Introduction
In his memoirs entitled Intruder in Mao’s Realm, British academic Richard Kirkby (2016: 7) recalls his feelings when he was selected to go to China in the 1970s: ‘It was like being chosen from amongst thousands of candidates for a mission to outer space. Unbelievably we were off to China!’ Forty years later, although China is still in a sense exotic and remote for many in the ‘West’, choosing China as a destination for studying or working does not represent such an extraordinary mission anymore. Indeed, the population of international students in higher education has been increasing steadily in China over the past decade. In 2015, there were 397,635 international students from 202 countries and regions (in comparison to 100,000 in 2004). They studied in a wide range of geographic areas within China: for example, in 2015, 31 provinces and regions received international students, the top three being Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang provinces (MOE, 2016). The cities outside Beijing and Shanghai have become increasingly popular: in 2016, 68% of international students studied outside these two traditional study abroad destinations in China (student.com, 2016).
In 2015, the top five sending countries were South Korea (16%), the USA (5%), Thailand (5%), India (4%), and Russia (3%). In comparison, in 2004 the top sending countries were South Korea (40%), Japan (17%), the USA (7%), Vietnam (4%), and Indonesia (3%) (MOE, 2016). Hosting international students is high on China’s soft-power strategy. Yang explains (2015: 25): ‘China is recruiting students from all parts of the world, with particular focus on developing countries. These future generations of elites will certainly be sensitized to Chinese viewpoints and interests, with knowledge of the Chinese language, society, culture, history, and politics’.
The populations of international undergraduate and postgraduate students have diversified with significant difference among the choices of study fields and places, experiences, and expectations (Hu, Min Wotipka, & Wen, 2016). As such there is more diversity in terms of study programmes: some international students study in China to pursue a degree, others to study as exchange students, to do their internship, or to participate in some other form of short-term mobility. China’s University and College Admission System (CUCAS), the official online portal for applying to Chinese universities, has information about different kinds of English-taught programmes at over 300 universities in over 70 cities. Hybrid institutions such as the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University at Suzhou, the University of Nottingham and Zhejiang Wanli University at Ningbo, and L’Institut franco-chinois Renmin at Suzhou also contribute to attracting international students to the Middle Kingdom.
Why China?
Considering the current global competition between countries, regions, and higher education institutions to attract university students, what does China have to offer compared to other countries? In other words, how has China been able to increase the number of international students so rapidly? According to CUCAS , one of the first contacts to Chinese higher education, which also helps international students to choose an adequate programme, studying and living in China is first and foremost less expensive/cheaper than in most ‘Western’ countries. The CUCAS website explains that:
For example, for non-EU citizens the tuition fee for studying at a UK university is at least 7000 pounds (about 10,000 U.S. dollars) annually. The cost of living can even reach up to 13,000 pounds. Meanwhile, the United States and Australia have the world’s most expensive tuition fees. (…)On the other hand, in China, the tuition fees per semester are generally no more than 1000 U.S. dollars, a number of short-term language courses cost just a few hundred dollars. Food and consumption in China are as affordable as it gets. A good pair of jeans sells for 10–20 U.S. dollars, the bus fare only 15 cents, and a subway ticket in Beijing only 30 cents. All in all, everything is more than affordable in China; it’s cheap!
In addition, besides information about hundreds of study programmes offered in English, a wide range of scholarship possibilities available for international students are promoted on the CUCAS website, with a clear intention of underlining the affordability of studying in China and making students feel welcome to the country. There has been nearly a fivefold increase in the amount of Chinese Government grants for international students during the last ten years: in 2015, these grants were given to 40,600 students. The grant scheme has favoured especially international degree-seeking students, as approximately 40% of them receive financial support from China (student.com, 2016).
Secondly, CUCAS explains that there are an increasing number of employment possibilities for international students after graduation in China. In a 2016 article published by Global Times, a journalist describes the first ever job fair targeted for international students in China. The fair was organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) in Beijing in April 2016, and it attracted over 1700 international students from nearly 100 countries. At least 300 positions were on offer at the fair. At the beginning of 2016, the Chinese government also announced a series of new policies that expanded work rights for international students. Since then, students have been able to pursue internships, hold part-time jobs, and even start their own businesses in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing (中关村), one of the most important technology hubs of the country, often referred to as ‘China’s Silicon Valley’.
For such an important institution as CUCAS (which can be seen as a window to Chinese higher education to the outside world), economic and financial arguments seem to appear first—like in many other contexts. The other arguments used by CUCAS include quality of education, international recognition, and experiencing Chinese culture first hand. For us, specialists in interculturality, the way CUCAS discusses the last point is interesting as it avoids falling into the trap of ‘the imagined unicity of China’, revealing China as ‘gargantuan in its complexity’ (Kirkby, 2016: 29).
Though it may surprise many, Chinese culture and people are extremely diverse and multicultural, consisting of 56 different ethnicities. For example, in Lijiang, in the southern province of Yunnan, twelve different minorities have dwelled together in social harmony for thousands of years, practicing an array of religions spanning from Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam, to many lesser known ones like Tibetan Buddhism and Bimo Religion of Baiyi. (…)
The usual Procrustean approach, whereby 1.3 billion Chinese are fitted to an arbitrary standard, is clearly avoided, and a message of diversity, ‘official’ diversity, is thus sent to applicants. Of course, the question remains if this diversity becomes apparent to international students during their stay.
On their website CUCAS also utilizes narratives written by international students who are studying in China. The students who share their experiences come from different countries, they study different subjects, and their home universities are located around the world. Let us look into three of these narratives chosen randomly, bearing in mind that they were meant to serve as advertising for China as a destination for study abroad and, thus, selected for a purpose and potentially edited by CUCAS .
Ahmed is a student from Egypt who studies medicine in Changsha (Central South University). Throughout his narrative he keeps telling his readers that the Chinese are ‘kind-hearted’, ‘smiling’ and ‘great’. When he came to China, he tells about meeting “a beautiful and kind Chinese face of a lady who offered help without even any hesitation. Besides she accompanied me to Changsha then to my dormitory”. He even confesses that he found his “whole life greatest love”: “She is a great Chinese sweetie with fascinating voice, attractive eyes and great personality. She spreads happiness and charm, wherever she goes. I hope she will be mine one day”. On several occasions he mentions that places at the university (canteens, dormitories) are clean.A student from Vietnam, who studies in a Chinese-taught degree programme at Beijing Jiaotong University, is less positive in her narrative. She says she felt very confused by her classes and the teachers. She thus advises her readers to “choose the right teacher for you” and to “get friend with your classmates.” In general, her narrative concentrates on the university environment but nothing is said about Beijing or China.A Zimbabwean student studies aeronautical engineering in English at Shenyang Aerospace University. He first congratulates CUCAS for the excellent work that they are doing. About his arrival at the university, he tells his readers that “on your first days of arrival you will be given a Chinese name” and advises them to choose their own name. He then comments on the affordability of accommodation and food, and on the social activities organised by the universities to allow ...