Video taped talk introducing Fudan life
贰月底的时候作为volunteer给SoC的本科生介绍中国大学生活的一些情况。新加坡的大部分本科生似乎太愿意带在自己的国家了，虽然中国有10所最好的大学提供exchange的机会，甚至NUS提供资助和贷款，但申请的人还是很少，白白浪费了那么多的机会。如果外国大学在中国提供那么多机会，哪怕是印度，申请的学生也不会少。发展中国家更具有活力，人们反倒更加开放，学习的热忱反倒高，果然是"生于忧患，死于安乐"阿！Anyway, 下面是录像的讲话，对着摄像机旁边的script念的，拍出来有点傻，眼睛看着旁边有点像斜视。。。
I'm from Fudan University, so I'm gonna talk something about Fudan University. Fudan University is located in Shanghai, which is the economical heart of China and a very developed city just like singapore, so I bet everything you find here in singapore, you'll find it and more around Fudan, maybe except for Durain. The university is one of the best universities in China and is called "Yale in China" according to its international reputation, and is also one of the earliest universities in China, as you probably know, Fudan has celebrated its centinnial with NUS together last year. It has a beautiful campus, and you can find both old chinese style gardons with "xiao qiao liu shui" and modern style brand new university hall on campus.
The brightest part of student life in Fudan is the variety and quality of tens of special intrest clubs, for me I was in the chior which is the best student chior team in Shanghai, and I was in the comics club where we have weekly comics movie session and I borrowed lots of comics books from friends in the club, and I was in the modern dancing club for a very short while to perform a street dance on a dancing festival. Other clubs like calligraphy, orchestration, rock & roll bands, chess and weiqi/go, drama play and even English corner - somewhere you can have a show time and definately get everyone stuned... Food in and around Fudan is brilliant, you can find very original taste food from different schools like Sichuan, Yunnan around, and also western, korean, etc near the campus. There is a even a big Raffles city in central Shanghai opened by singaporean in case you miss singapore a lot, but I guess you won't. If you have time travelling around, you can go to a lot of famous places very easily and near Shanghai, like Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, HuangShan, YanDangShan, and et al. I think you will have more than enough fun there living in Fudan.
In terms of study, most computer science courses are taught in Chinese using chinese text books. This may be a challenge for you, but its just like it was a challenge for me when I first came here three years ago as a postgraduate student. Surpprisingly, I found it is very easy to relate chinese terminologies with english ones so I had no problem passing all the exams for the first semester. Besides, I think it's very interesting to know how Chinese and English terminologies are inter-translated, like database in chinese is called ShuJuKu. Some old professors like to teach with a old school blackboard style, and you will find it's really helpful to fully understand what is going on, compared to powerpoint slides. What I want to say here is, don't worry about Chinese, you already have it!
Another thing is, if you are worried about leaving home and get lonely etc, don't. The fact is, we have a whole international student department in Fudan, and most of them are from Korea and Japan, around 2/3 hundreds I guess, but you know, they don't speak good chinese and english, but singaporeans do. Chinese students in general are very interested in making foreigner friends, to know about different cultures and practise English. To be sure, after the lecturer introduced you to the class, you'll be queued after class.
The last thing, I think to go to China and know about China will be a good experience for you, as with time passing by, you will definitely meet more and more chinese people and such experience will closer the distance. Keep in touch with friends you made in Fudan, as later on, some of them will become important people, and can give you positive support on your own career. I wish some of you have been fired up and wish you a fruitful and happy stay in China!
