I studied Asian studies in the UK. Before I came, I knew a lot about Japanese culture and Korean culture, but I felt in order to broaden my horizons and grasp East Asia societies, I really had to come to China and learn about Chinese culture, and see what China is like and how it’s different from its neighbors.

Everything exceeded my expectation --- the lectures, the professors, people in the program, and China itself. I was not expecting such high-caliber, such important lecturers.

 I have an engineering background and want to know how to do business in China. It’s a great opportunity to be here to learn how Chinese people think and how Chinese companies are managed.

“SJTU is one of the best universities in China and I’m really proud to have studied here. “

The lectures went very detailed to dispel any myth you have about the economic and the business environment in China. We heard the CEO of Yihaodian talk about the strategy behind how he developed and grew the company. We were in constant interactions with so many people from different countries. You have personalized learning you can’t get anywhere else and you have well setup, institutionalized learning that helps you gain insights into what’s going on in China. 

The company visit is my favorite part. I really enjoyed visiting Yihaodian, 3M and Volkswagen. The speakers are very nice, like the founder of Yihaodian Yu Gang. I didn’t expect we can speak to the founder. Normally you can see them in front of TV or magazine, but they are sitting in front of you and talking to you. It’s very nice. 

We went to regular Chinese family, like family dinner we had. Having dinner with them and seeing how Chinese people live is like diving really into the culture. That has been really special to me.

The program is really exciting because you learn a lot about China.I think the most interesting part is when you learn about dumplings and pottery because it’s really Chinese.

We went to companies that are fully private-owned, state-controlled and a couple of multi-national companies. To see the differences and how they operate in China was extremely interesting. The cultural visits were all great. The one that really worked for me was visiting the local Chinese family and having dinner with them. It gives you excellent insights into what life is like for average middle-class Chinese people.