the scribe - issue no. 1 - new beginnings - september 2013

THE SCRIBETHE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL AT BEIJING FOREIGN STUDIES UNIVERSITY

September 2013Issue No. 1

NewBeginnings新

2 THE SCRIBE

Dear Readers,

I am very excited and pleased to present the first issue of THE SCRIBE, the official English-language magazine of the International Business School at Beijing For-eign Studies University. We have a fantastic team of editors and contributors who have worked tremendously hard over the summer to make this issue the best it can be. Our goal in creating this magazine is to keep you up-to-date on all of the great things happening around us, to let the many talents and voices in our school be seen and heard, and hopefully, to entertain you during your time here.

We chose New Beginnings as the theme of this issue - not only because this is our inaugural issue, but also because this semester marks other new develop-ments in our university. Our brand spanking new library in the East Campus opened its doors to students at the end of last semester and this year, we have the new building by the West Campus gate to look forward to. We also have a great new addition to our faculty, Professor Martin Chan and with a fresh class of students entering the IBS fold, we are pleased to introduce the newly ap-pointed IBSUnion Board for this academic year.

Personally, I would like to dedicate this issue to the Acting Dean of BFSU-Solbridge, Dr. Liu Peng and Ms. Jin Jin from the Administration Office for their never-ending support even before we started this crazy endeavor, without which this publication would not have been possible. I am eternally grateful for their insight and guidance in hectic times. Finally, we want to hear from you! If you would like to contribute to this magazine, or have any comments, story ideas, or suggestions, please send your applications, hatemail, compliments, and questions to [email protected]. We still have long ways to go, but the entire team at THE SCRIBE will continue to strive to improve and to make this magazine an essential part of your university life.

We hope you enjoy the first issue of THE SCRIBE!

MinJu ParkEditor-In-Chief

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORSWriters

Jerry Tsz Ho ChanTim Jiman Choi

Constantine LyanTaylor Daeyo Kim

Monica RidleyJuan Pablo Rivera

Back Cover ArtUlice Goitte

Web DevelopmentKim Ford

Special Thanks toFreelance Photographer

Gregory Scott YoungVisit his blog:

http://1nitebeijing.tumblr.com Behind the scenes of the IBSUnion photoshoot!

September 2013 - New Beginnings 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page 4Letter from Dr. Liu Peng

page 5IBS At a Glance

page 6Business Talk - Straight Up Startup with Michael Lewis

page 8Events - Go Green

page 9News - IBS Team Wins Second Prize at the UIBE Cup

page 10Travel - Tim and Taylor’s Excellent Adventure - Eurotrip

page 12 Travel - Hong Kong Hot Spots

page 13Food & Dining - Campus Bites

page 14Calendar of Events

page 16Factsheet - The New Library

page 18Meet the New IBSUnion for the 2013-2014 Academic Year

page 22New Faces - Professor Martin Chan

page 24Students in Focus - The Beat Masters of IBS

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHANDIE SSEGAWA

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4 THE SCRIBE

LETTER FROM THE DEAN

Dear friends,

I feel very delighted to talk to you on the first issue of THE SCRIBE, the new student magazine that’s made by our international students team. I would like to congratulate MinJu Park and her editorial team for producing such a wonderful platform for us to meet and extend our warmest welcome to our new students of 2013!

By choosing to study at Beijing Foreign Studies University, you are now officially a member of the International Business School family, which consists of 80 faculty and staff members and 1500 students from over 50 different countries. This university has a proud history. Established in 1941, it is the oldest Foreign Studies University in China. It is known as the “Cradle of Diplomats” because it has produced over 400 Chinese ambassadors to other countries through its history and today it is the most prominent university in China in studying languages, culture, business and international relations. This University is also well known globally among scholars, business, and political leaders. Being the most dynamic school of the university, the International Business School is committed to producing graduates who will become the management elites for multinational corporations in a changing global environment where China is currently playing a catalyst role in the evolution of global business environment.

When you are here, you have to think about two questions for yourself.

First, WHY study business in China at BFSU? I suppose you already have a clear rationale on your mind. China is not only the most populous country in the world, it is currently the second largest economy in the world and predicted by many experts to become the largest economy in the next 15 years. It has been known as the engine of world economy for the past two decades. As it is getting more integrated into the world economy, a lot of interesting stories are happening in China’s social life, economic growth model and corporate management. What does this mean to you? Yes, vision and opportunities to critically see for yourself what is happening since you are here. You will learn the business theories and practices of the business world in the classroom to have a better understanding of yourself and the world we are in. The international business School offers you the opportunity to reflect on how these business theories apply in this new business context. You will have the opportunity to also engage with businesses that are operating in China and reflect on how these business theories apply. You will also get opportunities to do internship in China or other countries and even find your future career with all the job opportunities.

The second question that you are asking yourself is HOW am I going to spend my time here? Obviously, It is a more complicated question. However, let me share some personal thoughts and advice with you based on my experience and the experiences of past students.

Three things: Rule No. 1, study hard. That’s the fundamental principle of a successful college life after all. Rule No. 2, play hard. Try to involve yourself in extracurricular activities to explore your potential (such as joining the IBSUnion and contributing to THE SCRIBE). Rule No. 3, make a lot of friends with students from different cultural backgrounds.

