Peking University

In addition to academics, Peking University is especially renowned for its campus grounds, and the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture. The campus of Peking University was originally located northeast of the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing, and was later moved to the former campus of Yenching University in 1952. 

The main campus is in northwest Beijing, in Haidian district, near the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace; the area is traditionally where many of Beijing's most renowned gardens and palaces were built.

The university campus is in the former site of the Qing Dynasty imperial gardens and it retains much traditional Chinese-style landscaping, including traditional houses, gardens, pagodas, as well as many notable historical buildings and structures.

Apart from on-campus housing facilities, students may dine at the Shao Yuan cafeteria, Zhongguanyuan Global Village cafeteria or at other canteens and restaurants on campus. The restaurants are usually a little more expansive than the cafeterias. 

Convenient stores such as WuMei Mini Mart, Boshi Convenient Store and BeiXin Market can be found on campus students may purchase their daily necessities as well as groceries.

Peking University has more than a hundred student organizations. These organizations recruit new members during the month of September. Students may learn about the ongoing and the upcoming events of the various student organizations by observing the notices displayed on the notice boards around campus. Students are encouraged to be active in their university life by getting involved in the various organizations/societies that they are interested in. 

The Division of International Students Office organizes cultural events, trips and tours around the city for the students. Each program’s department also organizes after-classes/extracurricular activities which students are encouraged to participate. The university also provides its students with facilities for sports and recreation. Students are required to pay an entrance fee to gain access to these facilities.

Students are also encouraged to join clubs and associations such as the cultural performance club, dance club, athletic clubs, choir, orchestra and other forms of student organizations.

The dormitories for international students at the main campus are located at Shao Yuan. Every year, Peking University has approximately 2,000 international students studying on the Beijing campus and about 50 at the Peking University HSBC Business School, located at the Shenzhen Campus.

On-campus variants of living include Zhongguanyuan Global Village, Peking University Shaoyuan Guest House and The Lake View Hotel. There are also about 7 off-campus housing opportunities near the university.

The employability of graduates in the international job market has become an important criterion to evaluate the performance of a university and the quality of education it offers. 

The 2012 Global Employability Survey, conducted by the French consultancy ‘Emerging’ and the German research institute ‘Tendence’ among thousands of recruiters from top companies in 20 different countries, ranked PKU graduates No.11 on the list, trailing straight behind other world-renowned universities such as Harvard and Yale, Cambridge and Oxford.