15 November 2015

Gentlefolk,

This post describes the China University of Petroleum (East China) where we live and work.

In Chinese: 中国石油大学; pinyin: Zhōngguó Shíyóu Dàxué; short name: Shi Da (石大) or just UPC.

Website: www.upc.edu.cn (English version available)

Background

UPC started life in 1953 as the Beijing Petroleum Institute, which in the early days was affiliated with Tsinghua University.

In 1969 some staff moved to Dongying, in Shandong Province, and and established the Huadong (East China) Petroleum Institute.  Dongying was the site of the big Sheng Li Oil Field which was being developed and they needed academic experts close by.

In 1988 it was renamed the 'University of Petroleum', with campuses in Beijing and Dongying. Later two separate entities were created: the China University of Petroleum in Beijing (which uses the abbreviation CUP) and China University of Petroleum (Huadong 'East China') in Dongying (UPC).

In 2004 UPC started construction of a new campus located in the Huangdao District of Qingdao (about 4 hours by car from Dongying), and over the next 10 years most teaching transferred to the new campus.  The Dongying campus is still used for practical teaching, as working oil fields and refineries are there.

UPC is one of three universities in Shandong Province which come directly under the Ministry of Education; the others are: Shandong University in Jinan and Ocean University in Qingdao.  These three universities are part of the national government's strategy to develop 100 world-class teaching and research institutions (China has 2,000 universities and colleges).

UPC has about 20,000 under-graduate and 5,000 post-graduate students (plus 900 foreign students). It has 1,600 teaching staff.

While its key focus is oil-and-gas related subjects (eg Petroleum Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Geology; Storage & Transportation; etc) UPC also offers other courses such as languages, finance and business.

UPC's motto is "Sincerity and Truth".

Here are some photos which I found on various websites today:

UPC is located in Shandong Province, on the East coast of China.

A more detailed map, showing Qingdao located on the coast of Shandong and about mid-way between Beijing and Shanghai (the two red dots on the map).  Seoul in South Korea is just over an hour's flight away.

A map of Shandong Province, showing the major urban centers. Jinan is the capital.  Dongying is in the north of Shandong, while Qingdao is on the east coast; UPC has campuses in both locations.

Another map of Shandong Province showing the main rivers.  Jinan is the provincial capital, although Qingdao is the largest urban center. Dongying is near the estuary of the Yellow River, where it flows into the Bohai Sea.

A view of the "old" part of Qingdao city. In the center of the photo is the Lutheran Church built in 1908 when Qingdao was a German colony. The Germans had Qingdao for just 16 years, until 1914 (when they were defeated by a joint Japanese-British force during WW1) but they had a profound impact on the city. 

Another view of the old section of Qingdao city.  This area has a distinct European feel, a legacy of the German time.  I first visited Qingdao in 1984 when I worked at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.  It appealed to me from the start as it was very different from other Chinese cities which had mainly drab, Soviet-style architecture.

A map showing Qingdao. Our campus is located in a suburb called Huangdao on the southern side of Jiaozhou Bay.   The Bay is the headquarters for China's northern fleet (Navy). About 20 years ago Huangdao was designated Qingdao's "Economic Development Zone" and has seen massive growth.  Three internationally-known companies are based in the Qingdao area: Tsingtao Beer (started by Germans in 1903); Haier Group (white-goods); and Hisense Group (TVs etc). 

This map shows the areas around Jiaozhou Bay.  Qingdao city is on the northern shore of the bay, while our campus is in Huangdao, on the southern shore.  A highway goes around the Bay.  Previously people took ferries between Qingdao and Huangdao. In 2011 two important infrastructure developments were completed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: a 9 km under-sea tunnel, and also the 42 km cross-bay bridge.  The tunnel, especially, has made a huge difference - connections are now much more convenient.

Another map of the areas around Jiaozhou Bay.  Qingdao has some beaches, but not as good as Huangdao's Golden Sand Beach and Silver Sand Beach. The Kempinsky Hotel overlooking Silver Sand Beach is now managed by the Wyndham Group.

The impressive Hilton Hotel opened in 2014. It is located near Golden Sand Beach, but is altogether too big and fancy for our town at this stage, I think.

A map of Tang Dao Wan Bay.  The UPC campus is across the road from the Bay.  I often cycle around the Bay and the peninsula - great because there is relatively little traffic.  The circuit is about 20 km and takes a bit over an hour.

The view of Tang Dao Wan Bay from our apartment on the UPC campus. A wonderful view to wake up to each day!

The Municipal Govt of Huangdao spent millions building a lovely esplanade around the perimeter of Tang Dao Wan Bay.  Great for walking, jogging and biking. It gets pretty busy during Summer weekends, but not too bad otherwise. I can't believe how lucky we were to end up in this place! 

A view of the UPC campus looking east towards Tang Dao Wan Bay and the Yellow Sea in the distance. The Wyndham Hotel (formerly Kempinsky) is the white building on the peninsula.  The building in the foreground with the curved roof is the University's gymnasium/ hall.  The residential buildings are orange, and the teaching buildings have a white façade.  The tall building in the center (behind the gymnasium) is the Admin Building.

A view of the UPC campus looking north-west.  The white buildings in the foreground are the Engineering teaching buildings while the orange-tiled buildings to the left are student residential buildings.  There are now many 20 - 30 storey apartment and office buildings in Huangdao - hard to believe that just 10 years ago the tallest building was only 10 storeys!

The emblem of the China University of Petroleum (East China) featuring the Goddess of the Sun (see below).

The symbol of UPC depicts the "Goddess of the Sun" with oil-type piping.  The Goddess is the provider of nature's bounty, in this case, oil and gas resources. New students come here and pledge to do their utmost to use Her resources for the benefit of China.

The North Gate of UPC, on Chang Jiang Avenue.  This is the main entry point into the University.  The tall building in the background is the Administration Building.  The building on the left behind the gate is the "Ring" Teaching Building.  A major shopping and commercial area is about one km east of this gate - there are frequent buses.

Some of the residential buildings for undergraduates.  Residential buildings have an orange-tile façade. All students live on campus (except for some of the foreign students).  Undergraduates are six to a room, while post-graduates are four to a room (and, fortunately, have their own bathroom).

Another view of the undergraduate residential buildings on campus. 

The UPC campus has many sporting facilities. Basketball is most popular, followed by table tennis, volleyball, and soccer. This photo shows the main oval which is used for sporting events and big assemblies like the Freshmen's military parade. In 2013 UPC celebrated its 60th anniversary - a major milestone. The university's iconic gymnasium is in the background; large gatherings such as graduation ceremonies are held there.

UPC has three large student canteens.  Feeding 25,000 hungry young students three times a day is a huge task. The food is good and cheap - you can eat well for $2. Now that we have a kitchen, Vera cooks more often or buys "take-away" to heat up in the comfort of our home.

Some of the friendly canteen staff.

A bust of Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955). He is greatly admired in China. In the background is the Nan Tang Teaching Building, where I have most of my classes.

A photo of part of the Administration Building.  On the right, and attached to the Admin Building, is the main Library.

The interior of the "Ring" Teaching Building, next to Nan Tang. 

On a website I found this picture of me writing poems on the black board.  For link to this story, click HERE

We have enjoyed working and living on this campus, and can recommend it to others.
For information on employment as English & Russian teachers see UPC website or click HERE 


...

Well folks, that's it for this post.

Dreadful news yesterday about the bombings in Paris - estimated 129 dead and 350 injured.  We feel so sorry for those innocent and blameless people.  Madness!!!

Best wishes,

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Sunday, 15 November 2015