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Medical Health
Mental Health
Personal Safety
Medical Health
CSA encourages all travelers to contact their primary medical provider or visit a travel health clinic for up-to-date immunizations and travel health advice. The International Society for Travel Medicine (ISTM) - istm.org is a useful resource to find a travel health clinic near you. There is no substitute for advice from a medical health professional. It is advised that you schedule your doctors appointment at least 4 to 6 weeks before your trip start date to allow time for the vaccines or medications to take effect. Please see our Pre-Departure Checklist and FAQ section of our website for more information on planning your trip. Our first step in supporting students is empowering them with information about health in China. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a jīn (市斤) of cure. Preparation may sometimes seem tedious, but it can save you both time and a headache. Here are a few tips on how to stay healthy when in China:
- Expect some jet lag. While many people may not be affected much by jet lag, it can compromise your immune system making you more vulnerable to illness, so allow yourself time to adjust. Sunshine will reset your biological clock and physical activity will help keep you awake and alert during the day time. If you must take a nap when you arrive, try to keep it short!
- Drink a lot of water, but be cautious of water you drink. Make sure that it is either boiled, bottled, or purified water. One useful way to get safe fluids is through clean fruits or the many places that serve complimentary hot tea.
- Wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your mouth, eyes, and nose.
- If traveling to rural areas bring your own sanitary necessities, medications, first aid kit, etc. Bring spare medication for any chronic problem you may have in case of loss or theft. Treat any important medication like money and store it in two different places.
- Make sure to get plenty of exercise. Whether it’s walking the streets and seeing the sights or joining one of the many fitness centers available in major cities exercising regularly will decrease your chance of illness.
- Be cautious of heat exhaustion. You might not be used to the heat and humidity in some areas of China. Make sure to limit your exposure to the sun, drink plenty of water, and find a way to keep cool in hot weather.
While preparation and knowledge is the best resources one has to stay healthy, you cannot always prevent illness. Should you need to access medical or dental services while in China CSA can provide you with resources in your area and help you get to where you need to go. While China has comprehensive western-style medical care and dentistry the majority of these services are in metropolitan areas. Medical facilities with international staff are mainly located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and a few other large cites. In rural areas there is access to some medical facilities, but they often do not have comprehensive services and lack multilingual staff. CSA strives to increase access to health care for our students and rural Chinese communities. We are available to students 24 hours a day if any issues should arise. Whether it’s accessing our interactive map of the best health facilities in China or helping you get to where you need to go, we are behind our students one hundred percent. Here are a few useful sites to help you be more prepared:
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Mental Health
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” While living abroad is both exciting and enriching, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Mental health services in China are becoming more readily available, but access to comprehensive care can be challenging for foreigners. The lack of availability (especially in rural areas) can be difficult, particularly if there is a language barrier or cultural differences. While China has comprehensive mental health care there may be some differences from what foreign students are accustomed to.
Here are a few of the service providers we work with. (for a complete list please call, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
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Personal Safety
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “pearls do not lie on the seashore. If you desire one you must dive in for it.” At CSA we want to make your dive a safe one. Any learning experience requires being open to new possibilities. Learning while abroad is both exciting and rewarding, but it comes with inherent risk. CSA can help you reduce that risk while still enjoying the ride. Review these practical safety tips before you travel and stay secure with CSA.
Pre-Departure
- Make a plan of how you will keep in touch with friends and family members. Some websites and social media that your friends have back home is unavailable in China, so plan ahead. Keeping in touch with people back home is key, but do not let homesickness keep you from experiencing China.
- Make sure to leave copies of your passport and itinerary with a trusted friend or family member. This will be invaluable in the event your identification is lost or stolen.
- Research the program or agency your are traveling with. Try to contact people who have been on the program or used the agency in the past.
- Apply for your visa and make sure to keep it in a secure before departure.
- As the second largest country in the world, China has a variety of climates. Keep this in mind when packing, so that if you are traveling to Dalian you remember your jacket and if you are going to Kunming you have your sunglasses and shorts.
- Check your overseas medical insurance to confirm what circumstances you have coverage. Ensure it at least has medical, evacuation, and trip cancellation coverage.
While in China
- While CSA picks up each student at the airport when they arrive and drops them off at the end of their trip, it is still useful to cover taxi tips. It is advised that you pay attention to the certificate and license of the taxi. For instance, alll legitimate taxis in Beijing all have a plate that starts with “京 B”.
- Take a card or note with the address of where you are staying and where you are going. This will allow you to point to the word should your new found Mandarin skills fail you.
- Take particular care when crossing streets and intersections as traffic in metropolitan areas can be tricky (and sometimes dangerous) to navigate.
- On the average China is a very safe place and violent crime against foreigners is very rare. With that said, it is always good advice to be aware of your surroundings. While outright theft is relatively uncommon, tourist or “laowai” scams are not hard to find - read up on the different scams to prepare yourself.
- Do not get to upset if people crowd push and shove on their way into a subway car or “steal” your taxi. It is just different rules of etiquette (or lack thereof) and should not be taken as a personal offense. Let go of your personal space because it is no longer yours.
- Read all that you can on Chinese etiquette and customs. While some behaviors may not make much sense to you there is usually a reason for the unexpected response. Make time to read about the historical foundations of Chinese etiquette and your experience will be much richer.
- If you get frustrated while in China or have trouble adjusting remember that this is part of the experience you were looking for. Your decision to challenge yourself was not a mistake and you will be stronger for it.
| Apply Now | Sign up for a CSA program with a friend and you both receive a 5% discount! |
