Attraction of studying abroad increases
A crowd of young people has been abroad to further their study since the first group of 30 Chinese schoolboys moved to the United States to study science and technology in 1872.
Based on the figures from the Ministry of Education, between 1978, the year China launched the policy of reform and opening up, and the end of 2007, more than 1.2 million Chinese students headed overseas to study, of whom 319,700 later came back home.
Last year alone, about 145,000 younger students furthered their study abroad, while 44,000 of them returned home, 5 percent more than in 2006, the ministry said.
The China Education Association for International Exchange, which mirrors the increasing demand for foreign study placements, will host its ninth annual China International Education Expo this weekend.
Held at the China World Trade Center in Beijing, the event is designed to promote student exchanges and encourage cooperation between seats of studying abroad, its organizers told China Daily yesterday.
Wu Zaofeng, the association’s deputy secretary-general, said，“There is a increasing tendency that both the numbers of students studying abroad and those coming back home is rising.
“Chinese families are spending more and more money on the education of their children, and this is reason why more overseas universities are showing an interest in our students and trying to tap into the market.
“In order to appeal our best students, these universities have also improved their education quality,” he said.
Started in 2000, the expo offers overseas schools an opportunity to boost their exposure in China, Wu said.
The event is supported by several Chinese and foreign government departments and private organizations, including the cultural and education section of the British embassy in Beijing, the German Academic Exchange Service, IDP Australia, CampusFrance, the Spanish embassy in Beijing, Nuffic (the Netherland organization for cooperation in higher education), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the Japan Student Services Association.
35,000 visitors, as well as representatives from over 600 colleges and universities from 30 countries, are expected to be present in the event, Wu said.
According to the Ministry of Education, more than 100 countries have Chinese students studying there. The top third countries are the US, Japan and the UK, each having over 50,000 scholars.
Zhang Xiuqin, the director of the ministry’s international exchange department, said yesterday: “The reform and opening up had increasing the number of people studying abroad as one of its first steps and that has greatly enhanced the country’s economic development and diplomatic relations.
“Foreign study is viewed as a top development strategy in China and students are welcomed to return to use their knowledge to help build a stronger country.”
Deng Xiaoping, the later Chinese leader was quoted as saying to an education official in 1978: “I support sending more students abroad to study; not a dozen more, but thousands, tens of thousands more.”
Foreign study is viewed as a top development strategy in China and students are welcomed to return to use their knowledge.
860 young students funded by government travelled abroad to study, and the number has increased steadily ever since.
Li Zejian, a 72-year-old professor at the thoracic surgery department of Peking Union Medical College, was one of the early beneficiaries of the overseas study campaign.
Li finished his postdoctoral research on thoracic surgery at Loma Linda University in California between 1980 and 1983 and later became the first Chinese registered thoracic surgeon in the US.
“I gained not only advanced scientific research methods, but also vital practical training during the time in the US.
“I also travelled as much as possible to widen my cultural horizon, and that improve my understanding of China. When I returned home, I had made many new friends.” Li said.
Li was made a doctoral advisor at his university in 1993, when he was one of the leading thoracic surgeons in China.
Based on the figures from the Ministry of Education, over 62 percent of doctoral advisors, 77 percent of university presidents and 80 percent of members of China’s academies of science and engineering have experience of overseas studying.
Other people who also have studied abroad have become leading figures in science, industry and politics.
Wan Gang, the last year appointed minister of science and technology, is among them.
Wan worked for Audi, a German car manufacturer, for 10 years after getting a doctorate in engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Germany. He returned to his hometown of Shanghai and was later appointed president of Tongji University in 2000.
According to the Ministry of Education, about 90 percent of all the students who studied abroad last year paid their own way. Over 8,800 students were sponsored by the government, up 59 percent on 2006.
Liu Jiamou, a student in his late 20s, is now studying for a PhD in computer science in New Zealand.
He said that he had found a job in Microsoft, which he will take up on his return to Beijing in the following few months.
Yu Minhong, chairman of English-language training company Beijing New Oriental Group, said yesterday: “More students would like to be back because China’s domestic business environment has improved greatly.
“In 1997, when I asked Chinese students at US universities ‘Do you want to return China to work after your graduation?’ less than a third raised their hands,” Yu said.
In 2007, when he asked the same question at a lecture at Harvard Business School, the “yes” response was 100 percent, he said.
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