One of the things I wished I had when I went to BLCU was a better map of BLCU campus and the area surrounding BLCU. When arriving on campus, it would be nice to actually know where you need to go to get things done because the process of actually getting anything done takes AGES sometimes. This blog post is dedicated to a few basic things I think would have been useful for those new to BLCU and the Wudaokou area.

First of all I need to put in a quick disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this post is based on my experience of studying as a student at BLCU during September 2007 to January 2008, there is constant construction going around in Beijing and buildings may be constructed or disappear overnight!

The map that BLCU sends out to students is correct but it can also be very easy to misinterpret because some buildings are out of shape, out of proportion and you have no idea where to get your basic supplies!

Basic knowledge about BLCU:
• BLCU = 语言大学 Yuyan Daxue. Some very locals and students might call it “Beiyu” but it’s not as common.
• Beida = 北京大学 Beijing University. This is NOT Beijing Normal or another university with ‘Beijing’ in it.
• Ditie Daxue is opposite BLCU.
• Wudaokou is an area buzzing with shops, restaurants, cafes, apartments, and basically functions off the many many students in the area. Considered the University area because it’s near Beida, Tsinghua and BLCU.
• It takes about 10mins to walk from Dorm 4 in BLCU to Wudaokou

One of the most useful things you should know is the two road names which BLCU is located: “Chengfu Lu” and “Xueyuan Lu“. This comes in handy when you’re drunk off your face from another night out at Sunlitun (or Propaganda) and you were unlucky enough to find the one taxi driver who doesn’t know where “Yuyan Daxue” is.

Here’s the basic map of the BLCU campus I made using Google Maps.

KEY:
Green Lines: Outlines the BLCU campus
Red Dots: The main gates which you enter or leave the campus
Yellow Lines: The main roads which BLCU is located on
OrangeDots: Indicate where you can find an ATM or Bank
Blue Dots: The more important buildings you would want to know on your first day of arrival

I never actually explored the entire campus, I didn’t really think it was that interesting…. But I must admit that it is pretty important to know where you can go to find help, the bank and ATMs, the internet for your dorm room, food, shopping etc. It’s not too difficult though, I usually just stumbled across places or a classmate would let me know, and the worst case scenario would be to just ask for directions.

It isn’t too difficult to exchange currencies at the Bank of China on BLCU campus but when I went there, they wouldn’t take $AUD for some stupid reason!! (Click on the image on the left for labels of the OrangeDots). The Buildings highlighted with Blue dots are probably the most useful ones, and it’s just good to have an idea of where they all are.

The Friendship Store near the Basketball Courts is your BLCU on campus One-Stop -Shop! Cernet is the name of the BLCU internet shop where you can apply for internet connection for your dorm. BLCU has it’s own tiny Post Office near Cernet but there is also a huge one next to the Chaoshifa. (Click on the image below for labels of Blue dots)

The Chaoshifa is a the local supermarket (ie Coles, Woolworths) to stock up on supplies in your mini fridge. But keep in mind that you need to carry your shopping bags all the way to the South Gate and it takes a good 5 minutes to get there. The other buildings are just good landmarks and I pin-pointed Dorm 17 because it’s technically “off campus” and Dorm 4 because it’s the main dorm for international students.

Here is a quick video I took of BLCU after exams finished (that’s why there isn’t many people around)

I still have quite a few BLCU related posts to blog about (I have it in my head but it’s just not typed up yet), and I’m in the process of breaking up my post on my trip to the Harbin Ice Festival, so remember to check back soon =)