Chengdu is a breathtaking city of over 15 million people in China’s southwest. Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, is one of the world’s fastest growing cities. The economic growth of the city in the last years is remarkable. It is a city which allows you to experience the rapid economic growth of the region as well as the more laid-back and calm side of China. Chengdu offers the perfect balance between modern influences and on the other side the traditional Chinese way of life which is amazing to experience as a foreign person. The city has a good mix of foreign and Chinese style conveniences so you can buy almost everything here you are used to back home and you will never feel homesick J. But you can try also tons of local places where you can eat, drink and buy daily necessities at a fraction of the Western cost. It never gets boring in Chengdu!
And there are many examples for the fast development of Chengdu.
Chengdu’s already existing Shuangliu International Airport, which was built in 1938, is even the fifth busiest airport in China and serves as a hub for inland China destinations. Anyways, Chengdu has now received the approval to build a 69.3 billion Yuan airport. The new airport in Chengdu will have three runways, capable of handling 40 million passengers upon its completion in 2025. Therefore, Chengdu will become the third major Chinese city after Beijing and Shanghai to announce a second airport which is an amazing economic growth factor for Chengdu!
Furthermore, the reconstructions of an industrial base for Chengdu in the Chengdu Tianfu New Area will provide new vitality and opportunities for the development of the economy in the Sichuan province and the western inland China in general. The Chengdu Tianfu New Area is a key zone for development with new-type city functions including science and technology, business, cultural administration, a modern manufacturing base and a high-tech industrial base.
And this is only little insight of Chengdu!
Come and see yourself how much this city has to offer. Chengdu is GREAT!!!
 
 
From Zhuhai to Chengdu: Jack’s First Week in China
I couldn’t have asked for a more adventurous first week in China. As soon as my ferry docked in Zhuhai I was met with an array of exciting new sounds, smells and tastes. I was able to explore the city straight away and it wasn’t long before I had adjusted to the heat and humidity and was able to settle into the Chinese way of life!
By the end of the working week I had barely scratched the surface of what Zhuhai has to offer and still had so much more to see and do. However, this would have to wait as I planned to get back on the plane to spend a weekend with the interns in the Chengdu office! Living in China gives you easy access to a range of incredible places and enables you to travel around and see the sights – a trip to Chengdu was the perfect opportunity for me to do this!
Chengdu is an incredible city and it was great to be shown around by the Internchina locals! During my stay I was able to try an entirely different type of Chinese cuisine: Chuanchuan, (which was amazing and VERY spicy!!). However, the highlight of my trip was seeing the iconic Chengdu giant pandas. As you can see from the picture below, I was not disappointed!
Exploring different areas of China is a fantastic excuse to try new things and gain new experiences. Whilst in Chengdu I saw the Sichuan opera which was an incredible spectacle of musical theatre and artistic talent. During the day I even had my ears cleaned in “The People’s Park” which was definitely something I wouldn’t have done back in the UK!
After a jam-packed first week my jet-lag was finally starting to catch up on me. It was good to know that a warm and tropical Zhuhai was waiting for me when I got off the plane! Having already seen pandas, experienced an ear-cleaning tradition and visited the Sichuan opera in my first week I can’t wait to see what else China has to offer!
Interested in exploring China with Jack? Why not get an internship in China! Apply now or send us an email for more information.
Introducing Mosche Orth and his Panda Adventure
Hello, this is Mosche. I am the new intern in the InternChina Chengdu office. I am 24 years old and I am studying Political Science in Hanover, Germany. Since I started taking Chinese classes at my university and I have always been interested in China (I watched too many Jackie Chan movies as a teenager!) , I thought it was a nice idea to get some real China experience, so I chose Chengdu because it’s not as Western as Beijing or Shanghai. I arrived on Saturday morning in this beautiful city of Western China. Well, what to start off with in China I personally couldn’t wait to see China’s greatest national treasure. It´s not the Great Wall or the Terracotta Army (though I guess those must be fantastic, too) It is the GIANT PANDA!!!
Luckily, yesterday, the InternChina Chengdu team plus a local host family visited the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding near to Chengdu, which is the biggest Panda research centre in China (and probably the world). Most of us saw these precious Chinese animals for the first time. I consider the panda to be a very cute animal; seeing the Giant Panda for the first time was a humbling experience.
Furthermore, we met the Red Panda (Shifu from Kung Fu Panda). Since they aren’t caged, we were literally able to have some body contact. Fortunately, it only tried to bite the Chinese visitor after me.
Last but not least, we finished the day with a local culinary speciality: Fish head Hotpot. There is a not so spicy and a spicy version (a non-spicy version was nought to be found!). Since I did a previous internship in Singapore I am used to hot food, I dared to take the spicy version of the hotpot and it was delicious. The restaurant also offered an all-you-can-drink bar for free, making the combination of a delicious local dish and free beer a nice cap to my first day in China.
To sum it up, thanks to the InternChina team in Chengdu, I had a great start in my new home for the next five months. I am looking forward to further great trips, challenges and chilly evenings in Chengdu and China.
Feel like exploring China’s national treasures with Mosche? Come to China! Apply now for an internship or send us an email for more information.
