This Guide is written for visiting scholars to Peking University (PKU) by the Office of International Relations (OIR). Please review this Guide before you start making the detailed arrangements on your visiting plan to PKU.

 

 

How to apply

 

1. Apply to your home institution
Please check with your home institution to see if it has any faculty exchange program with PKU. If yes, you may apply to it for being sent as a visiting scholar to PKU if you satisfy the relevant requirements.

 

2. Get nominated by your home institution
After applying you need to be nominated by your institution as a visiting scholar to PKU. Usually a partner institution of PKU has its annual quota of visiting scholars to PKU. If you are nominated, please confirm with your home institution that you have a quota and check how many months you will spend here at PKU.
This is especially important if your home institution has only one quota for a given year or a given academic year. In this case, your home institution may endow the entire year as one single quota to one single person for that period; or may separate it into two or more quotas of several months.

 

3. Contact PKU staff
To confirm your visiting plan at PKU, please contact PKU staff in advance. If your visiting duration is 1—6 months, please contact us at least three months in advance; if it is more than 6 months, please contact us at least six months in advance.
Please send your English resumé and your research plan to your PKU contact person.

 

4. Find a host school/department (optional)
If you intend to collaborate with members of PKU faculty on your research, please find a host school or department for you. It will help you arrange your visiting plan and quickly adapt to your living and research here at PKU.
In contrast, if you intend to only use the PKU resources to do your research, you may skip this step and do research independently. However, this is not recommended.

 

5. Apply for your visa
Please fill in the attached visiting-request form and return it to Ms. Luo Ling, Division for Exchange Programs, OIR by email. We will issue you a document for your visa application.

 

 

How to make a housing reservation

 

Once your application to come to PKU as a visiting scholar has been confirmed according to the agreement between PKU and your home institution, your home institution will send a letter to the PKU Office of International Relations specifying the dates of your visiting schedule. Please be advised that OIR must be noticed at least thirty days prior to your arrival on the exact dates of your schedule.

If you have to change or cancel your schedule due to unexpected circumstances, please inform OIR of your change or cancellation as soon as possible, no later than the scheduled date of your arrival. Failure to do so will result in a daily accommodation cost at PKU starting from the scheduled date of your arrival. These days will also be counted as part of your stay at PKU, which will probably shorten your virtual visit.

There are two options of housing for visiting scholars. The first one is the Wanliu Apartment, which is off-campus but has very convenient facilities. For more details about the Wanliu Apartment, please review the attachment. The second one is Shao Yuan, which is on the PKU main campus but its facilities are old-fashioned and have only a limited capability of housing.

OIR will arrange your accommodation at the Wanliu Apartment or Shao Yuan. Please contact OIR at least three months in advance so that we may arrange your accommodation.

You may choose either a big single room or a standard double room at the Wanliu Apartment. A room at Wanliu usually has a kitchen, a separate bath room and other conveniences. There are also PKU shuttle buses from Wanliu to PKU and from PKU to Wanliu.

However, as for Shao Yuan, we cannot provide with you alternatives between a single room or a double room. We cannot guarantee you sure access to a room, either. Please be advised the Shao Yuan facilities may not be very convenient, especially if you plan to take your spouse to live together with you.

Because of possible email or technical failures, it is important for you to verify that you have received a confirmation on your housing reservation from OIR. Once your housing reservation is completed, you will receive an email from OIR specifying the details of your accommodation.

Though we cannot miraculously remove all troubles for you, we will certainly do our best to respond to your needs. May you enjoy a very pleasant stay at Peking University!

 

How to get here

Once your schedule is confirmed and your housing reservations completed, please consider your transportation after you arrive at the Beijing International Airport.

If you travel by yourself, the most convenient transportation is to take a taxi from the airport to Shao Yuan or the Wanliu Apartment. See the map attached to this handbook for the detailed instructions.

If your room is in Shao Yuan, please enter the PKU main campus through the West Side Gate (西侧门) and turn right behind the first apartment. You will see Building 7 of Shao Yuan to your right side. Please check in at the Shao Yuan Building 7. When your taxi arrives, please ask the driver to wait until you have checked in if your room is not in Building 7.
If your room is in the Wanliu Apartment, please take a taxi to the Wanliu Apartment of Peking University, No. 29, Wanliu Middle Road, Haidian District. Check in at Section 4 of the first floor lobby.

Please pay a deposit of 50 RMB for the key to your room. Please prepare sufficient RMB, as neither Shao Yuan nor the Wanliu Apartment accepts foreign currencies.

If you would like OIR to help you, it is possible that we hire a taxi and a student to pick you up from the airport. This service costs approximately 200 RMB. If you choose this service, please remember to contact OIR in case of any flight delay as soon as possible.

 

How to get your stipend

After you have settled down, please contact the OIR Division for Exchange Programs. At the Division, you may apply for a Visiting Scholar ID Card, which will be ready within two working days. You will also get a letter of recommendation to apply for your temporary library card.

Your stipend can be obtained on the third or last Thursday afternoon of every month at the OIR. Normally it will be distributed in cash.

Unless specified otherwise by the relevant agreement between PKU and your home institution, PKU will distribute your stipend according to this standard:
Professors 2000 RMB/month
Assistant/Associate Professors 1500 RMB/month
Ph.D. Candidates 1500 RMB/month

 

How to get your library card

If you are to spend less than 12 months at PKU as a visiting scholar, you may apply for a temporary library card. It allows you to read in the PKU Library, but no privilege to borrow books. To apply for such a card, please come to the OIR again. Bring a 48mm×33mm photo and your Visiting Scholar ID Card. Once you arrive at OIR, we will accompany you to the PKU Library to complete your application. Your temporary card will cost about 10 RMB. A deposit of 100 RMB is to be paid at your expense, which will be refunded after you return your card to the PKU Library.

Scholars visiting for more than 12 months may apply for a normal library card which allows you access to the PKU Library resources and the privilege to borrow books, too.

 

How to get your internet access

You need an account to obtain access to the internet. Please take your Visiting Scholar ID Card and go to the User Account Administration Office of the PKU Computer Center to open your account. The Office is at the hall of the second floor of the Natural Sciences Building No. 1. The PKU internet service costs 50 RMB per month. You may charge into your account as much as you need.

 

Emergency numbers and medical services

Beijing is a safe city. Life on the PKU campus is very safe. There are 24-hour security guards stationed at each gate and at other places on campus. Nevertheless, here are a few recommendations to ensure your personal safety:
Please take extra precaution with your passport and cash. Please avoid carrying with you both your passport and a large sum of cash. If you leave valuable items in your room, make sure to lock the door, close the windows, and turn off the tap and the lights.

Follow all the traffic rules and be very cautious on the road.

In case of any emergency or any other danger, quickly call the police first and then call OIR for assistance.
Emergency Numbers:
Police: 110
Firefighters: 119
Traffic police: 122
Medical Emergency: 112 or 999
Peking University Emergency Hotline: 62752119
OIR Division for Exchange Programs: 62757453

Prior to your arrival in China, please plan to buy a medical insurance that will cover your medical expenses in China.

 

OIR contact information

If you have any questions or problems during your stay at Peking University, please feel free to stop by OIR on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. As for other time, please call the office in advance to schedule an appointment. We are always glad to help you.

 

Contact Person: Ms. Ling Luo

Nan Ge (南阁) 102,
Division for Exchange Programs,
Office of International Relations,
Peking University
Telephone: 62756326
Email: luoling@pku.edu.cn
Fax: 62751240
Website: www.oir.pku.edu.cn