China

[Arizona]

As I am looking at studying at The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing I'd like to have a general discussion about China, and some specific input on the school and city would be interesting too.

My motivation for wanting to study in Beijing is first of all that I don't know what to expect. It seems like an adventure and I'm sure that I'll hate the teachers and education at times, but I would elsewhere too, just for different reasons.
Other than that is that living abroad really helps creativity, and every day life is more interesting and thought provoking. Also, I'd learn and probably become pretty good at a new language if I stay there for 3-4 years.
I'm also kind of interested to see if there is any interesting thinking about design in Chinese culture, but this is a minor thing. Mostly it'd be cool to get away from magazine culture.

Any thoughts on China for arts/design? Mostly anything goes, just don't mention "american jobs" or ethnocentric bullshit like it.

[Faust]

As I am looking at studying at The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing I'd like to have a general discussion about China, and some specific input on the school and city would be interesting too.

My motivation for wanting to study in Beijing is first of all that I don't know what to expect. It seems like an adventure and I'm sure that I'll hate the teachers and education at times, but I would elsewhere too, just for different reasons.
Other than that is that living abroad really helps creativity, and every day life is more interesting and thought provoking. Also, I'd learn and probably become pretty good at a new language if I stay there for 3-4 years.
I'm also kind of interested to see if there is any interesting thinking about design in Chinese culture, but this is a minor thing. Mostly it'd be cool to get away from magazine culture.

Any thoughts on China for arts/design? Mostly anything goes, just don't mention "american jobs" or ethnocentric bullshit like it.

Terrible air quality and traffic. Enjoy.

[Arizona]

Terrible air quality and traffic. Enjoy.

Already know about this. I'm also applying to a school in Amsterdam and since I did my (re)search on here already I know you dig the city. But what would you say about Amsterdam for studying design, i.e. is it a good place to meet people and make things happen?

I know some members here live or have lived in Beijing. Would be cool to hear from you.

[MaxM]

Amsterdam vs Beijing is a matter of personal preference, maybe also age. I actually like big ass cities with terrible air quality and traffic...

For studies: in China they don't ask too much of foreign students, they consider you are more here to learn about culture and all that, so u'll have a lot less pressure (work and classes) than chinese students in the same program.

[sinbad]

I have been sent to work at the branch in Beijing for 3 months and Shanghai 75 days.
If you are not Asian, Difficult to adapt your life with Chinese culture.
But if you're adaptable You'll like this a lot. Have a happy life in Beijing.

[Fade to Black]

I live in Hong Kong and don't think I could handle living in mainland China.

[widmerpool]

Terrible air quality and traffic. Enjoy.

This is like answering 'what should I expect in America?' with 'Fat people talking loudly.'


I know quite a few people who have have studied/worked/been posted to embassies in China. Perhaps unfortunately for you it seems that everybody hates Beijing and loves Shanghai. I'm sure that if you are open-minded you will get a lot out of it. Living in a rapidly changing country is interesting, even in just a couple of years you can see a lot of change.

You should certainly be able to acquire a good knowledge of Chinese in 3-4 years. I found spoken Chinese the easiest of any language I've learned. I would think you should be able to converse fairly freely in six months or so living there. Of course, there are no short cuts with the written language, I think you'd have to really apply yourself to be a fluent writer in four years.

[laughed]

I wouldn't even think about studying full-time abroad if I wasn't already somewhat fluent in the language. Though I've always wanted to learn mandarin myself and visit or live for a bit in Hong Kong... a buddy of mine went to Beijing and said the food was downright awful and it was dirty as hell. In his words - he was grateful there was beer at least to wash it down. And this guy is no snob. What exactly are you planning on studying anyway?

[sinbad]

I'm sure there are things that need more than food in Beijing was about to clean the toilets. If you use the bathroom in public You may be shocked!! More than 80% is dirty.
Whether the park, airport or hotel, If you have a woman to be very difficult.

