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ANR: 484553
Name: Michiel Hoornick
E-mail: m.hoornick@uvt.nl
Exchange semester:
Fall, 2015
Academic year: 15’-16’
Host University: Chinese University of Hong Kong
Country: Hong Kong (SAR)
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
▪ The school and its surroundings:
− please describe the city you lived in;
Hong Kong is a major trading hub in the Asian region, giving it a true international feeling. The
city can roughly be divided into Hong Kong Island, which houses the most skyscrapers, flagship
stores and millionaires, Kowloon, arguably the most crowded and authentic part, the New
Territories, which has more ‘green ares’ and where also CUHK is situated and finally the
Outlying Islands, the places locals go when they need some fresh air. Hong Kong has only
been under Chinese control since 1997 and the British history is still present. The infrastructure,
postboxes and police uniforms all reveal this influence and make the city truly different from
‘Mainland China’. Also, instead of
Mandarin, the most spoken language is
Cantonese.
Although the campus itself is far
outside the city of Hong Kong, the
university has its own metro station and
brings you anywhere in no time.
Depending how much you like big cities,
living outside one can be a big relieve. The
campus is big and spacious, and offers
magnificent views. Because it is so big, the
university offers a free bus-service
consisting of 8 lines with who students
have a love-hate relationship. It brings you
everywhere, but can be extremely crowded
during peak hours. Furthermore, the
campus covers everything, from the 34
canteens to multiple libraries (prepare to
see Chinese students sleeping in the 24/7 areas) to sport centers and the swimming pool.
Although the University also offers
a bar, it is not really good and the cantines Figure 1 Campusview
close relatively early (before 9, sometimes
8). We therefore often looked for place into the city. The Cantonese ‘cuisine’ is full of surprises
and we simply asked locals where to go. Korean BBQ, Dim Sum or Hot Pot were favorite to
most, but also Mr. Wong (unlimited food & beer for 7 euros) gained popularity. For going out,
LKF and Wan Chai are places most exchange students go, although I myself have only been
there around 3 times. One of the best choices I have made is joining a sports team, because
as an exchange student you normally tend to stick together with the other internationals. With
the running team, I got to participated in the uni-to-uni cross country HK championship and
besides the trainings, we regularly went out for dinner or drinks.
Hong Kong, as said, is one of the most varied cities I have been to. In my experience,
you can spend a week just wandering around the city and still not have seen everything. There
is a Disney World and a Ocean Park, it offers majestic hikes on the Peak, Dragon’s back or
various areas in the New Territories, cool skybars in Tsim Tsa Tsui (TST) and tons of places to
shop. Also the Star Ferry (which brings you over from the Island to Kowloon) and Lantau Island
(with a massive Buddha-statue) belong to
the tourist attractions. Besides, it is
advisable to get a China Visa (for Hong
Kong you don’t need any), because the
mainland is only an MTR line away.
The differences with Tilburg are
vast, but perhaps smaller than you would
imagine. Surely the language, food and
culture is different, but Hong Kong is a
Western city, and with a bit of looking
around you’ll find your cheese, pasta or
anything that you would normally eat. Also
the prices are more or less the same.
(except for eating out, that is relatively
cheap). What I found cool is how the old
Chinese traditions still play a role on the Figure 2 Dim Sum at the Staff Canteen
background in this otherwise materialistic
city. Although most students I spoke to told
me it was more something for the older generation, I did meet many who sticked to Chinese
medicine and most of the buildings are designed alongside Feng Shui. Also, since I decided to
travel around and extend my exchange to the fullest, I got to be in Hong Kong around 2 weeks
before Chinese New Year. I pretty much missed Christmas (its hard to sing Jingle Bells in 20+
degrees) and it is now that locals start to buy presents for their family.
CUHK is divided into 8 faculties, ranging from medicine to economics and law, but is
also split into 9 colleges. I have never really understood this system, but in practice you get
assigned to one (Shaw College in my particular case) which is a mini-campus within a campus.