If you follow my suggestions, you will surely make a big difference in yourself when you graduate from here.

Finally, I would like to say congratulations for choosing to study at BFSU and the IBS and especially to our new students joining us this year. Enjoy your learning experience and make the most of it. A successful learning environment emerges when we all work together and feel part of what is taking place. If you feel that you have new ideas about the course or any other related activities, get involved in the student union or come and talk to us; we are always open to suggestions and this is how innovation and change takes place.

Together, we will continue to enhance the International Business School and strive to build a world-class learning environment.

Dr. Liu PengChair of School Council, IBSActing Dean, BFSU-SolBridge


IBS AT A GLANCE

Total Number of International IBS Students

(EXCLUDING FALL 2013)

28058

Number of CountriesRepresented in IBS

TOP TEN NATIONALITIES1. Korea - 17%2. Indonesia - 13%3. Switzerland - 8%4. Mexico - 8%5. Russia - 6%6. Spain - 3%7. Malaysia - 3%8. USA - 3%9. Thailand - 2%

10. Mongolia - 2%

“Welcome to study in China, the world’s fastest growing economy. There are always miracles in Beijing as well as in China. I hope you can devote to study-ing and living like a Chinese for better knowledge of this country and its cul-ture. Wish you all a great success in the future.”

Dr. Hardy NiuDean of IBS, BFSU

6 THE SCRIBE

BUSINESS TALK

Michael Lewis knows more than a thing or two about starting a business in China – from having worked at JPMorgan’s Strategic Investments Group which fo-cused on investing in Financial Technology Startups as an analyst and being one of the founders of Bei-jing’s #1 Food Delivery Company called JinShiSong. Michael is currently working on his second startup in China, a new dating app, which graduated from the Chinaccelerator class of 2012 batch of companies. (Chinaccelerator is a mentorship-driven seed fund-ing program based in China, which is also a member of the Global Accelerator Network.) We sat down with Michael Lewis to poke his brain about his new app, the importance of finding the right people to work with, and what it takes create a startup in China.

THE CURRENT DJYT TEAM

Michael Lewis (Co-Founder and CEO)Co-founder at JinShiSong.com (backed by ZhenFund)

Analyst at JPMorgan - IB Strategic InvestmentsOhio State University - BSBA Finance

Ted Ostrem (Co-Founder and CEO)Senior Platform Architect at CMUNE (Gaming)

CTO of Geomeer (GPS Tracking)The Royal Institute of Technology - Computer Science

Elva Zhao (Co-Founder and Lead Designer)Graphic Designer and Design Consultant, United Nations Development Programme

University of the Arts London - Graphic Design

Christopher Tuan (Co-Founder and COO)VP of Business Development at HotelQuickly

Dusiness Development Analyst at SecondMarketTax Associte at Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC)University of Maryland - BA Finance/Accounting

Jack Lin (Lead iOS Developer)QianFeng 3G Internet School Graduate

Beijing Science Management College

Straight upStartup!

WITH MICHAEL LEWISBY MINJU PARK

MICHAEL LEWIS DURING A TAPING OF FEICHENGWURAO. HE GOT THE GIRL!


BUSINESS TALK

THE SCRIBE: What is your app about?

Michael Lewis: Our app is about creat-ing mobile serendipity. It’s called 豆浆油条 doujiangyoutiao (DJYT) because we want to help our users find their perfect match. China has almost 200 million singles and the divorce rate is at an all-time high, this is because there isn’t a great option out there for people to find someone compat-ible. We believe that our app will help people find a significant other more ef-ficiently and effectively than anything currently available.

S: Who are the other co-founders of DJYT?

ML: We have a very international team: two ABCs, two locals, and one Swede who’s been in China for six years.

S: They say choosing business part-ners is like getting married because it’s such a big commitment. How did you decide to work with your co-founders?

ML: Actually, I think co-founding a company is like having a child with someone. If you’re married, you can still get divorced, but if you have a co-founder and you get divorced, you leave a child behind, so I would argue it’s even more of a big deal than just marrying someone. One co-founder, I’ve known for three years, and the other, I’ve known for seven. They’re smarter than me in many ways, so I can always learn from them. There’s no point in working with someone that

can do everything you can do, but just not as well. A favorite quote of mine is, “If you’re the smartest one in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

S: What does it take to create a startup?

ML: Creating a startup takes full dedi-cation because otherwise it will fail. Nine of out every ten businesses fail so being an entrepreneur, you have to live and breathe your company. A startup, as defined by Steve Blank, is an orga-nization formed to search for a repeat-able and scalable business model. So, you have a finite amount of time to find that business model before you run out of cash. Cash is king.

S: Can you tell us about your experi-ence with Chinaccelerator?

ML: Being in Chinaccelerator was ben-eficial because we were exposed to a lot of great mentors and investors. The most important thing, however, was being on-site for three months with weekly deliverables in front of your peers, this forces you to work around the clock and you’re always pushed to do your best.

S: What do you look for when you hire people?

ML: As an employer, we are looking for people that are both experienced and intelligent. Experience can be gained but intelligence is inherited. Passion is also very important. Because most people at a startup will see each other

every waking moment, being passion-ate about your work helps influence others to work harder as well. Many people are eager to start their own businesses but most will fail. So, don’t be too eager to be on your own. Biding your time and learning are important, being an entrepreneur isn’t for every-one.

