Trainee

Reception

booklet

For iGCDP Trainees

AIESEC Mainland of China

Welcome all the international trainees

who take this wonderful journey to

China.

Make it a strong life-changing experience to improve yourself

and impact tomorrow’s

China.

Content AIESEC in MoC Living in China --Transportation --Weather --Food --Festivals --Places to visit --Cost breakdown --Culture shock tips --Things you should bring to China Project procedure --Visa & Insurance Expectation setting

AIESEC in MoC

AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run organization. Active in over 1700 universities across more than 107 countries and territories, AIESEC‘s international platform enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential for them to have a positive impact in society. AIESEC Mainland of China joined the global network in 2002 . It has 32 local committees (LC) , covering more than 200 universities in China. Incoming Global Community Development Program (iGCDP) has created amazing exchange experience for over 2000 international trainees from 2012-2013. ( Trainees in Project)

Living in China: Quick Fact

Capital: Beijing Currency: Renminbi (RMB,¥), 1¥=0.13€=0.16$ Area: 9,596,960 km2 (3rd largest in the world) Population: 1.368 Bln (1st in the world) Official language: Mandarin (Putonghua) Religion: Buddhist~80%, Daoist (Taoist)Confucian Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%, Atheist ~10%. Electricity: 220V/50Hz (Bring an ADAPTOR or buy here) Country code: +86 Time Zone: UTC +8 Emergencies: dial 110 for police 119 for fire 120 for medical

Welcome

Transportation

China has many domestic flights connecting all the major cities and tourist destinations. It’s cheaper to book plane tickets on Chinese websites rather than international websites. For travelling within China, the optimum purchase period is between 2-4 weeks before a flight. However, when travelling during a busy period (e.g. Chinese New Year), it’s wise to buy earlier to guarantee yourself a seat.

Train travel is the major mode of long-distance transportation for the Chinese themselves. Their extensive, and rapidly expanding, network of routes covers the entire country. If your route and budget allow, these are much the best way to get around. There are usually 5 classes of travelling by trains: Soft sleepers, Hard sleepers, Soft seats , Hard seats , Standing. Remember that it is NOT easy to book a seat in train due to huge demand, do book it IN ADVANCE! Be careful of personal belongings in train and train station! Railway booking website: http://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/ (Only Chinese) To understand a Chinese train ticket, click here!

Transportation

Travelling by public city buses or long distance buses is inexpensive and ideal for in-city and short distances transportation. City buses vary from city to city - generally expect plastic seats, many people, no English signs. However, if you can understand the bus routes then they are cheap and go almost everywhere. Buses will normally have recorded announcements telling you the next stop. Fares are usually about 1 or 2 ¥. Major cities — at least Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shenyang, Xian, Chengdu and Nanjing — have a subway system.

Taxis ( chūzūchē or dishì in Mandarin) are generally common, and reasonably priced. Flagfalls range from ¥5 in some cities to ¥14 in others, with a charge around ¥2/km. In most situations, you can expect between ¥10 and ¥50 for an ordinary trip within the city. In many cities rates are a bit higher at night. Tips are not expected. Taxis in all cities have their own standardized look. Don’t take a black taxi which will usually charge you more. As many of the taxi drivers don’t speak English, take a note of your address in Chinese will be useful to give instructions to drivers.

Festival

Festival Time What for? Activity

Chinese New Year

late January/mid-February

The most important festival

fireworks after midnight, visit family members

Dragon Boat Festival

usually May-Jun

Memorize the ancient patriotic poet, Qu Yuan

Boat races and eat zongzi (steamed pouches of sticky rice)

Double Seventh Festival

usually Aug Chinese Valentine's Day

Girls demonstrate their domestic arts and make wishes for a good husband.

Mid-Autumn Day

usually Oct Family reunion Eat moon cakes, watch the full harvest moon, family gathering

National Day 1 Oct Celebrate the birth of new China

People have one week holiday : take a rest or travel around

Food

Food in China varies widely from region to region. Generally speaking, rice is the main staple in the south, while wheat, mostly in the form of noodles, is the main staple in the north. We strongly encourage you to be open-minded and try a bit of everything For Muslims, you can also find a lot of Halaal restaurants in China.

Weather

In China, a vast land spanning many degrees of latitude with complicated terrain, climate varies radically. From the picture on the left hand side, you can see that China is divided into five climate zones. In summer, all places except Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will have an average temperature of over 20 ℃. In winter, as a rule of thumb, cities above Shanghai will have a temperature below 0 ℃. Before you come to China, it’s really essential that you contact your buddy or OC to confirm the weather so that you can bring the appropriate clothes.

Places to visit China is a vast and extraordinary country spanning thousands of miles from the deserts in the west to the ocean on the east. Culturally, China has one of the most rich and textured histories of all civilizations that encompasses over 5,000 years. You can explore wonderful things here all the year round. For more information: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/places

Tibet, Holy Mount Beijing, Great wall

Guilin Xi’ an Harbin, ice sculpture

1.

