About to graduate and confused?
May Fourth Square
Nothing is more daunting than the fact you are about to graduate and you have no concrete plans for the future. The questions that arise are; do I carry on with education and do a masters or do I take the plunge into real life by becoming a full time adult and start work as a graduate?? Well, that was my predicament until I came across InternChina. I applied for the marketing & business development position in the Qingdao branch and was offered the 3 months internship (yay!). Interning in China has given me the opportunity to gain great experience whilst figuring out my future plans!
On my arrival, I was picked up from the airport by one of my soon to be colleagues. She was incredibly welcoming and helped me settle in the shared apartment. What I like the most about the apartments in Qingdao is that they are graciously spacious yet have a very cosy vibe to them. My roommates are my fellow colleagues at the IC Qingdao branch, so it was great to be able to meet them outside of the ‘work’ environment. (I did find it rather humorous that each one of us were from a different European country, one Brit, one French and one German… it almost sounds like one of those bar jokes).
You think the coffee is cute? Wait until you come to Qingdao and check out the cafe’s decor, it looked like something out of Harry potter!As I had never been to Qingdao before, my roommates took me out and introduced me to fellow individuals who are part of the InternChina programme but are interning at different companies. As we are all connected through InternChina it was very easy to get along and feel comfortable with one another. Plans for the weekend were discussed and I was thrown into the mix and was able to explore Qingdao with them all!
Ever tried Hotpot? Well this is sort of like that but the non soup version, aka DryPot or as it’s known in China, Malatang!There are really cool cafes, bars and restaurants in China, so regardless of the city you’re in, you will always be able to find somewhere that is to your liking. The food is cheap and cheerful -some meals will cost you max 3 pounds (I can’t find the pound sign on my macbook sigh). Moreover, you can actually find food that is halal and great for vegetarians!
Cool cafe called Essence Trend in Qingdao, owned by one of our work colleagues!Honestly, I have only been here a few days and already I have some ideas on what I wish to do once I get back to the U.K. It also helps to be around people from all over the world as it is a great way to broaden your horizon and learn more. So if you’re currently unsure and undecided, I would wholeheartedly recommend an internship (especially one in China).
To start your own internship adventure in China, apply now!
大家好! My name is Nhung, I’m 21 years old and I have just started my internship at the InternChina office in Qingdao. I am from Germany, and am currently studying Modern East Asian Studies at University. I am here in China to do a language program as part of an exchange program for a year.
InternChina – Coast of Qingdao
Before coming to Qingdao I did a little research on different cities in China and most websites said that Qingdao is one of the cleanest and most liveable cities. They also mentioned that Qingdao has some of the most satisfied and pleased citizens in China, as well as an agreeable climate and beautiful beaches. So far, I can confirm this. The pollution isn’t too bad, summers aren’t too hot and winters not too cold. However, what has impressed me the most is the Chinese people with their kindness.
InternChina – Skyline of Qingdao by night
On my arrival day, back in September, my flight from Beijing to Qingdao was delayed and by the time I arrived it was too late for me to check into my universities accommodation. As I was standing on the streets a little bit lost, I asked the first person I saw to help me find a hotel for the night. Luckily for me, she was fluent in English, something I later found out to be a rare thing. She not only helped me find a hotel, but also walked me there and checked in for me. She was an example of how kind the Chinese are and gave me a first great impression of China.
InternChina – Beach Day
While at University learning Chinese, I made a lot of new friends. One of them told me that he did a program called Generation UK in Chengdu last year. He said that it was through a company named InternChina and was funded by the British Council. These are two companies which constantly work together. Now he has received a scholarship through them to learn Chinese for half a year in China!
After being introduced to them I took the opportunity and applied to do an internship with them as well.
InternChina – Let’s Tsing Town Together!
I’ve been in Qingdao for six months now and I still wake up with this feeling of being on an adventure. There is always something new to discover or learn every single day.
If you are also interested in an internship in China, get more information about your possibilities here!
Hey there, This is Jack from InternChina back with 5 hidden gems of Qingdao. I have lived in this awesome city for over 2 years now and have found some places which aren’t the ‘top’ attractions but deserve to be discovered! So read on and go and see them for yourselves!
Xiao Qingdao
Little Qingdao Island is located in the old town of Qingdao, it is joined to the mainland by a small road and is in the shape of a Guqin (an ancient Chinese instrument) so some locals call it Qin Island.
In the mid 90s, after the German’s colonised Qingdao, a lighthouse was built on Little Qingdao Island to guide ships entering and leaving the Bay.
In the late 80s the island was made into a park covered with flower gardens and trees. The Qinnü statue (woman playing the Guqin), waterside pavilions and arbor make it a charming place to spend some time and relax. There is also a nice café in the middle and you can have fun spotting ‘about to be wed’ couples taking photos in the pavilions.
Laoshan mountain areas
Laoshan Mountain (i.e. Mount Lao), located at the seashore of the Yellow Sea, is a famous tourist destination. It has the highest coastal peak of China, Laoding, 1,133 meters above sea level. Since ancient times, Laoshan Mountain was regarded as the birthplace of Taoism and is littered with beautiful temples and monasteries.
