Yingjie Weng, arrived from China for her studies and… never left! – EN

Yingjie Weng came to Lille from China to study and has blossomed here ever since!

A warm welcome, openness to Europe, solidarity, quality of training, professional opportunities, lifestyle, cultural events… So many assets that she discovered and appreciated during her studies that she now promotes the city to foreign investors.

Meet this young Chinese graduate who has fallen in love with Lille…

It's only a short step from China to Lille

Yingjie arrived in France in 2017. She had a choice between Paris, Clermont Ferrand and Lille, and chose Lille to pursue her Masters in Intercultural Relations.

I was attracted first and foremost by the content of the course offered at the University of Lille, and then by the geographical location of this city at the heart of Europe.

In addition, her French teacher in China, a native of Lille, inspired her to find out more about this city in the north of France…

During her Master’s degree, Yingjie took a year off to work for the Hauts-de-France Regional Council in the international relations department. This was followed by a placement with Nord France Invest, the region’s international attraction agency.

Welcomed as a foreign student, her work experience assignments consisted of promoting the assets of her adopted region, of which there were many in her eyes…

Lille, a host city for foreign students

I initially chose Lille for the quality of the training on offer, but what I discovered on my arrival, and throughout my years of study, only reinforced my choice,” she says.
I remember my first conversation with a shopkeeper in Lille. He spoke to me in English to make my job easier! And when people saw me with my suitcase in the metro, they helped me up the stairs… It may seem simple, but that’s not always the case elsewhere in Europe.

It’s an anecdote that she shares with us, highlighting the quality of the welcome she received from the people of Lille and the natural mutual aid between residents. She was also impressed by everything that has been put in place to make life easier for international students.

Every university and school has an International Student Welcome Office, which organises outings and provides practical information about life in Lille… This is invaluable when you’re arriving alone in an unfamiliar city!

As a new arrival, Yingjie had the opportunity to share a Sunday lunch with a family in the city to discover the regional cuisine and make friends with the locals. There were even invitations offered to host families at Christmas, so as not to be left alone when you couldn’t go home for the festive season,” she recalls.

Once she had built up this network of acquaintances, she was able to take advantage of Lille’s cultural life: the Séries Mania festival, Lille 3000, the musée de la piscine… and once you’ve done the rounds of all these museums and events (which already takes a while!), it’s very easy to go to London, Brussels, Amsterdam or even Luxembourg to open up to other European cultures, adds this traveller who is curious about other horizons.

Ambassador Hello Lille by nature

I post lots of photos of what I’m doing and discovering on the Chinese social network WeChat and several friends have told me that it really makes them want to come to Lille on a trip to France.

Speaking to students who have just arrived in Lille is also part of her commitment to Hello Lille: I shared my experience as an expat at the welcome evening for international students at the beginning of October during Lille’s Street Food Festival, an opportunity to give all the right tips for making the most of all that this magnificent city has to offer!

A born ambassador who wants to give back to Lille what the city has given her: personal and professional fulfilment.

The rest: After your studies, a job... in Lille!

Yingjie, a young graduate with a master’s degree in intercultural relations, has joined Eurasanté, an incubator and accelerator of innovation in health, nutrition and ageing in the Hauts-de-France region.

With 3 incubators (Bio-incubator & Bio-accelerator, Euralimentaire and Eurasenior), Eurasanté also runs a park of 200 companies, 8 hospitals and the Clubster NSL (Nutrition Health Longevity) competitiveness cluster, the only cluster combining health and nutrition in France.

The aim of this scheme?

To contribute to the region’s economic development by creating jobs and wealth in the area, while improving prevention and care. I’m in charge of sales for MedFIT, an international business convention.

The aim of this event is to develop R&D collaborations and investments in the medical technology, diagnostics and digital health sectors.

Lille is a European leader in the healthcare sector and Eurasanté is its flagship.