InternChina – More than just an internship!
You all know our slogan, but what does it really means and implies for you? Weekly dinners, activities and 24/7 support are part of the answer !
I’ve been interning at InternChina for almost 2 months now, so I’ll make things more clear for you !
Not only you’ll have the chance to experience China and its business environment during your programme here, but you’ll be able to experience numerous and unique things in Zhuhai. Our InternChina team organise dinners and activities every week for your well being and entertainment ! Also it enables us to know you on a deeper level, know your preferences, make your stay in this new country as comfortable as possible and give you the opportunity to meet lovely people from all other the world ! If you wish to travel, we have a lot of amazing destinations we can help you visit that aren’t too far from Zhuhai.
Organizing dinners, activities and trips for our participants is part of my job as a Zhuhai office intern.
Read this blog and you’ll know what you can expect from our team, what you can do and explore in the city. By the end of it, you’ll feel like a Zhuhai local.
Of course if you have any suggestions of activities or trips around Zhuhai, let one of our InternChina team know about it ! We’ll do our best to fulfill your wishes !
Food
Every week we organise one of our famous “Thursday Dinners.”
This is a social event, to share a group meal, discover new Asian cuisine and talk about our week! We understand that you are students, so don’t worry- we try to make these dinners affordable! Usually, we try to avoid expensive restaurants, but they are always tasty. We usually stick to a budget of 50RMB per person, and sometimes this is even less.
How do we organise these dinners? Usually we make a post on our official Zhuhai InternChina WeChat account, or we post in our IC Zhuhai group chat.
We’ll give you some more details about the restaurant, the cuisine, the food, the time and the location of the dinner. If you’re interested in coming along, then simply join the dinner group by scanning the QR code provided! This helps us know how many people want to come along, so we can book a table accordingly. During the summer, we can have more than 30 people for dinner!
This is our job to organise this, all you need to do is scan the QR code and join! Couldn’t be easier !
Activities
After a week hard work during your internship, we know that you’ll totally want to enjoy some fun activities and trips during the weekend. With all the possibilities that the city offers, you’ll never get bored in Zhuhai. IC also organize a lot of activities and trips around Zhuhai as we know that exploring China and its culture elsewhere than Zhuhai is a must.
We try to organise a new activity every weekend, and just like the dinners, we try to make sure these activities are all affordable so you can take part in as much as you can.
What has Zhuhai to offer ? There are lots of fun tourist activities,such as the Lover’s Road, the Fisher girl, Jida Beach, the Chimelong aquarium, the Opera, the Gongbei underground market and the numerous temples. We also want to make sure you see the natural beauty in Zhuhai! Outdoor activities such as exploring Zhuhai’s islands, hiking to a waterfall, archery, paint-balling are always popular, especially during the summer.
We also want you to learn about the Chinese culture while you are here, so we organise cultural activities such as calligraphy classes, Chinese cooking lessons, tea ceremonies, or even Tai Chi lessons!
Following seasons, you may also get to attend the Cixi Festival in August, or some opening ceremonies!
You will definitely never be bored, with plenty of activities available for you to explore the city, have fun, and network!
Trips
We also try to organise some weekend trips for you to discover other cities in China.
Recently, we organised a weekend trip to Tangkou- listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites ! In the past we have also organised trips to Beijing, Hezhou, Shanghai, and Yangshuo… the possibilities are endless!
For any weekend trips we organise, we will provide you with a detailed schedule so you can make the most of your time in each city! We will also let you know how much each trip will cost, and this will include your transport, accommodation and activities for the weekend. It will cost more than a regular Saturday Event, but it is definitely worth going and exploring more of China!
Support
Our IC team offers 24/7 support while you are on place, and we are here at every stage of your stay in China – before, during and after !
Upon your arrival, we will pick you up from the airport or ferry port and take you to your accommodation (apartment or a homestay). We’ll also provide you with an orientation to help you understand Chinese culture, and give you some advices about life in Zhuhai.
Your welcome pack will be awaiting you ! It includes a SIM card, travel card, map of the city, and address card and some InternChina goodies! Everything you need to have for your for your debut in China.
Whenever you need us, don’t hesitate to let us know, we’d be happy to help!
Our team on place is also always here to support you! We’ll always have a lot of advices and information to share with you. Moreover, if you feel sick, we will accompany you to the hospital! If you have any other issues, we are here to help if we can!
