China's International Education

International students, as bearers of new ideas, carriers of new science and technology and cultural mediators, play an important role between different societies. International student’s as been encouraged for lengthy period of time in many countries of the world. Today, as the world enters an era of great world competition and as globalization becomes a reality, international education, as one component of the internationalization of education, is attracting much attention from educators and policy" makers of around the world. In many countries universities are trying to explore the potential of the world market. Therefore, the mobility of international students worldwide has increased dramatically. According to statistics, there are now more than1.5 million international students worldwide.

With no exception, international student's education in China is also active and the number of international students is increasing rapidly. China has already ranked as the 8th country of the world for hosting international students (Wang, 1998). In the year 2003 there were about 77,715 international students from 175 countries studying in China (CSC, 2004).

1. Historical Review

As China enters the WTO, China plays a more important role in the development of the world. China will also attract more international students from around the world than ever before. Studying in China will be a sensible choice for many young people. The following gives a brief picture of China's International Student Education. Issues such as why studying in China, China’s educational Structure, information for studying in China, Culture adjustment to China and etc. are discussed respectively. The main purpose of this chapter is to provide interested readers with relevant information and practical knowledge about studying in China.

Historically, China was once the world largest education exporting country. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Changan (Xi'an), the capital city of the Tang Dynasty, was not only a world-trading centre, but also an education centre. Guo Zi Jian, who was run by the state and could accommodate 8,000 students studying there simultaneously, attracted many international students. For example, Qian Tang Shi was the name of a kind of officer from Japanese government. Its main task was to send and meet Japanese students to and from China. Each time around 10 to 30 Japanese students came to China for studying with Qian Tang Shi. Korea also sent many students to China. According to J iu Tang Shu (The History of Tang Dynasty), in the year 840 around 800 Korean students returned to Korea after completing their study in China.

China maintained its position as an education exporting country until the Ming Dynasty. According to historical records, during the period of the Ming Dynasty, there were around 3,000 foreign students studying in Nanjing (the capital city of the Ming Dynasty) at the same time. From the Qing Dynasty, as China became isolated from the rest of the world as well as with the decline in politics, economic and culture, China gradually lost its position as an education exporting country. Since then, and particularly after the Qing Dynasty, China gradually became an education importing country.

International exchange in education with foreign countries after the foundation of the People's Republic of China has usually divided into three stages by the Chinese scholars: 1) 1949 – 1966; 2) 1966 – 1977; 3) 1977 – present.

During the first period, the Chinese government had also paid attention to international exchange activities including accepting foreign students. However, China's national policy and relations with the West and the East greatly influenced the international exchanges in education. During this period, 555 international students studied in China, most of who were from the socialist countries, only a small number of them were from Western and other capitalist countries (Huang, 1987).

During the period of 1966--1976, known as "Cultural Revolution", international exchanges in education, including international student education, were greatly influenced by a poor Chinese political situation. For nearly five years international exchanges were suspended. In 1971, both the UNESCO and the 26th UN General Assemblies passed a resolution to restore the legitimate place of the People's Republic of China in both UNESCO and UN. In 1972, the Chinese government sent a delegation headed by Huang Zhen, the Chinese Ambassador to France, to attend the 16th Session of the UNESCO General Assembly. This marked the beginning of China's resumption of cultural and educational contacts with foreign countries. Student exchanges between China and Western countries also started again. The admission of foreign students by Chinese academic institutions resumed in 1973. From 1973 to 1976, China received 1,667 students from 65 countries.

Since 1978, the open-door policy has been implemented. As a direct consequence, international exchanges between China and the rest of the world have increased greatly. International student education has also entered into a stage of rapid and full development and the number of international students has increased dramatically. For instance, the number of international students increased from 1,381 in 1980 (Wang, 1998) to 77,715 in 2003 (CSC, 2004).

2. China's Most Attractions for Hosting International Students

1) Political perspectives
Ever since China opened its door to the world, the Chinese government has highlighted the importance of international exchange and cooperation in education. For instance, one of the three orientations of education, which was pointed out by the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1983, is that education should be oriented to the world. In higher education, a set of policies towards the internationalization of higher education has been implemented. International exchange in higher education is increasing rapidly.