Living cost breakdown

1. In most of the places, you don’t need to tip.

2. In markets or some private-owned stores, bargaining is common.

3. As a foreigner, you might be charged for a higher price. You could either go shopping with a local or know what price is reasonable in advance.

4. It’s convenient to withdraw money from the ATM.

Food & Drink Average Transportation Average

Milk (1L) ¥8 One way bus ticket

¥2

Bread (10 slices) ¥6 Taxi (within city) ¥10-50

Egg( 1 dozen) ¥4.5 Metro (one way) ¥3-7

Coke (355ml) ¥3-5 Others Average

Beer (355ml) ¥ 3 – 10 (market ) ¥ 10 – 30 (pub )

Shirts ¥50-120

Coffee (regular)

¥20 Jeans ¥100-300

Eat in average restaurants

¥10-30 Casual shoes ¥50-300

Eat in midrange or top restaurant

more than ¥80 per person

Cigarettes ( 1pack)

¥ 10 -- 25

Eat in students' dining hall

¥ 5-15

Internet browsing (1h)

¥2

More tips

Interesting cultural facts China is huge, but with only ONE time zone. Squat toilets are really common. Don’t misunderstand the loud voices. Chinese people like to converse very loudly and passionately at times, and it can be easy to mistake this for an argument. When invited out for dinner, your host might puts some food in your plate. be prepared for random people approaching to you and asking to practice their English DO realize that Chinese concepts of personal space and privacy are different. The local shop assistant will follow their customers around

Squat toilets Making your chopsticks stand isn’t cool

Traffic jams are common. Plan your time wisely.

In small cities, you may find people stare at you or take a pic of you

Tips on cultural shock

Do some research about China yet expecting differences.

Keep yourself busy and immerse in Chinese culture

Feel free to COMMUNICATE. You are free to share different feelings and perceptions. Only when you discuss your needs openly can we seek solutions. AIESECers are always there to give you a hand!

Be open-minded and respect differences. When you don’t know what to do, don’t panic, observe how others do things. Question your own stereotypes & assumptions. Always be curious in a new culture.

What you should bring to China

Be creative, other thing can be stamps, post cards, musical instruments,

maps..

Traditional costumes National flag Snacks made from your country Presentation (ppt, vedio etc.)

Your country booklet Souvenirs Your own currency

Project Procedure

Reception

1. Airport pick-up 2. show you around

the city 3. welcome party 4. Induction &training 5. You will all have a

trainee buddy to help you in time!

Accommodation Registration

1. When you reach China, please go to local police station for registration within 24h with your OC/buddy/host family.

2. You can also do the registration in international hotels, like YHA China

3. A fine of up to ¥500 can be levied if you didn't register within 24 hours.

4. When you travel, you can only stay in hotel/hostel with your PASSPORT!

Work as a trainee

1. You are supposed to receive a detailed job description and work schedule from your OC. Communicate in time if you have any questions.

2. AIESEC in mainland of China has national quality control board specially for dealing with the problems that trainees encounter and can not be solved by the LC.

Trainee feedback

1. We need your feedback towards the project to improve our project quality and trainee experience constantly.

2. You have to fill in the trainee survey (given by your OC) and a NPS (net promoter score) survey from AIESEC international.

Visa 1. To work as a volunteer in China, you

need a F type visa! L type is aimed for travelers.

2. Please inform your project manager of detailed information related to your visa, like the duration, visa type, and number of entries to mainland China.

1. Please make sure you have bought insurance in your home country so that your rights are guaranteed if anything emergent happen. 2. If you don’t buy insurance because of some reasons, please remember that you have to be responsible for your potential loss. 3. Trainees will receive free International SOS service in emergency but this should not be considered as an insurance.

Visa & Insurance

3. If you travel to HK, Macau and still want to be back to Mainland, you need a double/multiple entry visa!

4. If you want to extend your visa, please extend it in advance. If you stay in China one day more than the stated duration in your visa, you will face a fine of 500 RMB.

Insurance

Expectation setting

Role of Trainee: Facilitate cultural exchange and discuss your problems with AIESEC members and other trainees Do your job with a positive attitude and to the best of your abilities and according to the working requirement on the TN form Fill in the traineeship surveys to give back feedback. After the initial reception stage you are responsible for your own actions. You are always welcome to ask for help but learning to solve problems independently is of great benefits to your growth.

Role of AIESEC in Mainland of China: Our responsibility as Host LC is to communicate with you to ensure you are prepared for your trip and live up to the promise on the TN form. Pick you up at the point of your arrival Help you with all the regular daily functions (arranging accommodation, shopping, using means of transportation, how to order food etc…) Be there to answer questions and provide support whenever we can Help you get integrated into the Chinese culture and lifestyle. Provide you with contact list of the AIESEC members in your LC as well as information about upcoming events or activities.

LIVE IT! ENJOY IT!

China awaits you here!