Earlier I provided an introduction, an overview of some of my relevant research experience, and a brief methods section for a series of posts on college dormitories in China. And now finally an actual dormitory room, this one from the Dalian Maritime University in China's northeastern city of Dalian, Liaoning province.
There are many comments I could make about this four-person dorm room that I would rank as one of the more "upscale" I have seen in China. But since more is to come, and I have already written plenty in the previous recent posts, I will keep this simple and focus on one issue that can be important in college dorms: storage space. This dorm was remarkable in the amount that could be found.
One shelving unit mostly held toiletries.
There were also two units for locked storage.
The student who had earlier offered to guide me around the campus opened up one his locked storage compartments to reveal a number of items such as a pair of headphones, a laptop, books, and of course... toilet paper.
Even the area above the door was used for storing items.
And an area below the desk was also used as storage space.
You may have noticed some curious aspects of the storage space in the above photos. For example, one of the units doesn't match the rest of the room. Also, some of the units look like they could be suitable for more than four people. Well, that is not an accident. Someday, if not already, the greenish storage unit may depart and more beds will be moved into the room.
Again, there is much more I could say about what can be seen in these photos, and there are many questions to ask, even just about the storage issue alone. I would be interested to hear your thoughts. In upcoming posts, I will share views of other dorm rooms, some of which will serve as striking comparisons. I will also later comment on some typical features of college dormitories in China that most Chinese students don't seem to give a second notice but would give most American students pause.
More is on the way.
UDPATE: See here for the next post: a view inside a dorm room at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities.
There are many comments I could make about this four-person dorm room that I would rank as one of the more "upscale" I have seen in China. But since more is to come, and I have already written plenty in the previous recent posts, I will keep this simple and focus on one issue that can be important in college dorms: storage space. This dorm was remarkable in the amount that could be found.
One shelving unit mostly held toiletries.
There were also two units for locked storage.
The student who had earlier offered to guide me around the campus opened up one his locked storage compartments to reveal a number of items such as a pair of headphones, a laptop, books, and of course... toilet paper.
Even the area above the door was used for storing items.
And an area below the desk was also used as storage space.
You may have noticed some curious aspects of the storage space in the above photos. For example, one of the units doesn't match the rest of the room. Also, some of the units look like they could be suitable for more than four people. Well, that is not an accident. Someday, if not already, the greenish storage unit may depart and more beds will be moved into the room.
Again, there is much more I could say about what can be seen in these photos, and there are many questions to ask, even just about the storage issue alone. I would be interested to hear your thoughts. In upcoming posts, I will share views of other dorm rooms, some of which will serve as striking comparisons. I will also later comment on some typical features of college dormitories in China that most Chinese students don't seem to give a second notice but would give most American students pause.
More is on the way.
UDPATE: See here for the next post: a view inside a dorm room at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities.
Looks like very uncomfortable stools. What is that next to the green storage unit? A rack of water bowls? With four people in a room, how many people share the bathroom?
ReplyDeleteMosquito netting? That's not something you see in American dorms.
The door doesn't look like the sort of door I'd expect for a dorm room, with that window in it. More like a classroom door.
Small stools like those are not only common in dorms but in many other settings in China. I believe the bowls are for washing-related purposes but I did not ask. I don't recall how many rooms are on the floor, but I would expect many are sharing a single common bathroom, which happens to be just across the hall from this particular room. FWIW, the window in the door is covered with what appears to be white paper.
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