To attract foreign students to study in China is an important part of China’s reforming and opening, and also the important content of new time’s public diplomacy and culture exchange. Over 60 years, Chinese government increased the input on study in China scholarships and adjusted scholarship structure and core. The number of students study in China increased and education quality strengthened. Foreign students used to be invited to study in China by Chinese government but now more countries send their people to China, the student in China wave reflects China’s increasing international reputation and impact.
The International Exchange pulled down the “Cage”
It has been 160 years since “the first person to US” Yung Wing studied abroad. During the 160 years, study in US and Europe wave never calm expect for 20 years after China’s foundation.
However, In recent 10 years, overseas studying in China increased. It is not that fresh to see foreign students in Chinese universities.
In 2009, American President Obama stated to send 100,000 students to Chinese universities. some Chinese scholar quoted an saying from Wei Cheng to describe the young student home and domestic’s desire to know each other.
The International Exchange pulled down the “Cage” , though the number of Chinese students studying abroad is more than that of foreign students studying in China, but the demand of “Going to China” changed for the first time after 100 years, the one-way exchange started turning to double-way exchange.
The American billionaire Schwarzman sets up scholarship at Tsinghua University to support 200 students all over the world for studying in China, most of which are American students.
The popular Chinese American “talk show” performer Huang Xi used a wonderful joke to reflect the change in future: my son asked me that why should he learn two languages，I told her that when you were the president of America, you will sign the legal files in English but talk you’re your creditor.
The roles and position on the world stage is always the factor that influences on direction of international flow. While the education exchange, on the contrary, will have deep influence on role change on the world stage. Some time, it is a wispy change, May be a few or few dozen youths studying abroad, but it will gradually change the mutual understanding, even impact the long-term relationship between a nation and the world.
Improve employment employment competitiveness
Suffering from the European debt crisis, the employment of young people in Belgium was depressed for years. A date from Belgian government show that nearly 280,000 university graduates in Belgium find jobs outside the country in 2012, increased by 70%. Therefore, Belgian government carried out “Scholarship” project that the government provides university graduates scholarship for studying abroad in China, Russia, India and Brazil or provides internship opportunities.
As the financial crisis, the job vacancies and internship opportunities were very scarce, if the students can have internship in BRICS, especially in China, it will be great help for students employment.
The “BRICS Scholarship” was set up on last August. Since it was carried out, the number of Belgian students doing internship in China were the largest. It is reported that 36 Belgian students were sent to China, and another 13 students will be sent this month.
A university graduates Franks in Belgium gradated two years ago but don’t find a job. He is a 27 years old Electrical Automation majored students. He got high scores in his study and is excellent in his professional skills, but all these cannot work on him. The “BRICS scholarship” helps him got internship opportunity in a IT company in China. He believed that the working experience here will help him find a job soon, and this will be the start of his career.
A student doing internship in Beijing said after coming back: “I was appreciated that I have the experience. I saw and experienced the real face and enthusiasm of the most fast-developing country in the 3 months’ study in China, I got confidence and felt energetic.”
Speaking Chinese, Cook Chinese Food, Marry with Chinese people
Catherine finished her undergraduate study in Yale University; she has light blue eyes and white teeth. As she studied in China, the American girl’s life was closely bound up with Chinese people, Chinese culture and Chinese language.
Catherine is majored in Arts, so she get lost in analphabetic Chinese language. “Chinese characters were so beautiful” Catherine said, She started to learn Chinese language on her first year at university, and she found herself were crazy about Chinese speaking and writing. Since then, she was closely tied to Chinese language.
On summer of 2005, Catherine joined study in China program in summer at Princeton University, and went to study Chinese at Beijing Normal University. All students joining the programs were from famous universities in America. “I am very interested in Chinese culture. After finished my study, I took trips to Xi’an and Chendu.” She said.
In 2009, she joined Scholarship program Ministry of Education of America founded and attend advanced Chinese class, she accept a Chinese teacher’s face-to-face teaching at Global Exchange Center in Beijing and she was living together with Chinese family. Catherine loves natural and human landscape, and this time she visited Chengde, Qingdao, Suchow, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Having finished his school year, Catherine became a Chinese language teacher at Arizona State University, and met the man she married to. In the summer of 2010, they held western-style wedding first in America, then came back to Shanxi to held traditional Chinese wedding. On the wedding ceremony, Catherine was in Tang suit and embroidery shoes. Her blue eyes shining brighter when she was in China Red wedding dress.
“In 2005, when I came to China again, I also suffered from cultural conflict” Catherine said. It was her first time that have been abroad alone. She said, “Those days I study in China were really hard, and I had to get used to Beijing culture, the crowed people and metro. But in the end these sufferings drove me to study Chinese language. I learned more about China after my Chinese language was improved.”
Catherine believed that the great thing is that she had the chance to living with Chinese people. “In 2009, I was living together with the retired Chinese couples. They were kind. I drunk Chinese tea, watch TV, cook and taking walk together with the lady, and talked about politics with her husband. On the weekend, we went to park together.” Catherine said.
Married with native of Shanxi, Catherine had more to to speak Chinese, to read Chinese novels, to appreciate Chinese art and to cook Chinese food. She said, “China has been part of my life. I found a different me, including my thought, feeling and personality, and those will never fade away in my whole life.”
Catherine often told her friends in America, China is not what they heard of, you should be well-planned before going to China, it can be better if you knew Chinese, at least you should have tolerant mentality and real interest, Only thus can you understand beauty of Chinese people and Charming of Chinese culture.