This college has its own canteen, gym and library and is also the place where your dorm is
situated. Furthermore, the colleges organise social events and if you like sports, you can
compete against other colleges. When it comes to numbers, our group of exchange students
was about 300-500 (no clue, just a guess) on a total student population of 30.000. Like Tilburg,
CUHK has two semesters (they have a third, but I'm pretty sure that's summer school) with midterms. They are more lenient when it comes to grading, but you won’t have resits.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
CUHK’s Office of Academic Links is generally in time with their information and reply
to emails quickly. The registration for courses can be quite difficult, and it takes some time to
find out which courses you are eligible to do, as some are in Chinese or require a certain grade
(I believe the Law Faculty requires a 7 Tilburg average).
Visa procedure and arrival
I got my student-visa about a month in advance, but because I was travelling by then
already, they told me to pick it up at uni once I arrived on a tourist-visa (free for a couple of
weeks) and make a short trip out of Hong Kong (which wasn't that difficult, a ferry to Macau is
enough). Once again the office was really friendly and jokingly told me to spend my tuition fee
on gambling in one of the casinos in Macau. (Also, I am pretty sure that if you send in all material
well before the deadline, you can get your visa earlier). On arrival, we were placed in an allexchange ‘orientation hostel’ with some social activities, such as a formal dinner and drink, and
after a week we were transported to our ‘regular’ hostels, where we would spend the rest of the
semester. Exchange students simply go out themselves in this first week, which can be quite
hectic at times. Generally the welcome was basic but nice and quite efficient, and already in
the second week we started classes. What can be quite confusing is the so called ‘add-drop
period’. In these two weeks you are allowed to add and drop courses, and is really convenient
once you make use of it.
Orientation/Introduction activities
CUHK offered a ‘buddy program’ in which you are linked to a group of 6 exchange
students and 1 ‘buddy’ with the focus on something you like (culture, sports, food etc). For me,
this sounded cool and I took a culture group, but I don’t think we ever did any activity together.
From others I heard they went out with their group almost ever week so it depends a bit what
buddy you have, and what you make of it yourself. I can’t say I missed the group to much
because there is always something to do, and I soon found a nice
group of friends to do that with.
Housing
Depending on the college you are in, you will be sharing a
room with either local-, Mainland or exchange student. In my case, I
shared a room with an Australian, which is probably the best type to
share a room with. We were assigned by CUHK, which saved us all
both money and the hassle of finding accommodation.
Living Costs
When it comes to the costs of living, I would say that Hong
Kong is as expensive, if not more, than Tilburg, although you spend
your money on different things. Housing is, in our specific case,
cheaper than the Netherlands, as is food and transport. Because
taxes in Hong Kong are generally low, electronics and brands are
cheaper as well. However, because you are on exchange and want
to do as much as possible when you are there, you tend to spend
Figure 3 My room
more.
Academic Calendar
I would say the calendar runs at a similar speed as in Tilburg. The first week of
September was an introductory week, after which we immediately started our lectures. Only
the Law Faculty had a reading week and, besides two or three national holidays and our
midterm-exams, we continued the semester until Christmas (officially, because most students
were done a week or two earlier, depending on the exam schedule).
The International Office
The International Office at CUHK is outstanding and open on all weekdays from 9 to 5.
This place is also were your mailbox will be situated and is generally the place where you can
ask all your questions. They were also in charge of organising trips to some of the highlights.
Exchange promotion
The promotion we did was limited, although I did answer a lot of questions by students
who wanted to go on exchange to the Netherlands and Tilburg.
Social Activities
Most social activities were organised by ourselves, the exchange students.
However, like I mentioned earlier, the International Office did plan trips to various
places in Hong Kong. Also the college organised events, such as a 4 time workshop on
Kung Fu. Besides, there are tons of activities organised by one of the many student
associations or sport teams that you can join. Whether you want to hang out with locals
or exchange depends on the person, but in my case I did both. All exchange students
are in the same both and want to discover the city, but I also made some great friends
from the running team that I joined. Finally, Hong Kong is an international hub when
it comes to flying, and therefore I have been to the Mainland, Taiwan, Thailand,
Cambodia and Vietnam. Others mostly went to Korea/Japan (still quite far away) or the
Philippines.
