Students in Beijing ©PBC School of Finance

Hachenburg students visit Beijing

For two weeks in July 2019, we – as students at the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences – had the chance to learn more about the Chinese economy and Beijing. Beijing is home to Tsinghua University, which is China’s most renowned seat of learning. There, we visited the People’s Bank of China School of Finance and the university’s School of Economics and Management, and attended seminars and lectures about China’s financial sector and Chinese culture. In the evenings, we had the opportunity to do some sightseeing and get to know other students. A total of 50 students from all over the world at various stages in their studies were taking part in the programme.

In the lectures, we learnt about various aspects of the Chinese economy and financial community. We listened to presentations on equity prices, the banking system, the capital market, fintechs in China and much more.

As well as attending lectures on economics, there were cultural classes in which we were able to try our hand at and learn various skills. These included the art of kneading, kung fu, calligraphy and kirigami. Here, the main aim was to have fun and spend time together.

Outside of lectures, the PBC School of Finance put on a rich and varied programme for us, with visits to Chinese companies such as CreditEase and an excursion to the famous Great Wall of China. Mao Zedong once said: “He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true hero”. With this thought at the back of our minds, we all enjoyed the – unfortunately – slightly clouded view of China’s most famous sight.

After the lectures, we were able to explore the capital of China in small groups and live and breathe its culture at first hand. The size of the megacity Beijing, with its roughly 21 million inhabitants, made an overwhelming impression. The main campus of Tsinghua University alone is bigger than the town of Hachenburg.

Looking back, we amassed an amazing wealth of new insights and impressions during these two weeks and above all, besides learning to see the world from another perspective, we met many interesting new people

A field report by Katharina Jans