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As a student of Sinology at the University of Zurich, I had planned to complete my stay abroad directly after the first two semesters of my studies from fall 2021 to summer 2022. Due to pandemic-related entry restrictions to the People's Republic of China, I was unfortunately denied this opportunity. Fortunately, everything worked out a year later, and I could spend September 2022 to June 2023 at Xi'an Jiaotong University as a 'Chinese Language Student'.
Many pandemic-related restrictions were still in place in China until mid-December 2022. This brought great uncertainty to my arrival in Xi'an, as I was among the first international students to be allowed back into China. My host university was accordingly unprepared to accept new international students, and communication regarding registration at the university was poor. After three weeks of quarantine, I could finally enter the student residence. Most people living with some students had already been there throughout the pandemic and were familiar with the rules. I was lucky enough to have many beneficial and friendly fellow students to help me with all the formalities, so I felt very comfortable by the end of the first week. My roommate was a Russian doctoral student who had already been living in China for five years. Living with him was a valuable experience, and I learned a lot from him.
The pandemic heavily influenced everyday life during my first semester in Xi'an. We had to take a PCR test in the morning to be allowed to participate in social life. Occasionally, two- to three-week lockdowns and online classes were also ordered. The university did not permit travel, and our everyday life was limited primarily to live on campus. I had twenty Chinese lessons a week with my three Korean fellow students. The level and content of the lessons were appropriate, and our teachers were amiable and competent. In the first six to eight weeks after my arrival, I was still very overwhelmed with using the language in everyday life. However, as my fellow students communicated with me almost exclusively in Chinese, I was forced to adapt and gradually made progress. However, the fact that everyday life was restricted to the campus also had its advantages, so I participated in many sporting activities with the Chinese students in my free time.
After the restrictions were lifted in mid-December, a period of uncertainty followed. During the semester break in January, I could not explore China beyond the city limits, but I could do so more intensively. While most sights had been empty, they filled up again during the Spring Festival vacation week, and things slowly returned to normal.
Many new international students joined us at the beginning of the spring semester, and our class size tripled. Lessons now took place exclusively on-site. Otherwise, everything remained the same. At the same time, I decided to prepare for the HSK 5 exam and did some self-study in addition to my lessons. I had now reached a point where I was making noticeable progress on a linguistic level, which gave me additional motivation. Our teachers also helped us prepare for the HSK exams in class, and we received plenty of tips for great weekend excursions. We also received various delicious culinary recommendations, a nice change after a semester of cafeteria food and delivered meals. I could live well in Xi'an on the 2500 yuan per month provided by the scholarship. I went out to eat in the evenings, and weekend excursions also fitted well into the budget.
The university offered various cultural activities, such as guided museum visits. Taking part in a wide range of extracurricular activities allowed me to gain multiple valuable insights. One particularly impressive experience was participating in an activity where we traveled to Yunnan Province to visit Chinese schools as international students. The cultural exchange with the local students was a pleasant experience and left a deep impression on me.
The last few months have flown by. After the lessons and self-study, I went out with my classmates and Chinese friends almost daily. The classes were still exciting, and I enjoyed being able to apply what I had learned directly in everyday life. During this time, I enjoyed life in Xi'an to the fullest, so I was a little wistful when I left at the end of June. Shortly before I left, I took the HSK exam.
Overall, my time in China was an incredibly enriching experience for me, especially in learning the Chinese language and gaining a deeper cultural understanding. Despite some challenging situations, I always felt at ease. In my opinion, the exchange with Chinese and international students is a precious life experience. However, it was somewhat unfortunate that I never had the opportunity to travel the country properly due to the lack of transparent communication. Throughout my stay in the People's Republic of China, I always felt that I was learning something new, and, in retrospect, I am happy that I took advantage of this opportunity.
Joshua Gossweiler
