'We help close the gap between Chinese students and the university'
Songru Chen is the president of the UAB Association of Chinese Students, that was set up in 2013 to provide support to students from China, who represent most students from abroad. He arrived in Barcelona in 2018 to study Spanish through a Spanish Course for Access to University and currently is taking 4th year of a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism.
07/11/2023
- What is the UAB Association of Chinese Students?
Our association was set up to help Chinese students, particularly the new ones arriving each year, to become integrated into university life and close the gap between them and the university. We provide them with support for their lives here, both inside and outside the university, in the areas of conflict resolution or academic issues for example.
- What type of activities does the Association organise?
Since we are a club belonging to the university, we participate in all the events and activities organised by the UAB. Each year we participate in La Comunitària (UAB Community Festival) and in Asian Culture Day. Outside the university, we also organise events and activities, such as the welcome festival for all Chinese students at the beginning of term. When there are traditional Chinese festivals (for example, Chinese New Year), we organise a dinner for everyone to come together, just like families do in China.
We also publish information and news about the university on our WeChat profile. When new students arrive, they usually don’t speak much Spanish, and they find it difficult to read the information on the university website.
We have some colleagues who look for this information, translate it into Chinese, and then publish it on the platform. For example, this year we translated the Student Guide into Chinese, which is a document that describes the services available at the UAB as well as how certain things work. Since it was previously only available in Catalan or English, Chinese students can now read it and find the information they need in one place.
We also participate in charity activities. Each May, in Manresa, we participate in an annual activity called Fem el camí al teu costat (Walking at your side). It is a walk to raise funds for children with cancer. We also participate by buying t-shirts to donate money to (the same) charity.
- How can new students arriving from China join the Association?
They can follow us on our WeChat profile. We currently have 11 groups, each of them with more than 500 users. At the beginning of each academic year a group is created, where there are both new students and graduates, who answer any questions the new students ask. We also have a profile on Little Red Book (in Chinese, Xiaohongshu). The youngest students prefer this social network, which is like TikTok but more informative. You can search for whatever you like through this App: from how to cook a particular dish to information about the UAB. People can also see what we do through our Instagram account.
There are the QR codes to follow the social network profiles of the UAB Association of Chinese Students, on Instagram and WeChat. On the Little Red Book network you can follow them here: ID 7704584493.
- This academic year you became president of the Association. What does that mean to you?
I arrived in Barcelona to study Spanish at UAB Idiomes Barcelona, at the Casa Convalescència. I heard that there was an UAB Association of Chinese Students, that could help me. When I joined the university, I also wanted to join (the Association) to help and participate in the activities it organised. I’ve now been in the Association for many years, organising events and working to provide some support to Chinese students. Through our organisation, we have been able to resolve a lot of issues. For example, once we helped a student with mental health problems. We talked to the university and the (Chinese) Consulate, and the person was able to return to China. Last year, another girl had problems with the owner of the flat she was renting, and we acted as mediators for both sides. I have also been able to apply many things I learnt in class to the Association: knowing when it is necessary to talk to a company or a shop, or when to organise an event for example.
- You are currently doing a degree in Tourism at the UAB. Would you recommend that people come here to study?
Of course, I would. I would recommend that future Chinese students come to study here. I really enjoy studying tourism, the lecturers are very friendly. In the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, we not only learn to become tour guides, but we also take other subjects such as communication skills, human resources, law, economics...Spanish and Catalan law is very useful for living here, apart from knowing the languages. In general, I have learnt a lot of real things that I have applied to my daily life and my job.
- What are the benefits of living in Barcelona?
Since I’ve been living in Barcelona, it’s like always being on holiday. Coming home from classes and going to Plaça Catalunya is like, wow! I live very close to the Palau de la Música, in the centre, so every day I feel like a tourist. The climate, the sun, the temperature...I feel very comfortable here.
- What would you like to do when you finish your degree?
I’m currently doing an extracurricular work placement at a Chinese newspaper called Lian He Shi Bao. I really enjoyed the subject I took on communication, where we learnt about the structure of a news story and the 5Ws, and I wanted to put that knowledge into practice a bit more. But after final year, my idea is to set up a company. This year we have our Final Degree Project and we have to write up a Business Plan. My idea is to set up a platform on the internet which is also an App where we will receive products for tourists to show to Chinese tourists, the initial niche market. These users will also be able to read about ideas for things to do. Going camping for two days in a village, or spending a weekend in the mountains...Many Chinese people who live here have language difficulties and cannot read the information directly in Spanish. So, the idea is to upload all sorts of tourism packages offered by agencies to the platform, so it will act as an intermediary. If you’re bored at the weekend and have nothing to do, you can check the platform and see if there’s an exhibition happening, or find out how to buy a ticket to Girona, etc.
Songru Chen interviewing Cristina Manresa, a Police Commissioner in the Catalan Police force, during the latest walk for the "Fem camí al teu costat" project. Image: AECUAB
