Yao Ming arrives to register for his first semester at Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Nov 6, 2011.[Photo/weibo.com]

Retired Chinese NBA star Yao Ming formally registered for his first semester at Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Sunday, starting his campus life, sina.com.cn reported.

Yao is previously reported as saying that he studies for himself not as a show for others. "I hope everybody can leave some space for me... I don't want to have unnecessary pressure on me," he added.

Unlike ordinary students, Yao has chosen to simultaneously study subjects belonging to different majors, including journalism and finance.

Explaining the reasons behind his enrollment in higher education Yao said he believes it is very important and wants to learn skills and acquire knowledge, especially basic knowledge. The most important reason is that he wants to calm his heart in order to better adapt to retired life.

In fact, though officially retired from playing basketball, Yao Ming still cannot totally isolate himself from the game, as he is boss of a CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) team – the Shanghai Sharks. He delayed his registration by a month to deal with the business related to his team.