Visiting China’s ancient capital Xi’an

Xi’an is China’s ancient capital, and the third most popular tourist destination after Beijing and Shanghai. So it was without hesitation that after Spring Festival’s homestay, I hopped onto the next cheap flight. A shuttle bus between the airport and the city centre operates from first til last arriving planes, costing just 26 yuan. It …

Great wall Marathon: Race Day

Nerves As my group was called up to begin the race I was experiencing one of the most severe cases of nerves I’ve ever had. Looking around at the other athletes, my heart sank as I noticed the majority of them were running the half marathon rather than the full. I overheard an Aussie, built …

Eating out in Ningbo

I am Cherry, a final year student at UNNC. I have been in Ningbo for almost three years now. These past years have been very memorable and during them I have had the chance to get to know people from all over the world. After having spent a significant amount of time here in the …

Training for the Great Wall part two

As I’ve got more confident I have branched out in my training not only with distance but diversity. My favourite run takes in the stark contrast between urban and rural China. My apartment is literally on the edge of the city, as within the space of 500 meters the bright lights, modern streets and posh …

Training for the Great Wall Marathon part one

Training in Ningbo has been pretty challenging. Preparing for a marathon is hard enough but the Great Wall Marathon poses more than 5000 steps of mountainous terrain in the dry (smoggy) outskirts of Beijing. Unfortunately, the coastal city of Ningbo offers almost zero opportunity for gradients training. On a clear day (when factories are closed …

The Great Wall Marathon

I’m Rob, a master’s student at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). In May I will be taking on the Great Wall Marathon, a grueling 26-mile race along China’s most iconic structure. A marathon is challenging enough but the wall was specifically built to be inhospitable and keep foreigners out of China. With 5000 steps it …

3 Genuine Tips For New Starters

My first year at UNNC has flown by, and now I’m back for round 2! The past year has been great but when I think back, there are things that I wish I’d known beforehand. For many new starters, especially those who are exchange or study abroad students, one or two semesters is way too …