[laughed]

If you have a woman to be very difficult.

yeahhh. I'm not rocket scientist but if your motivation to move to Beijing is because you will "hate the teachers" and it "seems like an adventure"....well, you might want to at least visit first. I'm sure I can come up with a few more things you will hate.

[sinbad]

yeahhh. I'm not rocket scientist but if your motivation to move to Beijing is because you will "hate the teachers" and it "seems like an adventure"....well, you might want to at least visit first. I'm sure I can come up with a few more things you will hate.

555..Yes.But I think I've come to see in Guangzhou It worse in this picture.

[PaintedBlack_7]

You want to study in china?

Has AiWeiWei not taught you anything? destruction of his studio in communist beijing. Taiwan is even a little shaky to me, claiming you are a sovereign nation when the China Communist party states you're a region is just calling for occupation, no country is strong enough to stop them.

[Fade to Black]

Guangzhou is truly the pits of China.

Shenzhen is Hell on Earth. Ask about going to the bathroom at a restaurant and next thing you know you wake up in a nowhere room with scars around your abdomen and you no longer have a kidney or liver.

[Arizona]

Arizona, have you been accepted at the school? If so, congratulations, it must mean you're very good. The faculty there include some great artists (Liu Wei, Zhang Huan, etc) and the students would definitely help challenge you and bring out your best.

My wife does not like Shanghai (overcrowding) and enjoyed the life in Beijing (she went to Peking University), and it's an interesting place to me because of its music scene (Car Sick Cars, New Pants, etc). There are some incredibally strange artists there too, which is always a good sign, and if you like spicy food, then you'll love Beijing's food too.

If you're factoring in a life outside of your studies, it's possible you may have more fun in Amsterdam (and you can frankly live in their 24 hr airport, as I did do once), but unless you are doing furniture design, I think the China experience may offer more.

Re: jobs, I'd just focus on being a good artist. This article suggests that the school is so intertwined with the art market in China that it's possible your work could be selling for decent prices before you even graduate: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/ar...gn/30barb.html

Anyway, best of luck to you. As I am visiting Hunan Province (a more rural area) and Beijing in the next month or two, perhaps I'll edit this post later, and be a bit more negative, but I frankly envy your "opportunity", and I'm sure it'll work out well.

Thank you for an informed and encouraging response in this thread of mostly nonsense.

I have not yet been accepted but I have talked to the head of the department I'm interested in and she told me to come and see her so we could talk it through; which courses, program etc.
I haven't formally applied yet but I will once I've had this meeting so I know what to actually apply to.
I also need to get her to recommend me for the government scholarship, which I am not sure that she will do. If I don't get the scholarship I can only do two years there, but I might go for it and try to work out a solution in the meantime.

I'm currently living in Shanghai, which is something that happened mostly out of coincidence. I wanted to check out China, for art and design as well as just seeing what life here is like. Got into the exchange program I applied to and now I'm trying to figure out what's next.

As far as Amsterdam vs Beijing goes, Beijing just seems to have so much more opportunity if I want to do my own thing because of the lower price levels. Doing some part-time freelance work for a foreign company could pay for a shop space while I'm starting up.
Beijing is of course also a lot larger, and that just means a bigger crowd for niche products. I hate to sound like an economist though.
What I really like the most is the fact that living in such a different place makes me think about things. Much of the wrongs and rights that I know from my home are turned on their heads.
For me, seeing how there genuinely isn't a right or wrong to anything gives me more confidence to do my own thing, and it makes me understand the workings of a society.

I live in an area outside the center of the city which I guess could be described as pretty 'rural'. Some of my friends who lived in Wuhan before tell me that it's pretty much exactly the same. What I want to say with this is that I'm well aware of the dirt of China and I don't see it as much of a problem.

Also, I like that China doesn't have a strong tradition in contemporary design. Everything is being created from nothing, which is interesting to see and an interesting environment to work in.
The downside is that, I know this from trying to sell clothes here, that people just don't get it much of the time.

Do you work/live in China?

[t-bone]

Going to be in Beijing for the next week. What should i see/do/eat if I have any free time?