S: What advice would you give to business students who are hoping to start a business in the future?

ML: Whether it’s starting your own business or helping someone else run their startup, if you feel that there’s a good opportunity available, then do it now, not tomorrow, not next year. There’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur, there are so many great books on entrepreneurship and the cost of starting a business is at an all-time low. You will make mistakes, but if you learn from them and mini-mize future ones, then you will already be ahead of the curve.

DJYT is now available for iPhone, search for “豆浆油条” doujiangyoutiao in the App Store to find your significant other. DJYT is currently looking for an Android developer to join the team. If you are interested in this position or would to apply for an internship, email THE SCRIBE ([email protected]) and we will connect you with Michael Lew-is and his team. To learn more, check out the DJYT website – http://djytapp.com.

(RIGHT) A TYPICAL DAY AT A STARTUP.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL LEWIS.

8 THE SCRIBE

EVENTS

Go Green2 0 1 3

BY MONICA RIDLEY

On Sunday, June 2, 2013, the IBSUnion held their annual Go Green event which brought together the Chinese, Korean and International departments of the International Business School. The purpose of the event was to allow the different unions of each department to work together to create a fun day for students which gave them an oppor-tunity to interact with people from dif-ferent cultures and enjoy a day out in nature.

The event was held at the Purple Bam-boo Park (ZiZhuYuan) a twenty-minute walk from campus with around sixty participants from the Chinese, Korean, and International departments.

The students were divided into differ-ent groups – fire, water, earth, wind, sun, and moon. As soon as the stu-dents arrived at the park, everyone broke off into their separate groups to play icebreaker games and get to know each other – introducing themselves and making new friends through games like the Arm Untangler Game. Each group also came up with their own team cheers in the theme of their group element to chant before and af-

ter each game to boost team spirit and show off their creative side. The Go Green group had yet another walk in the beautiful bamboo park, seeing some local Chinese enjoying their dancing, taichi, and ribbon wav-ing. Some students even joined in! Af-ter the leisurely walk, it was time for a game of Tug of War!

The final event was the Talent Show with each team competing against each other. There were a lot of K-pop dances, an African dance, and the Cupid Shuffle, along with other great performances which culminated in a dance off!


EVENTS

THE IBS TEAM WINSSECOND PRIZE AT

THE UIBE CUPBY THE IBS MARKETING DEPARTMENT

On June 7-8, 2013, an international delegation of IBS students led by Dr. DONG Lili participated in the UIBE Cup 2013 - International Business Ne-gotiations Invitational and won the second prize.

The team was made up of both Chinese and international students: MA Yi, LIN Fulei, and CHEN Zhenzhen from China, Jordan Donald Sprentz from Canada, MinJu Park from South Korea, and Juno Fernandi from In-donesia. The annual competition is organized by the China Association of Inter-national Business Negotiation (CAIBN) and co-organized by the Univer-sity of International Business and Economics (UIBE). Participating teams hailed from fifteen colleges and universities from eight provinces and cit-ies from all over China. English was the sole language used in the invitational. After some fierce competition, the IBS delegation won the second prize and MinJu Park was recognized with the Excellent Negotiator award, receiving a certifi-cate and a cash prize. After the competition, Vice Dean SONG Zening participated in a sym-posium on teaching business negotiation and made a speech entitled “Business Negotiation Teaching from the Perspective of International Business Education”.

Congratulations to this year’s IBS Delgation!

On that high note, Go Green came to an end, with participants either continu-ing to explore the rest of Purple Bam-boo Park or walking back to school with the new friends from different cultures they made against the mag-nificent backdrop of flowing bamboo trees and nature.

The IBSUnion would like to thank all of the participants and those involved in the planning and execution of Go Green 2013, especially the Chinese and Korean student unions for their efforts in organizing the event.

10 THE SCRIBE

TIM AND TAYLOR’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE - EUROTRIP

BY TAYLOR DAEYO KIM

Over the summer, Tim Jiman Choi (Fall 2012) and I spent around 21 days trav-elling to more than twenty cities in ten countries! It was both a first for us vis-iting the continent. We had a lot of ex-pectations and we were so excited to go on a Eurotrip!

July 11 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia We began our journey here. It was ac-tually a stopover en route to the Neth-erlands, but we spent 10 hours in the city and visited The Petronas Twin Towers - the most famous landmark of KL. The weather was really hot, but the view from the towers at night was terrific!

July 12 - 16 | Netherlands With the help of Tim’s cousin, we vis-ited many cities and attractions - Am-sterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft, Kampen, Giethoorn, and Zeewolde.

The most impressive was Giethoorn, home to a beautiful lake. We rented a small boat and sailed around the big lake.

July 16 - 19 | London, England London-native Sophie Pullum (Fall 2011) showed us around her city. Here, we met a group of students from Tai-wan and we all took a ride on a cruise ship along the River Thames to Green-wich. The next day, Sophie and her mother took us to see Windsor and Oxford. We ended up having dinner at Nando’s, known as the best chicken restaurant in the area.

July 19 - 22 | Paris, FranceThe Eiffel Tower! The Arc de Triomphe! Musee du Louvre! Chateau de Ver-sailles! Cathedrale Notre-Dame! These sights need no further introduction. Despite these amazing sights, we felt the subway left a lot to be desired. We were in sauna hell because there was no air conditioning!

