Noyan said, “At that time, as China had just launched the policy of reform and opening up, there weren’t many international students in Beijing. China had not established diplomatic relations with many countries, so I came here earlier than most foreigners.” With the scholarship from the Chinese government, international students were relatively affluent, but due to the poor conditions of the whole society, Noyan lived a hard life, like most Chinese did.

“There were frequent power outages. Hot water was provided only two days a week. The heaters were on for two hours a day, so I suffered a lot from coldness (in winter). When traveling, we had to take a bus, as many people couldn’t afford a bicycle.” What’s more, foreigners’ travel in China was restricted. “Every month the Chinese government would publish a list of cities that were open to foreigners. I had to get a permit before travelling from Beijing to Wuhan.”

(Noyan still keeps his swimming card, privilege card and student card issued when he was studying in China.)