A Student’s Guide to Studying at CUHKSZ: Things I Wish I Knew Earlier

Studying at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen was an amazing experience for me, academically, socially, and personally. But like many exchange students heading to China for the first time, there were also many small administrative and lifestyle things that I only learned after arriving. Some of these are not immediately obvious, yet they can significantly affect how smooth your exchange experience becomes. So if you’re heading to CUHKSZ, especially from Singapore or overseas, here are some practical tips I genuinely think will help.

1. Be Extremely Careful About Your Visa & Residence Permit Deadline

This is probably the most important advice I can give. When exchange students arrive in China, the school will eventually arrange for everyone to apply for a Temporary Residence Permit. However, what many students may not realize is that the residence permit application must be completed within 30 days of your arrival in China. Not the same day next month, because some months have 31 days. The issue is that students arrive on different dates. This means the appointment date arranged by the school may accidentally fall after your personal 30-day deadline. If that happens and you are unaware, you may unknowingly breach immigration regulations.

What you should do:

• Immediately calculate your own 30-day deadline upon entering China

• Compare it against the school-arranged appointment date

• If your deadline comes earlier, inform the school immediately

From my experience, the school is helpful and will guide you on how to complete the process independently if needed.

It’s a small administrative detail, but one that is very important not to overlook.

Quick story time: Me and my roommate, also a fellow NTU student, both arrived in China on 26 Dec. The school arranged for the temporary residence permit application on 26 Jan for everyone. But when we arrived, the officer pointed out that we have overstayed one day. Long story short, we had to travel back to Longgang (our school's district) from Luohu, head to the neighbourhood police station to report our mistake, write a statement, and wait for a result, which could be a fine (The fine is 500RMB for every day overstayed), and afterwards, then, can we go to apply for the temporary residence permit. It's not a fun process, so do make sure to be careful with this. Fun fact, during this process, we even had to take a mugshot because we were technically offenders.

2. Set Up Alipay Early, It Makes Life Much Easier

Life in Shenzhen is extremely digital. Almost everything from transport, food, shopping, delivery, to bike rentals, revolves around mobile payments and QR codes.

One of the first things I highly recommend doing is setting up:

• Alipay

• WeChat

Setting up Alipay makes commuting significantly easier, while WeChat is necessary for almost everything else, from ordering food in-store to unlocking delivery lockers.

Using Shenzhen Public Transport

Shenzhen’s public transport system is excellent, affordable, efficient, and highly connected. However, to use buses and the metro conveniently, you’ll need access to the Shenzhen Metro QR pass.

To activate this:

1. Set up Alipay

2. Complete the real-name verification process

3. Apply for the transport QR pass through Alipay

Once done, the metro QR code becomes easily accessible directly from your Alipay homepage. This saves an incredible amount of time compared to manually purchasing tickets each trip. And honestly, Shenzhen’s metro system is one of the things I appreciated most during exchange.

3. Open a Chinese Bank Account if Possible

This is another thing I strongly recommend. Technically, you can survive using foreign cards linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay. But over time, you’ll likely encounter some inconveniences.

Why a Chinese bank account helps:

• Transactions above 200 RMB on foreign cards may incur foreign transaction fees

• Some merchants or services do not fully support foreign cards

• You can top up your WeChat balance directly

• Payments become smoother and more reliable overall

China’s digital ecosystem is incredibly advanced, but it’s designed primarily around local banking systems. Once you have a Chinese bank account linked to WeChat or Alipay, daily life becomes much more seamless. Opening a Chinese bank account is free too, and we have a bank office (CITIC) right on campus, and opening an account takes only 30 minutes.

4. Don't Overpack, You Can Buy Most Things in Shenzhen

Before exchange, many students worry about what to bring. My honest advice is don’t stress too much about daily necessities. In Shenzhen, almost everything can be purchased conveniently online, and often delivered extremely quickly.

Things like:

• Pillows

• Toiletries

• Bedsheets and linens

• Hangers

• Storage items

• Cleaning supplies

Can all be easily bought through:

• Taobao

• Local delivery services

• 跑腿 (errand delivery services)

Delivery culture in China is extremely efficient. Sometimes items arrive within the same day or next morning. Because of that, I’d recommend prioritizing luggage space for:

• Clothes

• Personal essentials

• Medications

• Important documents

• Electronics

rather than bulky dormitory necessities.

5. Learn to Embrace Convenience Culture

One thing that surprised me in Shenzhen was just how optimized everyday life felt.

Food delivery, transportation, online shopping, navigation, everything is integrated digitally. At first, it can feel overwhelming. But once you get used to:

• Scanning QR codes

• Ordering delivery

• Using mini-programs

• Paying digitally

you realize how efficient daily life becomes. The earlier you adapt to the ecosystem, the smoother your exchange experience will feel.

6. Don't Just Stay Within Your Exchange Bubble

This may not be a “logistical” tip, but I think it’s equally important. Exchange becomes much more meaningful when you intentionally interact beyond your immediate friend group. For me, that meant:

• Joining local interest groups (I hung out with one over table tennis on the day I came to Shenzhen!)

• Making friends outside NTU

• Speaking to local students

• Exploring the city independently sometimes

These interactions gave me perspectives and experiences I would never have gotten if I stayed only within my comfort zone.

7. VPN

Another important thing which I'm updating this blog on is VPN. Be sure to get VPN even if you're using eSIM, and be sure to be ready to buy another VPN. When I first came, we were mostly using LetsVPN, but due to a global issue, a lot of VPN were unable to function in China, and LetsVPN also announced that they are exiting China.

I chose to use ZoogVPN, which I felt was a bit slower, but felt more reliable, as I could use it on both desktop and mobile phones. It's pricy if you're only getting for a month, but the package price is cheaper if you are buying for a longer period. The good thing is that they allow for up to 10 device, so you can share with friends, and it becomes a lot more affordable.

Final Thoughts

Studying at CUHKSZ is more than just attending classes in another country. It’s learning how to adapt, navigate unfamiliar systems, and become comfortable in a completely different environment. Some of the most valuable lessons aren’t taught in classrooms. They come from figuring things out yourself, making mistakes, and slowly building your own rhythm in a foreign city. If you’re preparing for exchange at CUHKSZ, my biggest advice is simple:

Be proactive early, adapt quickly, and stay open to experiences beyond academics.