July 22 | Zürich, SwitzerlandWe stopped over Switzerland on the way to Austria.

July 22 | Vaduz, Liechtenstein This was another stop on our way to Austria, but we were able to get a pic-ture in front of Schloss Vaduz and got yet another stamp on our passports.

July 22 - 23 | Feldkirch, AustriaIt was nighttime by the time we got to Austria. We were so tired, so we spen the night at a youth hostel and reorga-nized our plan for the remainder of our trip.

July 23 | Interlaken, SwitzerlandThe top of Europe, Jungfraujoch! The mountain is 3,454 meters above the sea level and perpetually covered with snow. It took us around 2 hours to get to the top by train. We had free cou-pons for Korean cup noodles when we reached the top. It was delicious! The view from the peak was breath-taking


TRAVEL

and we couldn’t believe we were frol-icking around the snow in the middle of summer!

July 24 - 25 | Monaco and Nice, FranceNo sleep for us between Monaco and Nice! First, we went to the Grand Ca-sino and Le Palais Princier in Monaco and then left for Nice! Here, we met two Chinese girls by chance at Nice Beach and hung out together and had a nice dinner by the shore. Afterwards, we walked to Nice Airport. It took us an hour to get there.

July 25 | Geneva, SwitzerlandWe went to Geneva for a flight which was heading for Italy, but before the flight, we strolled along Rue du Mont Blanc and saw Jet d’Eau (Water-Jet) which is the highest fountain in all of Europe.

July 25 - 26 | Venice, Italy Venice, the city on water! We had an authentic pizza near the hotel where

were staying in and it tasted unlike any pizza we’ve ever had. We only had two days in Venice so we tried to fit in as much as we could - Ponte di Rialto, Pi-azza di San Marco, Campanile, Bacilica San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, and Ponte dei Sospiri. Everything was beautiful.

July 26 - 30 | Rome, ItalyRome was the official final destina-tion of our journey. Our favorites here were the Colosseo and Fontana di Trevi, hands down! It was even better at night - magnificent! We also went to Piazza di Spagna which is well-known because it appeared in the Audrey Hepburn classic, ‘Roman Holiday’. On our last day in Rome, Tim and I went our separate ways. He went back to Korea via Munich, Germany, and I went back to Beijing via Istanbul, Turkey.

July 30 | Istanbul, TurkeyI was a little bit concerned because of what I was hearing on the news about Turkey when I arrived, but I had a won-

derful time in the 10 hours of my stop-over. I did, however, have some ATM issues. When I got there, the Citibank ATM was out of service! I had to use a local bank, but withdrew the minimum amount so I wouldn’t be a charged a hefty service fee. Because I only had a relatively short stay in Istanbul, I visit-ed the main attractions - Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Ayasofya, Galata Bridge, etc.

For the most part, the countries we visited blew us away and we can’t wait to go back. Next time though, we defi-nitely plan to spend more time in each destination and really get to know the culture and the people who live there.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF

TAYLOR DAEYO KIM AND TIM JIMAN CHOI

12 THE SCRIBE

A true blue Hong Konger shows us his favorite places in HK.

THE PEAK In colonial times, it was only open to those of the upper strata of society. Nowadays, it is a wonderful place for ev-eryone to take a bird’s eye view of Hong Kong. During the day, the view stretches across the flickering skyscrapers and Victoria Harbour all the way to the green hills of the New Territories. At sunset, the panorama melts into hues of pink and orange before a dazzling galaxy of light. Also check out The Peak Tram which has served people since 1888.

MONGKOK A favorite of shopaholics, Mongkok is the place to go to spend! On Sneakers Street, you can get whatever style of shoes you want. Clothing and electronics are reputed to have great quality and authenticity, so you can shop with some piece of mind. Nearby, Lady’s Market sells cheaper and some fake goods. Make sure to bargain here and try not to get ripped off! Mongkok is also home to talent shows and street performances with dancing, kung-fu and musi-cal performances. Shopping and singing – not a bad com-bination!

AVENUE OF STARS Living up to Hong Kong’s unofficial title of “Hollywood of the East”, the Avenue of Stars gives visitors inside access to the city’s film icons. There’s a life-size statue of kung-fu action star, Bruce Lee, commemorative plaques, descrip-tive milestones, and celebrity handprints. The Avenue of Stars perfectly sets the charm of Hong Kong’s film industry against the view of Victoria Harbour. What’s more, around thirty performances of a multimedia show which features, music, drama, and dance, are organized each month.

HA PAK NAI If you want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong’s fast development, Ha Pak Nai, is a great refuge. I’ve lived here for over 10 years but I went here for the first time this summer. The view is amazing and the Hong Kong gov-ernment is in the process of preserving the natural environ-ment. The best time to go is at around 5-6 pm when the sunset paints the sky with different colors.

TRAVEL

HONG KONG HOT SPOTSBY JERRY TSZ HO CHAN

IMAGE SOURCES: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CECILIAYU.COM, FOTOP.NET


FOOD & DINING

CAMPUS BITESWhen I first came to this university (and even now three semesters later), I was constantly on the lookout for new places to eat and hang out with friends near the campus and around Beijing. I know people have different tastes and cuisine preferences, but if you’re new, hungry and at a loss, here are a few places nearby I would recommend to start out.

