Harbin: Great for Chinese Language Skills but Not For The Faint Of Heart Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Harbin is no place to go if you're not dedicated to your Chinese studies! They have a full-time spoken Chinese language pledge that students really respect the whole time. You take two elective classes that are focused Chinese language classes (eg literature, business Chinese, conversation Chinese, newspaper Chinese, etc), both maybe five students max, a two-student pronunciation drill class, and a self-designed one-on-one course focusing on a topic of your choosing. I definitely spent more time in Harbin studying, doing homework, practicing, and preparing for class than I do at my American University--that being said, I also improved VASTLY. Harbin was a tiring semester, but intensely rewarding for my Chinese skills. (Note: they do have a minimum language requirement, so this is not a program for entry-level students!)

On-site administration of your program

The Harbin staff were great. There is a teacher in charge of the academics, and a few people available for different aspects of the living and general admin situation (one person in charge of residential stuff, one in charge of organizing trips and stuff, and a resident assistant who lived with us in the dorms). They were all exceedingly accessible, with their offices in the classroom and dorm buildings respectively. They knew us all by name, checked in with us in the hallways and through individual periodic meetings throughout the semester, and of course they were all very knowledgeable about Harbin. I have nothing bad to say about the Harbin administration.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Harbin is not quite as up-to-date and westernized of a Chinese city as, say, Beijing or Shanghai. We stayed in dorms arranged in suites, so, it would be a program participant living with his/her Chinese roommate in a double-room, and in each suite there were two double rooms and one shared bathroom. Altogether the program participants and roommates were in suites up and down two floors of the International Students dorm at Harbin Institute of Technology, so you were living with HIT students, other CET program participants, and in the building were other international students. HIT is nearby a few restaurant options and such, but there's not a whole lot nearby. It's a short walk to a bus stop and taxis come pretty reliably to both HIT entrances, though, so it's not hard to get elsewhere in the city.

It's China, so, be prepared for Chinese food and not necessarily knowing or trusting what's in it. I ended up eating most of my lunches in the HIT cafeterias, of which there are a few and food is very very cheap and not bad and a few different options. (Particularly try out the dumpling cafeteria.) Depending on which direction you walk in, there are also a few different options for restaurants in the near vicinity, which again are intensely affordable compared to Western eating, including a great (slightly fancier) Hong Kong restaurant. Also don't discount some of the food stalls in the HIT grocery store. On weekends, if you're craving some Western food, there's a fantastic cafe that does a great western breakfast (well, great for China) for more-expensive-than-a-cheap-Chinese-lunch but cheaper-than-a-cheap-American-lunch prices. Other than that, though, if you're prepared for Chinese food, you won't be blown away in Harbin but you'll be satisfied and it will be cheap.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Here's the deal: there's not a whole to do in Harbin. There are some nice sights, a couple streets worth meandering, an awesome tiger park that you should definitely go to, and about two or three bars. Don't go expecting a Beijing- or Shanghai-caliber nightlife, but then, usually we were too busy doing homework on weekdays to miss it! The reason I gave it four stars, then, is because CET does a fantastic job of organizing events and trips. We had an excursion of some sort every weekend, be it just an afternoon bowling or a dinner and show at a restaurant or a full-day activity like a hike up a mountain or trip to Unit 731 Japanese Occupation memorial/museum. We also took a long-weekend trip to the Great Wall and a small town on the North Korean border, which was a lot of fun. CET also occasionally sponsored roommate outings, so they'd reimburse folks for tickets or dinner receipts, etc. Take advantage of everything CET offers, because they know Harbin pretty well, and they'll provide more to do than you'll be able to find in the (otherwise sort of gray and cold) city on your own.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I have never at any point or any location in China felt personally unsafe. As in any city, the biggest concern is pick-pocketing, especially in crowded buses and such. Harbin is a little bit of a smaller and more removed city, so in terms of healthcare there is a fair bit of Chinese medicine options easily accessible and some more expensive Western options a bit further off, all of which the program staff are more than happy to assist with if you need it. There were no huge health or safety concerns while I was there, though--just the normal China cautions about keeping an eye on the latest food scandals, boil the water before drinking it, and be prepared for some smog.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

See above. You have a spoken Chinese language pledge in place 24/7 (and everyone really does respect it, to my pleasure), both in and out of the classroom and on and off campus. Every class is tiny and demanding and focused on Chinese skills. If your one goal is to improve your language skills, this is probably the best program that I know of for that. Plus it's in Harbin, where they have an excellent clear putonghua accent, so interacting with the locals is a lot easier and more helpful than in, for example, the south or the west of China.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students
• Local Students

• The one-on-one class that lets you learn about something you're really interested in
• The students that come to cold intense Harbin are great interesting people but also seriously devoted to Chinese, so it makes for a great learning environment

• I spent a *lot* of time on homework! Not always bad but sometimes tiring.