Living Guidance for Foreign Students Joining SJTU

Weidong Zhang
http://automation.sjtu.edu.cn/ipac, wdzhang@sjtu.edu.cn,
Released Jan 16 2016, Ver1.0
IPAC is here!
Direction: Control theory,
multiagent cooperation,
machine learning
Background: Smart grid,
papermaking, robot,
UAV/USV/ARV

6 Campuses
14 Hospitals
50,000 Students
8,000 Employees
(incl. 3,000 Teachers)
1 About
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is one of the top 4 universities of China. It is located in
Shanghai, the financial center of China. Shanghai is a modern, orderly, and clean city, where
one can find the best education, medical treatment, and traffic resources of China. For those
students who want to join SJTU or to extend their stay at SJTU, they may be able to get
financial support from their supervisors, SJTU, CSC (www.csc.edu.cn), NSFC
(http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/publish/portal2/tab161/info47945.htm), or MOST
(http://www.tysp.org/). In 2015, most students were supported by either CSC or SJTU.
The main campus of SJTU is on Dongchuan Road 800, Minhang District (闵行区东川路 800
号). 3D map and 3D Virtual Tour are available at http://3dcampus.sjtu.edu.cn/. It might cost
about RMB 200 (day time) or RMB 250 (night time) to take Taxi from the Pudong
International Airport to the campus.

2 Language
You can use English in daily life, besides using as working language. There are many well
educated people in Shanghai. Nevertheless, learning some basic Chinese would be very
helpful. For example, “我肚子痛的厉害，需要去医院.”

3 Insurance
Medical treatments can be very expensive, not only in Shanghai, but also in other cities in
China. Therefore, you must be sure you are covered by proper insurance. Otherwise, get it as
soon as possible.

4 Cell phone
It is almost a must, since you have to contact your supervisor or colleague. However, its usage
is far beyond that. With a cell phone, living in Shanghai could be unbelievable convenience.
You can use it to book a hotel, a taxi, a VIP car, or a movie ticket at any time anywhere
(Again, basic Chinese is necessary).

5 Accommodation
One can find different type of hotels in Shanghai. The price varies from RMB50 to RMB
10,000+ per night. Normally, a hotel with the price of RMB 400 can provide a fine staying
place during your first few days in Shanghai. Accommodation is provided by the university,
although many foreign students choose to rent an apartment outside the campus due to the
cost. Depending on the conditions, the cost for one bedroom apartment is usually around
RMB 2000/month, two bedroom apartment RMB 3500/month, and three bedroom apartment
RMB5000/month.

6 Mess hall
The main campus has 6 popular mess halls, where one can taste Chinese foods of a wide
variety of styles. In addition, one can find pizza, beef steak, french fries, or other western
foods at 9 Snack bars, coffee bars, canteens, or restaurants. For Muslim, there are 2 islamic
mess halls.

7 Hospital
There is a small hospital on campus. For serious diseases, you may have to go to large
hospital, for instance,
The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, 5 km from SJTU
上海市第五人民医院，上海市闵行区瑞丽路 128 号
Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 30 km from SJTU
复旦大学附属中山医院, 徐汇区枫林路 180 号
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
上海交通大学医学院附属瑞金医院, 上海市瑞金二路 197 号（永嘉路口）
Fudan University Affiliated Children Hospital, 20 km from SJTU
复旦大学附属儿科医院,上海市闵行区万源路 399 号

8 Service
For registration, one should contact the secretary in charge of international students. The
following is the information for the School of Electronic Information and Electrical
Engineering:
Ms. Jun Ma, Office of Graduate Education, Room 3-108
Tel: +86 21 3420 4654; +86 21 3420 4501*111, Fax: +86 21 3420 4654
Email: majuntina@sjtu.edu.cn
English courses are provided for foreign students in SJTU. One may contact the Graduate
Secretary to get the related information. Here is the information for the Department of
Automation:
Ms. Ping Cui, Office of Graduate Education, Room 3-108
Tel: +86 21 3420 4501*106, Email: pcui@sjtu.edu.cn
Other service information can be found on the university website:
http://en.sjtu.edu.cn/about-sjtu/international-student-services/.

8 Vacation
The most important festival in China is the Spring Festival. The winter vacation usually lasts
around 4 weeks, arranged to cover the festival in the middle stage, while the summer vacation
is around 6 weeks. Nevertheless, you need to consider how to utilize the time if you are a
graduate.

9 Shopping
Nanjing Road (南京路) and Xujiahui (徐家汇) are the two biggest commercial centers of
Shanghai. One may take subway Line 5 and then Line 1 there. There are many markets as
well, for example the one at the Shanghai science and Technology Museum station (subway
line 2,上海科技馆站，地下商场) and the one at the Qipu Road (subway line 3 or 4,七浦路服
装批发市场).

10 Weather
Shanghai has a tropical monsoon climate, with four different seasons, plenty of sunshine and
good rainfall.

Seasons Spring Summer Fall Winter

Day Av Max Temp 14℃ 28℃ 28℃ 12℃

Day Av Min Temp 6℃ 21℃ 20℃ 4℃

10 Scenic spots
Many! 东方明珠塔 Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 外滩 the Bund, 豫园
Yu Yuan Garden, 城隍庙 Town God’s Temple, 静安寺 Jing An Temple, 朱家角 Zhu
villige….

11 Public security
Shanghai is a very safe city. No guns and no robbers. But you still have to take care of your
valuables at scenic spots.

12 Religion
Religion is not a problem here. Those who respect other faiths will also be respected, although
it’s suggested not to talk about sensitive religion issues with those having different beliefs.