WESTERN MAHUA Located right next to the East Gate of the univer-sity’s West Campus, and with its bright lights and a counter where you order, Western Mahua is the Chinese answer to fastfood. Try the Beef Noodles - these are hand pulled noodles cooked instan-taneously, served in beef broth and garnished with slices of broiled beef fillet slices, cilantro and chopped spring onions. Priced at a mere 15 RMB, it is simply delicious. They also serve classic Chi-nese favorites such as Gong Bao Ji Ding (Kung Pao Chicken) and Tu Dou Si Gai Fan (shredded potatoes served on top of white rice). While not the best environment to hang out for too long, it is, how-ever, open 24 hours 7 days a week. If you ever get the midnight munchies, this is the place to go.

OLD BIKE CAFÉ For those residing in the East Campus, turn left as you exit through the back gate of the East Campus (near the Guo Jiao Building) and keep walking until you find a narrow entrance with a staircase and a sign that says Old Bike Café. The Old Bike Café resembles a nostalgia shop fused with a modern British pub, but ironically doesn’t really serve many British pub dishes. Burgers, pizzas, omelets, and a huge variety of milkshakes are aplenty. If you do find yourself here, I would recommend the Chicken Kebabs, which are especially tender, marinated grilled chicken on a skew-er, served with a side of mixed fried rice and a piece of baguette (55 RMB). Make sure you aren’t in a rush to get to your next class though, as the service, no matter how friendly, tends to be slow.

ISSHIN Craving some Japanese cuisine? Two doors down from the Old Bike Café is Isshin. You have your choice of Japanese dishes available here: a large assortment of sushi, noodles, tempura, and my favorite, the Pork Cheese Rolls, which, priced at 22 RMB is a finger-licking delight you will most definitely enjoy. Most sushi dishes are usually sold at half price and they offer seasonal dis-counts. When classes are in session, try to come early during lunch hours, as the two-storey restaurant becomes packed like a city bus at rush hour and it is hard to find a seat.

BON APPETIT!

BY CONSTANTINE LYAN

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CONSTANTINE LYAN

14 THE SCRIBE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - SEPTEMBER 2013

SUNDAY1

8Great Wall Trip

15

22

29

MONDAY2

9First Day of Classes

Registration Deadline forthe Hengshui Lake International Marathon

16Registration Deadline for The Legend of Kungfu

Registration Deadline forTaishan Trip

23

30

TUESDAY3

10Teacher’s Day

17

24

1National Day(No Classes)

Taishan Trip

WEDNESDAY4

11

18

25


Taishan Trip


CALENDAR OF EVENTS - SEPTEMBER 2013

THURSDAY5Registration

12

19Mid-Autumn Festival(No Classes)

26


Taishan Trip

FRIDAY6Registration

Campus Tour

Welcome Mixer for New Students

13Welcome Partyat Alley Pizza

20Mid-Autumn Fesitval(No Classes)

Last Day to Finalize Class Schedules

The Legend of Kungfu Show

International Hengshui LakeMarathon Competition27


SATURDAY7Meet and Greet

New Student Orientation

14

21Mid-Autumn Festival

International Hengshui LakeMarathon Competition

28

5National Day

NOTES

Week 1

Seminars for New StudentsThroughout the Week

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

National Day HolidayNo Classes (October 1-7)

16 THE SCRIBE

FACT SHEET

BY THE IBS MARKETING DEPARTMENT

The new library of BFSU formally opened its doors to the public on June 6, 2013. It is poised to be another land-mark building of BFSU.

Uniquely designed, the library has a much larger capacity on site than its predecessor, thus having more seats for students to study.

The most eye-catching feature of the new library is the wall before the main building, where “library” is carved in the 50 languages taught at BLCU. On sunny days, the sunlight casts a shadow of these words to the rooms be-hind the wall, creating a warm and inspiring atmosphere for students to learn.


THE LIBRARY

The New Library

The Beijing Foreign Studies University Library was founded in 1941, formerly known as Yan’an Foreign Language School Library.

The library currently consists of the Chinese branch library, the foreign language collections, the periodical read-ing room, and the library office area. The library’s collections cover 49 languages, including Chinese, English, French, Russian, German, Japanese, and Spanish, with a total collection of more than 1,100,000 copies of books, 280,000 copies of e-books, 1,179 Chinese and foreign language periodicals, more than 11,000 pieces of various audio-visual materials, nearly 26,000 foreign language full-text e-journals, 47 Chinese and foreign language da-tabases, and 4 self-built databases of special features. Language, literature, and culture is the focus of the main collection. In recent years, with the development of the discipline construction of the university, the collections of law, international relations, economics, journalism and management have also increased steadily. The library now has eight functional departments, with a total of 53 staff members, including eight associate research li-brarians and 39 librarians.

The library adopts the advanced ALEPH500 library automatic management system, with multilingual document cataloging and retrieval. The library provides the interlibrary loan service with the National Library, Shanghai Library, and more than 70 university libraries in Beijing, including Peking University Library and Renmin Univer-sity of China Library. The library also provides the CASHL and BALIS foreign language periodical article delivery service.

For the convenience of our teachers and students off-campus to use the e-resources in the library, the VPN re-mote access system has been installed as well.To all the readers of the university, the library provides all kinds of personalized services such as database retrieving and data processing and mail/SMS alerts. To facilitate the communication with readers, the library has set up subject librarian system.

