With winter vacation about to begin, it is important to observe good personal health practices during the holiday season. Here are some tips:

Travel Safety

1. If you are leaving campus, make sure that you register the address where you are staying with the local police station within 24 hours of arrival.

2. Take note of your safety and personal belongings when traveling. It is advised not to travel alone or with strangers and not visit places that are overly crowded or underdeveloped.

3. Take care of your health and personal protection. Be mindful of food hygiene and sanitation. Only take licensed transportation when traveling.

4. Please be cautious about traveling to high-altitude areas of the plateau without a valid assessment of your physical condition. It's better to travel in groups and have enough rest en route.

 

Fire Safety

1. Keep alert when using the public kitchen and do not walk away when cooking to prevent overflow or dry burning.

2. Do not store or use flammable, explosive or corrosive substances.

3. Do not smoke in the dorm.

4. Do not use open fire in the dorm. Be cautious of electricity use. Do not store or use high-power electrical appliances or charge electric scooters in the dorm building. Keep combustibles away from heat sources and don't overload electrical outlets, extension cords, and power strips. High-power electric appliances, such as immersion heaters, electric kettles and heaters are strictly forbidden in dormitories.

Case: In September 2017, an international student overcharged his scooter battery in his dormitory and caused a fire disaster. 

 

Transportation Safety

1. Pay attention to road safety. Take care of yourself and others.

2. When walking or riding at night, try to wear bright-colored or reflective clothing if possible. Make sure to maintain a safe distance between you and other riders and vehicles.

3. Refrain from excessive drinking of alcohol, misconduct, and drunk driving.

4. Traffic accidents make up the highest proportion of all accidents. Illegal motorcycles are strictly forbidden on campus. When buying an electric scooter, please register it at the local police station. When driving an electric scooter, please pay attention to the speed and obey all traffic rules. 

Case: In January, an international student knocked down an elderly lady when driving an electric scooter without obeying traffic regulations. He paid 20,000 yuan ($2,779.62) for the traffic accident.

 

Personal and Property Safety 

1. Please be mindful of your property when you are in public places, tourist attractions, shopping centers or other places with a lot of people. Apart from taking good care of your personal belongings, stow your credentials carefully. If you lose them, go immediately to the local police station to file a report which could later on be used as proof to renew your credentials and visa. 

2. If you receive a phone call from strangers or text messages informing you that you've won a lottery or asking you to transfer money to a specific account, don't trust it. Block the sender.

3. For ATMs, cancel your transaction and walk away if anything seems suspicious. Call the related bank immediately if there is a problem with the ATM. The phone number of the bank can be found on the ATM. Protect yourself from scams. 

4. Never give out your personal account information over the phone to an unknown caller. Hang up and block the caller. Never disclose any card information or mobile verification code to unidentified callers.

We suggest you to download the APP "国家反诈中心".

Case: In November 2014, a PhD student in Shanghai received a scam phone call professing his involvement in a major economic crime and asked him to transfer his deposit to an allegedly safe account. Out of fear, the student remitted the money via ATM upon request, only to be swindled out of 62,000 yuan.

4. Before leaving the dorm or home, close and lock all windows, close all shades/drapes and bolt the entrance door. Make sure you secure or remove valuables in your home or room.

Always lock your door - even during short naps or leave for a short time. Don't keep large sums of cash in your room. Report any broken windows, door latches or lights to residence hall staff so repairs can be made promptly.

Case: In May 2015, an international student lost over $1,000 in her room due to frequently leaving her door open. 

 

Refrain from excessive drinking 

Please refrain from excessive drinking, which is unwise, senseless and immature behavior. Please avoid overdrinking at parties. It may cause something unpleasant.

Case: In December 2014, an international student who was seeking a master's degree and scholarship-sponsored was detained by police and sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment in China due to beating someone in a bar after drinking.

 

Drug abuse

Drug abuse is a serious illegal violation in China. Smuggling, trafficking, transportation and manufacturing of drugs are serious criminal acts. In China, marijuana, opium, heroin, methamphetamines, morphine and cocaine are illegal drugs. Do not engage in any drug-related acts; violators will be severely punished.

Case: In January 2019, an international student was detained, ordered to drop out of school and deported for smoking marijuana.

 

Mental health 

Pay attention to your mental health and try to keep a healthy and upward mental state by talking with friends, hiking, doing exercise and listening to music. If your mental health declines, seek help from a trusted advisor at the university or a medical doctor. 

 

Laws and Regulations

International students must observe Chinese laws and regulations as well as university rules. International students are banned from participating in illegal activities, endangering the national security of China and public interest, and disturbing public order. International students are not allowed to engage in alcohol abuse, fights, gambling, drug abuse, dissemination, the reproduction or trafficking of illegal books and audiovisual products and other violations of public security management regulations; they are not allowed to participate in illegal pyramid schemes or engage in activity impacting the image of college students. 

International students shall not obtain employment or be engaged in business or any commercial activities during the study period in China but can take part in the student employment program. According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Control of the Exit and Entry of Citizens, foreigners who work illegally shall be fined no less than 5,000 yuan and no more than 20,000 yuan; under serious circumstances, the violators shall be detained for no less than 5 days but no more than 15 days and be fined from 5,000 yuan up to 20,000 yuan. 

Religious activities in China shall be conducted in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations. International students should participate in religious activities in designated places in China.

 

Sources: "Study_in_SISU" WeChat account, "ies_students" WeChat account