Teaser: Beijing Guide!
Forget the boring exchange PDFs — this is Beijing for real: dumplings at 2am, rooftop bars in Sanlitun, bullet trains to panda cities, and a dorm life that’s basically a mini-city.
🏠 Housing (Preview)
Private room with your own bathroom inside a campus full of food stalls, convenience stores, and clinics? Yup. Renmin’s dorms are wildly self-sufficient.
But some students go full local and live in a Hutong — old-school Chinese alleys packed with restaurants and street life.
We break down all options: price, vibe, distance from class, and what to avoid (curfew, anyone?).
“I had a private room on campus. Safe, cheap, and everything was 2 minutes away — even a haircut.” — Camille, Renmin University
📚 Uni Life
5 classes, all squeezed into 2 days. That means 5-day weekends to explore China.
Most courses? Not hard. Group work, chill profs, and plenty of free time.
Campus itself is a city within the city — people are nice, food is good, and WeChat groups keep the social life alive.
“I had my entire week free by Tuesday. Took trains every weekend.” — Paolo, Renmin
🎉 Going Out
Start at Sanlitun. End at 3x3 Bar. Maybe stop by Heaven’s Bar near campus if you're lazy.
Download Xiaohongshu (like Chinese TikTok + Insta) and you’ll unlock rooftop parties, hidden speakeasies, and events you’d never find alone.
“Bacardi was our go-to — packed with exchange students every weekend.” — Olivia, BJTU
✈️ Travel + Weekend Escapes
Harbin for the ice castles. Xi’an for ancient vibes. Chengdu for pandas.
Trains are fast and cheap. Plan smart, and you can see half the country in 4 months.
We drop itineraries, booking hacks, and student-safe warnings (like: never trust street ticket sellers 🚨).
“Xi’an was the trip of my life. Warm, chaotic, perfect.” — Camille, Renmin
📱 Apps, Food & Other Life Hacks
WeChat. Alipay. DiDi. Learn 5 Chinese words and you’re golden.
Bikes everywhere. Metro runs like a dream. Eat for €3 and live like a king.
Student Reviews
Renmin University of China
🇨🇳 Exchange in Beijing
🏠 Housing
Lived in a private room on campus with my own bathroom, 2700 RMB/month, clean and calm. Campus had everything: restaurants, shops, even a barber. Super safe, no stress.
Bonus: it’s managed by the university, so no scams.
🚇 Getting to Campus
Literally already there, classroom was 5 mins from my dorm. For exploring the city, metro station right outside the campus gate. Download DiDi (like Uber), and skip taxis.
✈️ Travel Life
Did long weekends to Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Shanghai — fast trains made it easy and cheap. For Harbin (ice festival!), go in the winter.
Avoid traveling during Chinese holidays, trains are chaos.
🎉 Social Life
Everything happens through WeChat groups. Found trips, parties, and even free hotpot nights. Heaven’s Bar was right near campus and super chill.
Sanlitun = clubbing central. Download Xiaohongshu for all the cool hidden bars.
📚 Classes
5 classes per week, fit into 2 days. That left me with 5-day weekends!
Easy work, mostly group projects. Show up = pass.
🦙 Other
Don’t wait, y download WeChat, Alipay, and Red (Xiaohongshu) before you land. Learn 5 words of Chinese and life gets 10x easier.
🇨🇳 Exchange in Beijing
🏠 Housing
Got a solo dorm on campus, had AC, my own toilet, and laundry nearby.
Best tip: pick the private room, not much more expensive and so worth it.
🚇 Getting to Campus
Campus is huge but fully walkable. Shops, restaurants, even a clinic, didn’t need to leave. When I did, metro and bikes made everything reachable.
✈️ Travel Life
Planned weekend trips to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Chengdu… all doable with bullet trains.
Used Trip.com and translated everything with the app.
🎉 Social Life
Bars: Blink, Supermiami, 3x3 Bar. Sanlitun was our base.
Locals use Xiaohongshu for everything, from date spots to hotpot reviews. That app is a cheat code.
📚 Classes
Fairly chill. Some attendance counted for grades, but otherwise not demanding. I had time to travel almost every week.
🦙 Other
Most people don’t use cash anymore, pay everything with QR codes.
Plan your weekend trips in advance, especially if you want cheap train tickets!