Studying in China
Where the universities and language schools are, and what is within walking distance of each. Campus locations come from OpenStreetMap; walking times are measured, not estimated by the landlord.
Four things worth knowing before you sign
Your university will not file the police registration for you
Dorms are registered by the university; a private flat is not. You have twenty-four hours from arrival to register at the local police station, and you need the landlord there or holding the property deed. Ask before you sign, not after.
Book before August, or take what is left
Every campus district empties in July and fills in the last two weeks of August. The flats that are both close and decent go first, and prices near the big universities rise ten to twenty per cent in that fortnight.
A dorm is cheaper; a flat is quieter
University rooms run roughly a third of what a studio costs nearby, and the registration is handled. What you give up is a kitchen, a lock you control and any say over who is next door. Most people do one semester in a dorm and then move out.
Get the lease in two languages
A Chinese-only lease is enforceable and an English translation on its own is not, so ask for both in one document. Check the notice period, who pays for repairs, and what happens to the deposit — those three lines are where nearly every dispute starts.