waited for our plane. Unfortunately the place was delayed, which resulted in us having to run to catch our next plane from Amsterdam to Chengdu. We then got to Chengdu to find our luggage had been left in Amsterdam which resulted in us having to buy new clothes â but we were so ecstatic about being in China, that we were not too bothered about the suitcases! We have eaten lots of amazing food, attended Chinese school once a day for three hours, where we discovered our names in Chinese and have visited many markets. We often stood in awe at all the amazing buildings, especially at night as the buildings beautifully lit up Chengdu showcasing what Chengdu really has to offer. We visited Wenshu Monastery and the Peoples Park which consisted of many events including dancing, games, drinking tea and grandparents trying to find their grandchildren a partner!
The group were taken to Shui Jing Fang Distillery which gave us an insight into the Drinks industry, as Shui Jing Fang is where 10% of the Chineseâs baijiu is made. Throughout the week the group visited many businesses including the British Centre, allowing the group to understand the work of the British Centre in Southwest China, Urban Hybrid, a British Architecture Firm and Ubisoft, a French Computer gaming company. Each business was a fantastic insight into how business evolves in China and how to maintain relationships. The group was thoroughly briefed on how to do business in China. Relationships are very important within China; going for meals with your business partners, attending drinks with new clients in order to secure a deal and maintaining those foundations. Without building these relationships in such a special way, most businesses would fail in China, which is very different to the UK!
InternChina also took us to visit the Giant Panda Base, we were lucky enough to see pandas up close and personal. It was such a magical day and none of us wanted to leave. The weekend arrived and the group endured a 10 hour coach journey to JuiZhaiGou National Park. It was an early start for each day but it was definitely worth it. The breath-taking views were incredible and you could definitely lose yourself within the beauty of JuiZhaiGou. This week we begin our Internships and we are all very excited and eager to begin work within China. In addition the group get to experience Chengduâs famous Hot Pot, try a Chinese massage, visit BeerNest and sample their beer as well as observe a presentation regarding BeerNestâs business in China. Overall Chengdu is a fabulous place brimming with potential. As a group we love it here and canât imagine going back to England. Personally, I would feel extremely comfortable living in Chengdu as the people are lovely, Chendgu seems very relaxed and there is always something to occupy your time with. I am extremely lucky to have been given this opportunity and still cannot believe that I have been to China.
I would encourage everyone to apply with InternChina in any way possible; itâs a fantastic company offering outstanding opportunities.
Find out more about our programmes here
In the beginning of March, InternChina had the pleasure of hosting 19 students from the German University âHS Heilbronnâ. Since I started my internship at InternChina in Chengdu in the beginning of February, I was still involved in some of the planning and organization of this Group Trip. Therefore, I was even more excited to meet all of the students in person and have a great time with them. Finally, the day of their arrival came and we were waiting at the airport to give them a warm welcome.
The welcome was really exciting (some of the guys literally entitled me as a Whooo girl â sorry again guys, I could not hold my excitement :D) and we had a great welcome breakfast and orientation with all of them in one of the most coziest cafĂ©s in Chengdu. After the breakfast, finally all of the Chinese host families arrived and picked up their new family member :). Everybody was really excited and nervous at the same time, but the host families gave each of them a really lovely welcome and made them feel very comfortable.
The next days were full of great and exciting activities in Chengdu. Starting with the daily Chinese classes in our partner language school in Chengdu. 
The students made great improvements and even presented some of their Chinese skills in the end which was so much fun :). Furthermore, we visited plenty of companies in Chengdu to give the students an authentic insight into the Chinese business environment. It was great to find out more about the differences in business between Western and Chinese culture and being able to ask as many questions as we wanted (Again, a massive thank you to all of the interesting companies in Chengdu)!
And of course there were a lot of fun activities to enjoy the Chinese culture and get a deeper understanding of the life in China. The Group participated at a Chinese painting and Dumpling making class which was a lot of fun. We went on a weekend trip to Mount Emei and climbed up 50,000 stairs within two days (hope this still goes under fun activities :)) and stayed at a Temple in the middle of nowhere. This was such an unforgettable experience for all of us. We never had such a feeling of happiness when we arrived at the Golden Summit of Emei Shan. And of course visiting the Research Panda Base in Chengdu was a great highlight for many of the students.
 
 
IÂ believe that this was an amazing time and that is was more than just a two week group program in China â It was amazing to meet all of you :). Thanks again to all of the students who made those two weeks really unforgettable :). It was great to have you and we hope that we can welcome many of you in Chengdu soon again!
– Jula    