On Laoshan Mountain, there are beautifully landscaped rocks, deep caves as well as clear springs and towering waterfalls. There are many tours and walking routes you can take – generally the north of the range is where you will find the temples and cable cars taking you to the summit. The south of the range is more of a national park, lots of walking trails, waterfalls, pools, rivers etc.
If you know InternChina or some locals in Qingdao I would fully recommend you take a walk in the south with them and swim in the pools! Don’t got by yourself though as the area is massive and easy to get lost.. –
The Cherry Blossom Festival
Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Zhongshan Park every Spring, when they have more than 2000 cherry blossom trees. The park is nice anyway and you can find a Zoo and the TV tower inside also for 360 degree views of Qingdao.
Badaguan Scenic Area
Badaguan is a must-see attraction in Qingdao. Here you can see more than 20 different architectures with Russian, English, French, German, American, Japanese and Danish styles. At the foot of the area is Qingdao number 2 beach… my favourite. Secluded, sandy and clean it’s a great place to work on your tan, go for a swim or just stroll along. Most locals swarm on number one beach so this one is a great way to avoid the crowds!
Zhanshan Temple is the only Buddhist temple in the urban area of Qingdao. Zhanshan temple consists of a courtyard, several halls and the palace of the heavenly king. You can see monks wandering around and lots of people praying. It’s a very tranquil site and a nice place to escape the busyness of the city without having to go far.
A lotus pond sits in front of the temple and is full of koi. In the east of the temple, a seven-floor brick pagoda stands twenty meters high.
My next blog will include 5 more hidden gems of Qingdao including the Qingdao eastern bear park, signal hill, Shilaoren lovers sightseeing park, tianhou palace and one more to be revealed!
Hi Everyone! This is Maddy! I arrived in Zhuhai about one week ago and I am going to stay six months, to do my internship at the Zhuhai office of Internchina. Some of my main tasks will be to take care of the social media presence of Internchina, as this is quite connected to my studies in Public Relations. Besides that I am going to assist my office team in their daily tasks.
So why didn’t I choose to do my internship in Germany? Why China?
Basically I fell in love with Asia at some point of my life (maybe 4years ago) and as I only explored Southeast-Asia so far, I wanted to get a new experience. As China is one of the world leading economies and is still growing so fast I think an internship in China will provide me with a good insight of the Chinese culture and hopefully also about how business is done in China. Besides that i think that working within an international team will strengthen my skills: work related and personally.
What did I experience so far? Actually, I first entered Hongkong and stayed there for 2,5 days before I set over to the mainland of China. It is really easy: You just have to take a ferry from HK China Ferry Terminal to Zhuhai Jiuzhou, which takes about 1hour and costs 220HKDollars. You can even check in your luggage at the ferry terminal (up to 20kg free).
When I arrived here Henry and Kevin picked me up and took me to my host family. One thing I immediately noticed was how calm and pretty Zhuhai is. There are so many trees, there is not a lot of traffic, most of what I have seen till now is very well maintained, etc.
So I am going to stay at my hostfamily for two months and well, what should I say? They are so sweet! My hostma already took me to a Taichi class, she even invited co-interns for her birthday dinner and introduced us to her whole family. And even her mother-in-law who can’t speak English always shows me things or helps me out (for example with the washing machine, no clue what those signs mean 😀 ). It’s a great experience and I hope to improve my Mandarin and maybe to even learn how to cook some Chinese dishes.
Want to experience China? – Apply Now
As you can see from the number of InternChina blog posts on the topic, Chinese New Year is the most exciting time of year for us! Like Christmas to many westerners, Chinese New Year is a time when families get together and everybody enjoys a holiday. Now that I’m back in Manchester I wanted to see what the local Chinese community did to mark the occasion and I was pleasantly surprised!
On the night of Chinese New Year we took some friends to an authentic Chinese restaurant in town – Han Dynasty. This was quite simply the most authentic Chinese food I’ve ever had outside China. We love the northern-Chinese style ‘Jia Chang Cai – 家常菜’ such as Aubergine, Pepper and Potato (地三鲜), Chinese Schnitzel (锅包肉), Egg n Tomato (西红柿炒鸡蛋) and Garlic Shoots with shredded pork (蒜薹肉丝). These were all on the menu (so we ordered all of them!), as well as a huge range of dishes, full hot pot selection and on-the-table BBQ. Our friends were amazed and we have been talking about the food there for days afterwards! The restaurant also has a nice feeling of Authentic China, with Karaoke rooms downstairs and no other westerners (老外) in sight!
On the Sunday after Chinese New Year there is a festival to mark the New Year in Chinatown, with traditional performances, street food, some random fairground attractions and fish n chip stands (not very Chinese, but who cares!) and all culminating in a spectacular firework display. It was fun to celebrate with Chinese people in Manchester and made us miss China a lot! 新年快乐!
I am currently based in our Manchester office and dealing with all Generation UK applications, for more information about this please visit here!