Posted April 17, 2015 by UTS Think Global China

Guangzhou as an Exchange destination

The thought of going on exchange excited me throughout uni life. After months and months of preparation, here I am in Guangzhou

My first impressions of the city were – chaotic, polluted and people, so many people. For the first few weeks of my stay, I experienced culture shock. With 15 million people in one city, there’s little room for privacy in public places such as metros, restaurants or supermarkets. You may be pushed, squeezed when catching public transports or someone might decide to skip the line in the supermarket. While this is not acceptable back home, it is considered to be normal by the locals. Tolerance and understanding that people do things differently in a different country helped me settled in.

Guangzhou is vibrant, bustling and has abundance to offer – culture, food and history. Many local restaurants serve authentic local dishes, snacks and drinks. Cantonese cuisine is one of the most famous eight Chinese cuisines. For those who love food, Guangzhou is a paradise. There’s always something new to see, something new to eat and something new to play ranging from affordable shopping to enjoying a cruise on the Perl River. A quick one-hour high-speed train ride can take you to Hong Kong or other nearby cities in China. After two weeks of settling in, I’m loving my exchange experience here.