International student education, as an important part of the internationalization of higher education, has attracted the government's attention in particular. The Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) was set up in 1996 to promote the development of international student education, to improve the management of international students, and to establish regulations governing Chinese students going abroad. One important function of the CSC is to provide international students with consulting, placement and other services. In order to encourage international students coming to China to study, the Chinese government has set up two types of scholarships. There are the Chinese Government Scholarship and the Program Scholarship (CSC, 1998). The Government Scholarship is established on the basis of the bilateral educational program between China and other countries. It is further developed into two types of scholarship, Full Scholarships and Partial Scholarships. Full Scholarships cover tuition fees, medical care, learning materials, and lodging and living allowances. Partial Scholarship covers one or more items of the Full Scholarship.

Program Scholarships are named as follows:
Great Wall Scholarship is for candidates recommended by the UNESCO;
HSK (Chinese Language Proficiency Test) Winner Scholarship Program is for students with excellent performance in the HSK;
Chinese Culture Research Fellowship is for overseas scholars who are engaged in the study of Chinese culture;
Short-term Studies Scholarship Program for Foreign Teachers Teaching
Chinese is for overseas Chinese language teachers;
Distinguished Foreign Students Scholarship is for students with an excellent academic performance that have finished one level of study in China and wish to continue a higher-level study in China.

2) China, Chinese language and Chinese people
Accompanying the rapid development of Chinese economy and trade, China has begun to attract the attention of the world. It is demonstrating that Asians are going to become world leaders in industrial, economic and trade growth in the 21st century. China, with the world's third largest economy (James, 1995) and the third largest land area as well as one-fifth of the world population, will be the dominant force in the Asian region. Breathtaking development and growth in China are only a question of time (Lewis, 1997).
Furthermore, the Chinese language, the world's most ancient language, is the world's third most widely spoken language and is also one of the five working languages of United Nations. Besides, the Chinese language is the mother of both the Korean and the Japanese languages. Even today, there are still many Chinese characters in these two languages. In addition, it is still one of the popular languages in some East and South Asian countries. In short, Learning the Chinese language is worthwhile. Finally, it has been recognized worldwide that Chinese people are among the most hospitable and friendly peoples of the world. In contrast with some other countries, foreigners including international students are now the most respected residents in China. The hospitality and friendship of the Chinese people will certainly make life and study most enjoyable. It is only in China that foreigners can find such a feeling -- being proud to be a foreigner.

3) Cultural heritage and the unique nature
China is not only the world's most populated country but it is also the planet's oldest recorded civilization (Lewis, 1997). China's 3,000 years of re- Corded history has given the world a tremendous traditional cultural heritage. Taking a few examples from many, four of the world-famous Chinese ancient inventions, including the compass, gunpowder and methods of both papermaking and printing, have greatly influenced the development of the world navigation, culture and military history. A relatively accurate earthquake-forecasting instrument existed in China as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty. Moreover, Chinese classical literatures, particularly for the Poetry of the Tang Dynasty, Verse of the Song Dynasty and Opera of the Yuan Dynasty, are as famous as those of the European Renaissance. Furthermore, the Chinese deep breathing exercise known as Qi Gong, Chinese fighting skills known as Wushu and Chinese shadow boxing known as Tai Ji are world famous unique physical exercises.

In addition, when choosing a country to study in, traveling around it is also one of the most important considerations for overseas students. China, with its 9,600,000 square kilometers territory, over 50 nationalities and the largest population in the world, is a special and amazing land to visit. Many of the Chinese ancient architectures such as the Great Wall, the Imperial Palace, the Grottoes in Dunhuang and the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an are as famous as the Egyptian Pyramids. Besides, many of the Chinese scenic places such as Mount Huangshan, lantern sights of ice in the northeast and the rain forest of the south are included among the wonders of the world. Moreover, it is also worthwhile to experience the different local customs and practices from more than 50 Chinese minority populations.

4) Low cost of education and living
China has a low cost of living. Compared with most of the developed countries, the cost of both education and living are extremely low. For example, a ten-week's language course at the University of Sydney (approximately 3,000 Australian dollars) costs more than a one-year language course in a Chinese university. The annual tuition fee of a typical Chinese university is as follows:

Mandarin or other training course
Bachelor's Degree:
Master's Degree:
PH. D course:
US$ 1,500--3,000
US$ 2,000--3,500
US$ 2,500--4,000
US$ 3,500--5,000
From the above, it can be seen that the cost of education is much lower in China than that of most developed countries. In addition, the cost of accommodation, food, cloth, transportation and traveling is also low. A single overseas student can live on approximately 5,000 US dollars a year (including tuition fees). This amount is only one third or a quarter of the cost of living in some developed countries.

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