Welcome to China with StudyChina and InternChina

The decision to visit China for me was an easy one:

• A recorded population of more than 1.3 billion people – making up 20% of the world’s population
• The ability to speak English and Mandarin means that you can communicate with over half of the world’s population
• The introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1978 has led to China becoming the world's fastest-growing major economy; from 1989 to 2011 China's average annual GDP Growth was 9.32%
• As of 2012, China became the world's second-largest economy, after the United States, by both nominal GDP and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
• The world's largest exporter and second largest importer of goods

I am visiting China as part of the StudyChina programme, which is now in its sixth year. It is managed by the University of Manchester on behalf of the UK Government and is open to students who meet the eligibility criteria at all UK Universities. This year StudyChina began working with InternChina which allowed them to introduce a work experience element to the programme; successful candidates would benefit from a week of Mandarin language lessons and a weeks internship, as well as participating in cultural activities and living with a host family.

The aim is to encourage UK students to visit China and equip themselves with skills to live in an increasingly globalised world.

I know that I am going to gain a lot from participating in the StudyChina programme, and feel lucky to be one of the 250-odd selected from more than 1,000 applicants.