During the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, the overall goal of the library is gradual realization of characteristic col-lection, information service, professional team, and scientific management. By way of active participation in the inter-university documents co-construction and sharing system, the library will work toward becoming a suc-cessful information service center in China for foreign language teaching and research, and an international top research library which has “rich resources, diverse services, open and harmonious environment, and satisfaction from the readers”.

18 THE SCRIBE

MEET THE 2013-2014 IBSUNION

Introducing your

IBSUnion for the 2013 - 2014 Academic Year...

In the last couple of months of the pre-vious semester, the application period opened for the new board members of the IBSUnion. After screening out those who did not meet the minimum requirements of the IBSUnion Board, the remaining applicants were subject to interviews with the Administration Office, and an internal vote with the current and incoming members.

The results of the internal vote are in! This year’s President is Monica Ridley. Mateus Fu, as Events Organizer will make sure we all have a great time at events and Vanessa Ointu will keep the board updated on all things IBSUnion. MinJu Park is the Head of the Public Relations Department and will handle all promotions and communications. Michelly Ramli will be in charge of the IBSUnion’s finances as the Treasurer, and finally, Troy Hambali, as Sports Coordinator, will be responsible for all athletic activities for the IBSUnion.



Passing of the torch...

“I would like to thank BFSU for the sup-portive and great learning environment that helped me grow as an individual. It was a great honor and pleasure to be the President of the IBSUnion for the year 2012-2013. I gained rich skills and knowledge from this orga-

nizational experience especially from working with IBSUnion team members from different cultural backgrounds. I recommend students to gain use-ful experience by taking part in the IBSUnion. I will continue my 5th se-mester in Memorial University of New-foundland, Canada as an exchange student. I wish you all a great time in

BFSU and that you always pursue the best for your bright future!”

Gabriela Garcia Soesanto (Fall 2011)Former President of the IBSUnion


THE SCRIBE20

PRESIDENTMonica Ridley

USA | Spring 2012

Previous PositionsEvents OrganizerGraphic DesignerActive MemberClass Representative

ContributionsCreated the current IBSUnion logo.Organized Oktoberfest 2012, the Hal-loween Party, the End of the World Par-ty, Go Green, etc. Brought attention to and helped re-solve issues affecting student life as class representative.

In her own words...

“I feel that the IBSUnion isn’t doing too badly considering it is only two years old. We have so much more potential and this semester, I hope that we can take much bigger steps in reaching our goals. Our greatest challenge right now is raising the level of school spirit and trying to get more people involved in the IBSUnion to bring more suc-cessful events and a better university experience to the students.”

SECRETARYVanessa Ointu

Indonesia | Fall 2012

Previous PositionsSecretary to the Head of PRActive Member

ContributionsMeeting reports, data collection, stu-dent research for the PR Department.

What is your cultural background and how does this influence your job?

“I’ve lived in Indonesia since I was born, influenced by Indonesian culture and Western culture. My mother is a tradi-tional Sunda woman from West Java, and my father is half Dutch, who had a more Western upbringing. The values of both East and West have made me modern, liberal, and have given me a strong interest in different cultures. I am a people person and love to meet people and learn more about them. As the secretary, my contributions will be less publicly seen, but I will try my best to create a good system that will sup-port the IBSUnion members and the students.”

TREASURERMichelly Ramli


“I am a newbie. Last year, I worked with former IBSUnion Secretary, Anais Brunier, and continued her work, but it is just this year that I am officially a member of the board. I’ve also contrib-uted by participating in events such as the 2013 Welcome Party as one of the mini drama players and assisting with the decorations and operations during the Halloween Party.”

What skills and experiences can you bring to the job?

“Teamwork, leadership, self-control, goal-oriented, and decision-making skills. During my high school years, I was honored to be trusted as the per-foming arts production assistant. It was a precious experience to see and learn how the production grew from just an idea to the moment of stand-ing ovation on opening night. Com-mitment and teamwork are the core skills I learned. There is nothing that is impossible if we work together as a team.”


21September 2013 - New Beginnings

PUBLIC RELATIONSMinJu Park

South Korea | Fall 2012

Previous PositionsHead of Public RelationsClass RepresentativeActive Member

ContributionsCoordinated an archiving system to keep relevant documents.Created all promotional materials and developed the IBSUnion website. Was responsible for all out-bound communication.Led the PR department, delegating tasks, conducting student surveys and research, and organizing team building activities.

What are your goals for the IBSUnion?

“My goals include helping students create more clubs and activities to make student life more diverse, mak-ing communication between students, the IBSUnion, and the administration as well as within the IBSUnion, easier and more efficient, and finally, create many more opportunities for students to interact with one another.”

EVENTS ORGANIZERMateus Fu

Indonesia | Spring 2012

“[Before joining the union] I contribut-ed to the school by attending the pro-gram and events organized by the IB-SUnion. Since this is the first time I’ve ever been a part of this kind of organi-zation, I don’t really have specific ex-periences that I can bring to the team, but I’m confident that I can prepare events, especially ones that are related to music because I played in a band for quite a while.”

How can the IBSUnion improve in the upcoming semester?

