From Italy to Ireland or America to Australia, students move to the UK from all over the world to study. They embark on a journey to the UK for their education, and to embrace the British lifestyle and culture.

We’re always looking to help provide international students who are considering studying in the UK with more information about our accommodation options and how we can help make their move even easier.

One of the largest nationalities of international students living with us at Host being Chinese students. Therefore made our annual trip to China to attend the China Education Expo (CEE).

China Education Expo 2019

The CEE is an exhibition tour hosted by China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE). It takes place every Autumn in several cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

This year, we made the trip to China to attend the first leg of the CEE in Beijing, on Saturday 19^th and Sunday 20^th October.

The venue was organised into national pavilions including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and USA. Each pavilion housed stands from a variety of establishments from those countries. Therefore, we took our place within the UK pavilion.

    

Over the two days, we met and spoke to hundreds of students, parents and universities/schools from China. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet people in person and learn more about their needs and interests, and to let them know about what Host offers.

    

Apart from visitors being able to collect relevant information from Host and other participating institutions, study abroad presentations were also staged where students could find out more about study opportunities and scholarship programmes.

Exploring China

Not only did we attend the CEE, but we also made the most of the little spare time we had to explore the country and experience the Chinese culture first-hand.

First of all, upon landing in Beijing on Thursday lunch time, we shook off the jet lag and jumped straight in a taxi to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City to learn more about the country’s history.

    

Constructed in 1420, during the early Ming Dynasty, The Forbidden City it is China’s best-preserved imperial palace. It’s also the largest ancient palatial structure in the world.

It covers an area of about 180 acres with a total floor space of approximately 150,000 square meters. It consists of more than 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and over 8,728 rooms.

    

After spending Friday morning setting up for the weekend’s event, we had a few hours to kill in the afternoon; before the event’s opening ceremony that evening.

    

And we certainly thought no trip to China would be complete without a trip to the Great Wall. So, we jumped in a taxi and headed out of Beijing city.

We visited the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall; one of the best preserved and best-known Great Wall sections. There were breath-taking views of the natural surrounding scenery, where woods cover ninety-six percent of the total scenic area.

    

We took the steps for the trek up to the wall. We made it up to the No. 6 Watchtower (Zhengguan Terrace) and walked a stretch of the wall to take in the views. It’s safe to say we got our fair share of steps in that day.

   

With not much time to spare (and very tired bodies), rather than walking back down, we thought we’d take the quick route back to the bottom via a toboggan; it was certainly a lot easier than all those steps back down!

    

After a long day at the CEE on Saturday, it was time to refuel with some traditional Chinese cuisine; whilst mastering the use of chopsticks. On the way back to the hotel for some much-needed rest, ready for another busy day on the Host stand, we strolled through the city admiring the magnificent buildings and skyscrapers. Furthermore we managed a quick pit stop at the notorious Silk Street aka the Silk Market for shopping.

    

All in all, even with the lack of sleep, we had a fantastic trip to China. Finally, thank you to everyone who we met and who made us feel very welcome in Beijing; and to everyone who took the time to speak to us at the CEE.

If you weren’t able to make it to the event, you can contact us directly to find out more about our student accommodation and living with Host in the UK.