The Campus

Finally, I have some time to show you the campus. Unfortunately, there is no nice and complete overview plan, but this one should work, even though it's not really complete.

Tongji University has two campuses. The Siping Campus is closer to the city center and then there is the Jiading Campus, where we are, about 90 minutes northwest of the center. The site is quite large and includes research and teaching buildings, as well as dormitories, administrative buildings, a library, sports facilities, and many shops and restaurants. There is also a lot of greenery where you can take a leisurely stroll.
Just click through the pictures, there are explanations in them.
The campus is very beautiful and has everything you need in daily life. The selection of restaurants is very large and when it comes to sports activities, you can do almost anything here. And if there is something missing here, then it can be found in Anting, which is 15 minutes by bike. It would be very nice to live here for the internship, as everything is in one place and there is always something going on.
However, it is very annoying to live so far out and especially when it comes to parties and bars, there is nothing here. There is a bar, but it's not that great. There is much more going on in the city center and much better events take place there. Unfortunately, the travel time is usually what keeps us from doing anything.
Otherwise, you can say that the equipment of the classrooms is okay, even though the benches are usually quite uncomfortable. I don't know who came up with this distance between the table and the chair, but it's not pleasant. At least there are projectors everywhere, but otherwise the technical equipment is inconsistent. The PCs in the FEM room are old and dirty. Matthias has even made a computer smoke when turning it on. That's why everyone works with their own PCs. In Control Design, we work with very old PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and the associated software Step 7 is from 2004. This complicates everything, especially because we are used to the new software and everything is better and easier.
So I can say that 'Chinese elite university' sounds more impressive than it actually is...
My room in the dormitory is completely fine. I had to seal my door a bit because it was draughty, but that's not a big problem. You can see the traces of the previous occupants on the walls and everything is not in perfect condition, but it is sufficient for daily life and for a year. I am also very glad that I live alone and don't have a second person in the room. I think we would quickly get on each other's nerves and this way I can do whatever I want.
All in all, I can say that the campus is quite beautiful and a rather quiet place in this otherwise noisy and bustling city. We can do a lot here, only the equipment of the classrooms could be a bit better.

written by: Friedemann