“We can improve the IBSUnion by re-cruiting new members. To do that, we have to make more advantages or privileges that may attract them to join. Second, all of the members have to make or prove that we can make better events each year by correcting our mistakes from the previous se-mesters, and by continuing to correct all of the mistakes one by one, I believe that we can achieve more in the up-coming semester.”

SPORTS COORDINATORTroy Hambali


Previous PositionsActive Member

What skills and experiences can you bring to the job?

“A love of sports and I was in the na-tional team of Indonesia for basket-ball back in the day, in the teenagers group.”

Troy Hambali has also worked closely with the previous Sports Coordinator, Juno Fernandi, in organizing sports events for the school such as soccer tournaments and pick-up basketball games.

Did you know...

Troy Hambali loves arachnids and cold-blooded creatures, specifically, tarantulas and snakes, and keeps some as pets! In his free time, he likes to visit pet shops, perhaps, to add to his collection of creepy crawlies.

22 THE SCRIBE

NEW FACES

We are happy to welcome Professor Martin Chan to our international com-munity. Well-versed in the world of International Relations, the Professor has taught in universities all over the globe and has published his work ex-tensively with titles such as, Der erwachte Drache: Großmacht China im 21. Jahrhundert (China in the 21st Century). THE SCRIBE spoke to Professor Chan about his academic and cultural background, what he likes to do in his free time, and most importantly, how to succeed in his courses. Having previously lived in China, we are sure that he will not have any problems adjusting to life in Beijing.

THE SCRIBE: Which courses will you be teaching this semester?

Professor Martin Chan: Altogether I will teach three courses. I will teach In-troduction to Business to the freshmen of the international program and In-troduction to Business and its Environment to students of the International Foundation Program. The third course will be an elective course for the inter-national students of the Sol-Bridge program called Sino-European Economic Relations: Theory and Practical Approach. It will include a macro-economic theoretical part and a micro-economic practical part in which we will ex-amine specific problems like customs and logistics as well as intercultural aspects.

S: What is your cultural background?

MC: I was born in Konstanz, Southern Germany, at the border to Switzerland. My mother originally came from Berlin, my father was born in Calcutta and grew up in Hong Kong. After high school I went to Taiwan to study Chinese and then worked in Beijing. I lived and worked many years in China, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Germany, in the academic as well as non-academic field. I have professional experience as a manager in the tourism industry, trade and logistics. As a university teacher, I lectured in international relations, economics and security, Chinese politics, economics and society, European integration, politics and economics, and intercultural management and com-munication, in Konstanz and Bremen (Germany), Ulan Bator (Mongolia), and Jinan (China).

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARTIN CHAN

ABOVE: Profile photo of Professor Martin ChanRIGHT: Professor Martin Chan during a pre-sentation for his book, Der erwachte Drache: Großmacht China im 21. Jahrhundert (China in the 21st Century)

PROFESSORMartin Chan

BY MINJU PARK

22 THE SCRIBE


Martin Chan

NEW FACES

S: What is your educational background?

MC: I studied two full M.A. courses, one in Political Science in which I graduated, and Sinology, which I concluded but did not write a thesis. Additionally, I took classes in Central Asian Studies and Slavic Studies. Currently, I am in the pro-cess of obtaining a PhD in Political Science.

S: What subjects do you specialize in?

MC: I specialize in International Relations and Economy. Specific topics are Security and Economy, like the threat of piracy to trade or the fragility of logistical systems. Besides this I am very interested in regional cooperation, like the EU, ASEAN, etc. As a German who has witnessed personally the German reunification, I naturally am also extremely inter-ested in the topic of Korean reunification.

S: How did you decide to pursue your field of study?

MC: My international family background has always made me interested in Asia. As I left Germany when I was 19 years old, I became a global citizen at an early stage and interna-tional issues have always been my major interest.

S: What strategies did you use to be successful when you were a student and what is the best way for students to study for your classes?

MC: First of all, you have to enjoy your studies. If you only study for career purposes, you should change to another program. Second, you should discuss a lot with your fellow students and other people, the classes you had as well as other topics. And third, have good time management, don’t start to learn some days prior to an exam or write the the-sis in the last weeks of the semester. Confucius said that even the wisest man on earth can learn something from the most humble beggar. For me, the best students are the ones that teach me something I didn’t know before or, even bet-ter, tell me when I made a mistake or got something wrong. Participate in classroom discussions, show your own ideas and proposals, even if they might sound silly at first glance.

S: Do you have a current research project?

MC: After my PhD thesis, which deals with Chinese-Korean relations, I am very interested in the development of the relationship between China and Africa, which seems ex-tremely interesting to me. Besides this, I have a lot of expe-rience in developing role games of international relations, which I sometimes integrate into teaching. I will continue the research and development of these simulations.

S: What are your interests outside of teaching?

MC: My actual main hobby is cooking, German and Euro-pean cuisine as well as Chinese and other Asian ones. My biggest event in this respect was a five-course banquet for

60 guests. Besides this, I am writing science fiction stories, which unfortunately have not yet been published. Some-times I am also an actor in amateur theater productions.

S: What are you looking forward to in regards to living in Beijing?

MC: I’ve known Beijing for many years and have lived in this great city several times. It is one of the fastest changing places in the world and yet it keeps its specific charm. I am eager to explore the changes that have occurred since my last visit some years ago, and of course, I will enjoy the ter-rific cuisine. There is no other place in China, where you can enjoy the regional cuisine from really every region in China.

