Korean Wave or a wave of Koreans? A look into the lives of Korean students in China
Saying that the Korean Wave, hallyu, is a trend in
“Roughly half of the foreign students admitted as regular students at PKU are Koreans,” says Zhang Ying, Program Officer of the Division for Exchange Programs.With the majority of foreign students being Koreans, a little Korea can be found on the huge campus of Peking University.
Korean instant noodles, Korean can coffee, Korean green tea—the numerous brands you can find in Korea—fill the shelves of the snack bar located in the lobby of a dormitory for international students, making it almost difficult for one to find a taste of China.
Like any typical student at
But, unlike the Chinese students at PKU who are all required to stay at the school dormitories, many foreign students live outside the school. Pointing to an apartment five minutes away from campus, Baek Jae-hong (
Students say that the same policies are not always applied to foreign students as to Chinese students. For example, in the dormitories where Chinese students reside, normally four people share a room and electricity is cut off at
Since the population of Koreans among international students at PKU is quite large, Korean students get together to participate in numerous club activities that matches their interests.
In the Korean Student Association at PKU, which was formed in 1993, there are many clubs including singing clubs, debate clubs, and magazine clubs, whose publications function as a guide to help Koreans get used to campus life. “There isn’t much to pour your heart into when you are studying alone in a foreign country far away from your family. That’s why I tend to be passionate about the clubs I belong to,” says Park Jin-chan (
Other than the gatherings among Koreans in PKU, there is also a get-together for Ewha graduates studying at PKU and nearby schools, and alumnae residing in