Culture and Language
Hong Kong is in some aspects quite similar to
Europe, despite being on the other side of the world.
However, many things are different, such as the food
and language. However, these culture differences
make the time so interesting. Before Hong Kong, I had
been travelling from Beijing already and therefore did
not have a major culture shock. Only when I came back
I noticed that the average height really is shorter (but
the Hong Konger still is taller than the Mainlander). To Figure 4 The Running Team
me it was interesting how much you can learn about
your own culture once you are outside Europe. For example, it seems like our European
differences disappear when you are talking to an Asian or American students. We share the
same food (more or less) and problems. Also the stereotypes on the Dutch/Europeans are
interesting to see. Finally, I have never met so many Australians, Asians and Americans in such
a short period of time. You don’t only learn about Hong Kong, but that will be for every
destination, but about bigger parts of the world.
When it comes to my host culture, I have learned most from the other students, to hear
what their view of the world is. Also travelling the region has thought me more about Hong
Kong, and mainly on the differences between Asian regions (even to the extent that they all
use different chopsticks). I took a language course in Mandarin, although they speak Cantonese
in Hong Kong, and could practice with local students, who spoke it as second or third language.
The Language barrier often was real, but in general the level of English was quite high
(interestingly enough, it seemed like the older generation spoke better English than the
younger).
Personal Development
The exchange period has changed me for the better. You are thrown into a different
culture with little people you know beforehand. You will always find people to hang out with.
Regarding career possibilities, I think an exchange certainly helps, although that was not my
primary reason to apply. I would not do major things different, apart from some mistakes in
planning. What I am most happy about that I did, was saving quite some money and taking one
month before AND after the exchange period to travel. I was free of rent and schoolwork and
could see the world. I am also happy I joined a sports team. The Inter-University Cross Country
Championship was a lot of fun and possibly my best experience of the semester. My most
important lesson is without a doubt a cliché, but it pays off to keep an open mind.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
Courses are offered in Mandarin and Cantonese, but the majority is in English. I focussed
mostly on International Relations due to my Master choice. The academic level was mostly
good, although I had one or two courses which I would rather have skipped. One of my teachers
was from Beijing, and clearly had a subjective view on China. Also, I got an A for my first paper,
although I could clearly point out my own mistakes. In general, I came back with grades that
would be unthinkable to get in Tilburg. However, at CUHK they did not have resits. For my
courses, I only had to write papers, but that had to do with the subjects I chose. What surprised
me, was the laidback relation between teacher and student and the practical nature of the
lecture. Despite the fact that I felt the lectures were just below the level of Tilburg, I did learn
way more, purely because the lectures are given from just another point of view, which goes
for pretty much every exchange destination.
Exams
We only had papers, but most other students also had exams. It just depends on your courses.
Other
The libraries around campus are fantastic. Computers are always available and some places
are 24/7. Just like the canteens are better than in Tilburg, you will also miss the library. (although
you don’t want to spend too much time there during exchange).
Description of Courses
Course Name
Prerequisites
Exam
Major at
TiU
CCSS 2002 Global China
GLBS 3101 Theories and Practices
of International Relations
GLBS 3302 Sports and World
Politics
GPAD 2345 International Politics
UGEC 2007 Historical Injustice and
Transitional Justice
CPTH 1113 Mandarin I
None
None
Paper
Paper
Law
Law
Approved as
(minor/ elective /
extra)
Minor (6 ECTS)
Minor (6 ECTS)
None
Paper
Law
Minor (6 ECTS)
None
None
Paper
Paper
Law
Law
Minor (6 ECTS)
Minor (6 ECTS)
None
Paper
/
Language Course
Tips for the future students:
After my 4 months in Hong Kong; If you have the chance, go on exchange! I had a
great time at CUHK, which I would recommend. However, after hearing the stories of
all other students Im pretty confident you have a great time everywhere!
Contact details:
Can the International Relations Office share your e-mail address with prospective exchange
students, so that other students could contact you for more information? YES
Figure 6 Hong Kong from the Peak
Figure 5 Another View from Campus