InternChina’s Favourite Places
When you are new to Zhuhai, and don’t know where to go or what to see, we’re here to propose you some places to go to! Below is a list of our favourite places- you can even impress your colleagues with your Zhuhai knowledge and invite them along!
HuoGongDian 伙工殿 – Try some Hunan food from the North of China ! The Hong Shao Rou (红烧肉) is supposedly Chairman Mao’s favourite dish. This place is a crowd favourite, the food is awesome. Address: 珠海市香洲区石花西路62号(近白莲洞公园) or get off the bus at 伙工殿大厦 (huo gong dian da sha).
The London Lounge – Very popular bar amongst expats. Their Chinese as well as Western staff are always ready to crack a joke and also the Open-Mic sessions every second Thursday are worth checking out! Location: East Coast, Jida
FBB Fresh Burger Bar – A German bar and restaurant located in Jida. Here you can get many Western (especially German) food and drinks ! There’s a wide range of german beer available ! Get off the bus at 水湾头”Shuǐ wān tóu” or just say it to the taxi driver !
GongBei Underground Market – For all of the shopaholics, there is an underground market in 拱北 (Gongbei) where you can get all your branded designer wear for suspiciously cheap prices, as well as a handful of more western companies (H&M, Vera Moda, Only, etc.) in the shopping malls.
I hope these details and pictures convinced you that InternChina has so much more than just an internship to offer you! You’ll never feel alone, and this experience will be unforgettable!
The easiest way to join us is to apply now!
by Kim Whitwell
For the first weekend in December, 19 InternChina staff and interns travelled overland to the rural area of Kaiping, China to experience the rural offerings of historic diaolou country.
Setting off from Zhuhai, we all made our introductions and settled into getting to know each other. It was the first group trip the PMSA Kiwi students were involved in since landing a week earlier, so friendships were formed pretty early on.
Tangkou Community Project
Met by our tour guide Peter, and newly opened hostel owner Rocky in Tangkou, the group arrived just in time for a cooked lunch made with local produce from the area. Bellies full, and smiles on our faces for the blue skies and green scenery Kaiping was providing for us, we jumped on our bikes and followed Peter for the first of our diaolou tours.
Diaolous are fortified watchtowers built by the overseas Chinese in order to protect their rural home towns. To ensure their families were safe during mass emigration in the 20th century, overseas Chinese sent money back from afar to build them.
Displayed to the public, the presence of dialous are a marker of Chinese history and heritage. It reflects the rich culture and influences from both immigration (styles of décor in the diaolous show western influence) and emigration.
We wove in and out of rice fields all at the many different stages of cropping. Peter provided the knowledge and the various rural communities provided the photo opportunities. We all soaked in the authentic appearance and operations of the locals who went about their daily business with little more than a “ni hao!” in response to ours. We saw drying bok choy, rice husking, traditional instrument playing and oxen all within an hour.
On return to the hostel, we settled into the night on the roof top area watching the last of the sunlight fade. The hostel kitchen provided another extremely delicious meal, which some interns helped prepare. After, Peter captivated us with more of his extensive and passionate knowledge of diaolou country.
More chat, more beers and more laughter followed well into the night with a great time had by all . The immaculate hostel providing the most comfortable place to lay our heads for the night.
Day Two
Day two arose with breakfast (a personal highlight) of both Chinese and Western cuisine (peanut butter on toast)! Then onto the bus we hopped to travel to some unique UNESCO sites in the local areas.
Bamboo forests and a local wedding greeted us at our first stop. Peter continued his extensive commentary on the history and significance of diaolous, mansions and operations in the local villages. Stop number two provided the Instagram opportunities! Lunch back at the hostel concluded our weekend in Kaiping. Bellies full once more, smiles a plenty and memories made, we filed back onto the bus and travelled a fairly sleepy and quiet journey home.
The Area
Kaiping is an authentic display of Chinese rural life that draws you into a time machine back 30 years. The attractions aren’t crowded or over commercialised so the experiences you have are very much genuine. Peter’s knowledge of the area and history behind it was captivating. He helped bring to life a part of the world not well known or considered in the tourism industry. Rocky has created an accommodation space that also feels genuine and homely. Utilising the infrastructure provided by history within the area the place is quirky and unique. If you are looking for a relaxing, yet interesting, time out from city life, this trip is for you.