S: What about in regards to teaching at Beijing Foreign Studies University?

MC: I feel much honored to do so. This university is one of the world’s leading institutions for international studies. I am looking forward to enjoy the intellectual exchange with Chinese and international academics and students.

S: Lastly, do you have a message for the students of IBS?

MC: During the last decades, the world has experienced an unprecedented process of globalization and Beijing is one of the hot spots of this development. When China started its opening to the world three decades ago, one could find hardly any foreigners in Beijing. Today, the city has become one of the most cosmopolitan places on this planet.

Your generation is the first generation of students, that grew up in this globalized world and you have the chance to study the global economy in one of the centers of glo-balization. Together we will study and explore the different aspects of our global environment, not only in theory, but also in a practical way.

I am looking forward to an exciting semester.


24 THE SCRIBE

STUDENTS IN FOCUS

THE BEAT MASTERS OF IBSBY JUAN PABLO RIVERA

James Tshamala aka JMD (FALL 2010)

The only MC of the bunch, he got his start in Beijing by making DJ friends and promoting parties where he was the MC. “Me and my crew had some success and ended up hosting for Usher at the Westin and Kardinal Offishall in Sanlitun. We would tour China and do shows where I rapped my own songs and cover songs. After a period of time, we disbanded and I started MC-ing part-time while attending school full-time.”

What is the story behind your stage name? JMD: JMD stands for James Maryland, James being my name and Maryland being where I’m from. I changed the spelling of Maryland toMurrland because locals of MD pronounce it that way. I wantedsomething simple.

What are your long-term plans?JMD: Work for an NGO and try to make the world a better place.

How do you get a crowd excited?JMD: The crowd gets me excited. It’s like a transfer of energy where they feed me and I feed them at the same time. What can I say? It’s a love affair. It’s provocative and that’s how I get the people going.

Catch JMD every Friday and Saturday at Global Club!

Katherine Waern aka Koma Kate (FALL 2010)

Kate got her stage name from the ensuing madness of having a severe soy and peanut al-lergy and going out drinking in China. She’s played in various places in Sweden, Mainland China, Thailand, and will hopefully be able to add Hong Kong to the list soon. “I started playing in China when I ended up living in a big apartment with seven other friends. It might sound chaotic, but when you are living with that many people you never have time to get sick of each other. Three of us were DJs and we used to hang out and practice every night. It’s difficult not to get inspired in a place like that.”

What kind of music do you play?Koma Kate: The music I play varies depending on my mood. I have been playing deep, funk and classic house for quite some time now. It creates a feeling that is easy for the crowd to relate to. If something is on my mind I love playing hard tech house and drum & bass. It’s great therapy, really.

Where can we find you? Koma Kate: I spend most weekends DJ-ing at Lantern on Gonti Xilu near Sanlitun. When I’m off the decks, I’m just there to hang out and have a good time. So put on your party pants and come meet me under the disco ball!

See you there!


THE BEAT MASTERS OF IBSSTUDENTS IN FOCUS

(FALL 2011) Cem Sakaoğlu aka DjJem Following his big brother to pursue a higher education in China, he got his start in the world

of DJ-ing in Beijing. “The funny thing is that I had no DJ-ing experience whatsoever before I came to China. I started DJ-ing in Luga’s about two and a half years ago and

quickly realized that I like to entertain people with the music I like.”

Tell us about your first ever gig.DjJem: I play at Luga’s every Saturday, but the first event that I can’t forget

would be the New Year Party. Lugas had never been so crowded and despite all of the tables and chairs, everyone in the bar was standing up

and drinking, dancing, and going crazy.

Most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you at a gig?DjJem: A drunk woman disconnecting the cables of my set and

the unbearable silence that followed.

What are your thoughts on the Beijing club scene?DjJem: A lot of clubs play really cheesy music and people are

just there to hook up and get drunk. For me, there is more to music than just that.

Catch DjJem every Saturday at Luga’s!

(FALL 2011) Sascha Sommerschuh aka DJ Summashu

DJ Summashu has been known to drop beats at school events like the Welcome Party at West Pizza, but he’s also played at

Luga’s, Taps, PBD, and Alley Pizza. He has his own little studio at home, which he’s slowly built over the last two years.

Do you prepare sets in advance? What is your creative process? DJ Summashu: Always in advance. A good DJ is one who prepares.

I know many people think it’s important to take the crowd in and play songs they ask for, but electro DJs work a bit differently. We prepare

the sets and plan everything ahead in order to be able to adapt quickly and completely concentrate on bringing the right grooves and effects (you need to know what songs work and what doesn’t). The main goal is to get

people to dance, have a good time and get their grooves on..

What’s next for DJ Summashu?DJ Summashu: Check out my soundcloud site (http://soundcloud.com/dj-summashu),

I’ll be putting up sets as well as several mixtapes that I’m producing right now. The plan is to release 3-4 mixtapes this year and in 2014, release my official debut album! So people, be on the

lookout for DJ Summashu aka FRESH LIKE A SUMMASHU aka SUMMASHU!

26 THE SCRIBE

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WELCOME PARTY!

the scribe - issue no. 1 - new beginnings - september 2013

Documents

new ibsunion

new beginnings

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