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Hi Manolo!

Welcome to ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Armand

Hi Armand!

Thank you! You living in Xiamen?

Manolo.

Hi Manolo!

I was born and raised in Xiamen. I'm sure you will like it here cuz Xiamen is really a beautiful city

I can help you practice your Chinese.

xx

Hello!

Yeah, seems like Xiamen is a nice place to live in. Can't wait to be there!

Cheers!

Hello, Manolo and other guys
I have the same situation as Manolo. The only difference is I already live for nearly 1 year in Beijing...
i also think to move to Xiamen to study Chinese and want to ask for advise about the good school or Uni to study.
Manolo- where are you, personally, plan to study in Xiamen?
Andrii

Hi Andrii,

I will be attending the Overseas Education College in Xiamen english.xmuoec.com. Seems like a nice place to study, and I heard good references. Never been there yet though.

How has your experience in China been so far? You finally moving to Xiamen?

Regards,
Manolo.

Hello Manolo and Andrii,

Xiamen is quite a pretty place to live, and Xiamen University is featured as one of the top Unis in China. I had been studying my undergraduate there. However,in my opinion,isn't Beijing a better place to study standard Mandarin (Beijing dialect)?

Hi Lulu,

Thanks for your reply. Well in my case I thought Beijing could bring more distraction, when it comes to being focused on studying. Do you think that the common language might be a problem in Xiamen? Heard they speak minnan language there?

Greetings!
Manolo.

Hello Manolo

You are quite right, there are too many distractions and party events in big cities such as Beijing & Shanghai. Don't get me wrong, I was very enjoying study in Xiamen University, which is a peaceful place to study. Particularly,a perfect place if you like warm weather, water sports and white sand beaches.Ìý

Communication isn't a concern in China as long as you speak Mandarin. Just let you know accents varied from place to place.Ìý Everybody grown up speaking both Mandarin & their local dialect in China, except 80 years old grannies of cause.

Southerners speak Mandarin with a noticeable trace of their dialect due to the geographic & historical reasons. For instance, Xiamen dialect is a living fossil language (Min nan yu)used in southern areas in Fujian province only, which I somehow managed to speak .Ìý

In comparison, accents from northern China are all pretty close to Beijing or standard Mandarin. Beijing dialect was chosen as the standard language / prestige accent of Mandarin in early 50s.

It wasn't a big deal anyway. What I am saying is that when Southerners speak Mandarin, their accents are considered as not standard, which is equivalent to comparing London accent with Standard Queen English. Your Chinese teachers may speak perfect Mandarin!

All the best for your new adventure!

Hi Lulu,

I'm also coming to Xiamen this September to study Mandarin in Xiamen University. I'm still looking for accommodation in Xiamen. Is it better to stay inside or outside of the campus? If I want to stay outside, in which area should I stay so I won't need to spend to much time to reach my classrooms?
Thank you.

Hello aw-rbt,

Welcome to China & Xiamen University.

Siming District will be the best option if you want to be close to school, but bear in mind that Xiamen is very small and easy to travel around. Although I never stay in overseas students accommodation in Uni, I heard the Chai Qing Jie Lou is not too bad (it may depend on your standard). Full furnished apartments Hen Da Ya Yuan & Da Xue Cheng are pretty good & convenient, right outside the main entrance of Uni(about 1600 - 1800 RMB/month for one bedroom apartment).

In my case, I shared a two bedroom apartment with a friend, which was quite cheap back then actually.Ìý I think nowadays, you can get a middle range apartment with 2500 RMB/month. I was living beside the Yudang Lake (near Marco Polo Hotel). I like the park & lake view, and enjoy look around and see what is happening in the city by taking a bus everyday.


It is probably not a bad idea to start with overseas students' accommodation first, and keep looking for your own later if you wish. I hope you will find your ideal accommodation soon, and enjoy studying in Xiamen.

Cheers!

Lulu

Thanks a lot for your information Lulu!
I contacted the housing agency and hopefully they will reply me soon.

Cheers!

Andre