The Fortune Global Forum has come and gone in Chengdu, but the city has never looked more beautiful. Sunny blue skies above, a cool breeze in the air… the city’s hoping fortune will continue to smile upon its residents long after their esteemed guests leave. For the past weekend, Chengdu has played host to some of the most influential people in international business, in hopes of attracting further investment interests in the burgeoning western city. The centre of China’s “Go West” initiative, Chengdu has been an economic hub for western China for the past few years; the Forum was seen by many as the city’s coming out party for the world, allowing businesses to become familiar with the country beyond the usual Beijing/Shanghai mix.
The effects of the Forum’s arrival were visible, with many beautification projects coming to fruition in the days leading up to the big event. Flowers were replanted, fountains were constructed, and rules were enforced to put the city’s best face forward.
With already 200 of the Fortune 500 companies located in Chengdu and a growing automobile industry (Volvo has recently opened up a plant, adding to Toyota, Volkswagen, and numerous other car manufacturers in the region), the city is clearly vying to add to its already extensive list of multinationals. Attempting to attract companies by enforcing stricter IP regulations than other areas, Chengdu is clearly a city on the rise filled with opportunities waiting to blossom!
 Would you like to experience Chengdu’s booming development first-hand? Apply now for an internship or send us an email for more information.
If you live in the northern hemisphere, summer is up and running now, temperatures are rising, the sun is shining and images of beaches and tan people in bathing suits flood the advertising spaces everywhere. If you are a student, school is probably over for the semester or you are wrapping up exams and project deadlines.
It’s likely that you’ve already made plans for the summer (after all, you’ve been thinking about it since spring break was over). But if you still don’t know what you’re going to do for the next three months – or if you like to plan so far ahead that you’re already thinking about next summer – let me tell you why an internship in China is the best thing you can do with your summer.
You might be thinking: “Working? During my summer holiday? Why on Earth would I want to do that?” Yes, of course, everybody’s idea of summer is chilling in the sun by day and partying with piña coladas by night. But the truth is, you will most likely go on vacation for one or two weeks, and then spend the rest of the summer playing Xbox with your friends, hanging out at the mall or running errands for your mom.
What I’m saying is: do something more meaningful with your summer! These days, in the competitive business world that we live in, work experience is highly valued and if you graduate university without any at all, chances are you will have a very hard time finding a job that satisfies your career goals and rewards all the hard work you put into your studies (check out Penelope Trunk’s great blog about the importance of doing a summer internship). Of course, you can do an internship in your home town or even try to find a summer job but, now that you’re already thinking about it, why not do an internship in China?
Having work experience in China gives a great boost to your CV. It is not only the fact that China is increasingly gaining importance in the worlds of business and industry, which will definitely help you stand out to recruiters. But they will also see that you are not afraid to take on a challenge, given that you are willing to travel halfway across the world to live and work in a country with a completely different culture and way of life. How you adapted and handled the language and cultural barriers – this will be a great topic to mention in future job interviews.
But coming to China for an internship during the summer is not only great to improve your career prospects. It is also an opportunity to learn about a new culture and have fun while doing it. Qingdao, Zhuhai and Chengdu are great cities to do this: great weather, not as busy or expensive as Beijing or Shanghai, but still close enough that you can visit them and big enough that there are plenty of places to go to keep your evenings and weekends occupied with fun activities.
Just to mention a few examples: in Qingdao you can spend a day playing beach volleyball, sailing and jet skiing; or go climbing Laoshan Mountain if you’re a bit sportier. At night, you can sit outside drinking beer and eating street BBQ. In Zhuhai, you can go swimming in the sea or a pool, take a trip to one of the 146 islands around the city and even hop over to Macau or Hong Kong for the day, do some sightseeing and eat a delicious meal. Chengdu is a great place to go cycling for both pros and amateurs, given the fact that the landscape is mostly flat so you can go far without wearing yourself out too much. You can also have a relaxing afternoon at a tea house and of course, go see the pandas!
As you can see, doing an internship in China gives you the ultimate summer experience: working, learning and having fun! Conclusion: what are you waiting for?
Would you like to spend your summer doing an internship in China? Apply now on our website or send us an email for more information.
Hello!
My name is Christopher Villegas-Cho. I am currently in my final year of study at McGill University studying International Development and Political Science.
Culturally, I come from a pretty mixed background, my mother being third generation Chinese in Canada and my father a first generation Peruvian immigrant. Born and raised in Montreal, the city was a melting pot of languages and cultures, which just so happened to meld perfectly with my upbringing.
I first learned about InternChina through my university’s internship listings. Being located in Chengdu, the position’s location intrigued me since it was a noticeable change from the traditional Beijing/Shanghai postings. It made me question “Why Chengdu?” A quick internet search made me realise the city is one of China’s best kept secrets, a center of development and business in the mainland with a rich linguistic and culinary culture. I look forward to learning more about this up-and-coming city as it continues to garner more international interest beyond its iconic pandas.
After applying directly to InternChina’s website, Jenny Hofmann (our Chengdu office manager) promptly sent me a response and eased my way through the bureaucratic process of interning in China. Providing both the option of housing and language lessons, the holistic approach of the company fell in line with my own personal goals of seeing internships as being much more than simply gaining work experience. I look forward to navigating this new environment over the coming months with InternChina!
Want to meet Chris and explore Chengdu together? Apply now for an internship or send us an email for more information.