Gain knowledge and positive energy
I am a native Congo, I am teaching in Marien Ngouabi University which is the only university in Congo. I teach economics in school of economics and Chinese language in school of social science, and I am also teacher of Confucius Institute at the university. if I hadn’t have been to study in China, I would have’s so many achievements in my work, it was hard to image that my students and I had change to have close conversation with Xi Jinpin during his visit at Congo
I love China, I often share my life experience in China with my student, those little things that adds momentum for my dream. That deep inside me, China is my second home where the mountain, water and people are beautiful.
Have got master’s degree in my country, I and many lucky dogs form Africa were given Chinese government scholarship. On August, 2001, I studied at Zhejiang University, during the 5 years, I got Phd in economics and HSK certificate, and I also gained friendship, honorary and dream.
I remember that when I came to Zhejiang, My Chinese was poor, I felt so helpless that I couldn’t talk, I have to talk with my roommate in English. But now my students’Chinese language is rather good.
In my study and life, my teachers, classmates and friends were kind to me. Even some strangers lend their hands to me when I was in trouble, most Chinese teachers around me were young, their enthusiasm and selfless drove me to learn Chinese language, I started to learning Chinese language harder, and worked hard as those hardworking guys around me do. My tutor was as kind as my father. Staying together with my friends, I felt not that homesick. I visit my friends on vocations, and goes to East Lake with them on weekend.
I grew tremendously after studied in China, which make me adopt to my new job soon. My advantage is that I know Chinese language well; I benefit a lot as I master professional knowledge. But more important thing is that I have learnt to feel, to understand and to love a different culture, and learn from them.
Many friends who come back after completing study in China of mine are now struggling in all walks of life, and some of them are in Chinese invested enterprises in Congo. For me, To combine what I learnt and experienced in China with social fact in Congo is very important, the two countries have a lot of things in common through deeply comparison of their culture, I share my experience with my students, and make common progress in teaching and learning.
Study in China gives me new start for my life. I have teaching Chinese language for 6 years, my students like studying Chinese language, now both undergraduates and graduates have Chinese language class, and not a few students asked about China, they want to know about China and go there. More and more people in Congo want to study in China, I am making effort to help my student with their Chinese language, I think they will have more feelings and will be more successful.
New paradise for French students
“now more and more French students are learning Chinese, number of students going to study in China with scholarship is still increasing.” A teacher from Department of Chinese language of Paris Diderot University has strong feeling about the “Chinese fever” in France.
French government’s International Exchange Grant is to aid those who want to study abroad but have economics problems. According to the date of French Education Ministry and Scientific Research Department, from 2011 to 2012, there were eight thousand French students studying in China, and 324 of which were given the scholarship.
Lavoisier scholarship is a special scholarship provided by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is used to support young scholars who got PhD degree to continue the scientific research. The Researcher of French National Scientific Center once was given the scholarship during 1999 and 2000. Having graduated from Department of Chinese language of INALCO, he has been to China for further study for several times. He was do his doctorate research in Sichuan University when he got the scholarship.
Stefeny is an expert in Human Science, he studies Ethnic minorities in southwest China. In 2012, he published treatise about Derung people. He thought that some people in France have superficial understanding of China, and this is why he goes to China to do practical research. He said，“I hope that French people could have a full, accurate and objective understanding about China.
Besides, Sino-French education exchange and cooperation mechanism is been continuously improved, which urges more French students look to the East. During French President’s visit in China, China and France signed many education cooperation agreements, beside the number of French students will reach 10 thousand in 2020, Marseille University and Wuhan University of Science and Technology established the first Sino-French Universities.
Minister of French Ministry of Higher Education and Research indicated that so far Universities between China and France have close cooperation in engineer cultivation, The cooperation programs in Sino-French Engineer College of Beihang University, Paris High-tech Excellent Engineer College and so on are the key of this cooperation programs. An article on a French website believed that “China has its advantages in international business, industry and new technologies.
Historical events of Study in China
From 1950 to the beginning of 1951, 33 students from Eastern Europe arrived in China, studied in “Chinese language training class”. This was the first group of foreign students study in China after the foundation of new China.
During the 28 years from 1950 to 1978, China educated 12,800 foreign students in total; almost all of them were given scholarship by Chinese government. During that time, the number of students and nationalities were limited.
From 1978 to the end of 1980, the amount of Chinese government scholarship students increased, number of students given scholarship reached 3,871 in 1989, sources countries of foreign students gradually increased and funding level improved continually.
In 2012, the central government invested over 1.5 billion, number of foreign student in China reached 320,000, the source countries expended to 180; and students levels was improved obviously; the degree students made up 87% and master or above level’s students reached 57%.
In 2012, all provincial, municipal and autonomous governments invested more than 90 million in Scholarship for study in China. In recent years, national enterprises also donate money to set up scholarship for study in China.
More and more nations personally funded scholarships or set up policies to send student to China. President of America Obama announced during his visit in China in 2009 that the country would send 100,000 students to China in four years; the President of Canada stated in 2012 that the number of students exchange between China and Canada reaches up to 100,000; British Culture Association announced on May of 2013 that the country planned to made the number of students they offer financial support for increase from 3,500 now to 150,000 in 3 three years.
So far, China government is carrying out “Study in China”. In 2020, number of foreign students in China will reach up to 500,000, and China will be the largest study destination.