On 6th of July, AOE conducted a livestream session with the topic: "The Benefits of Studying in Chinese Universities, reasons why one should consider pursuing higher education in China."

In this session, we shared information about the benefits that potential international students who plan to come to China for studying, living and starting a business will receive.

Here are some abstracts from the livestream:

China has become a relatively popular destination for international students. Every year, thousands of overseas students are enrolled in Chinese universities. Yet, many of those who have yet come to China to pursue their studies may wonder how this experience will benefit them. Today, I will share the reasons why you should study in a Chinese university.

First and foremost, we know that studying in China will help you greatly with learning Chinese, and Chinese is an extremely important language to learn. Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, and is the mother tongue of approximately 1.6 billion people in this world, and that is around one fifths of the world’s population. It is not only widely used in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau SAR, and Taiwan, where Chinese is declared the official language of the state, it is also applicable in regions with large Chinese diaspora. Up to date, Chinese language is widely spoken in ASEAN region such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, and in North America and Oceania due to the deepening economic tie with China but also a growing number of Chinese immigrant. Take United States as an example. Many places in the USA nowadays use Chinese as their second language because there are just so many Chinese people in those towns. Chinese is an important language of business as well, because so many Chinese companies establish their branch companies overseas, and possession of Chinese skills would help a lot when working with those companies. Of course, Chinese is very important for travelling or tourism purposes. If you travel to different parts of the world, there will be mandarin receptionists and tour guides. And most importantly, if you work in the actual tourism industry, you will most likely be dealing with Chinese tourists, so having a solid Mandarin skills will facilitate your communications with those groups of people. And of course, Chinese people live in “every corner of the earth”, meaning that in every single country in the world, there will be at least one Chinese person and you will have the opportunity to speak Chinese there. Yet, Chinese is an extremely difficult language to learn, and in fact the most difficult language to learn. It is estimated that a non-Chinese speaker needs at least 2000 hours of Chinese learning in order to attain native fluency, and it takes a non-English speaker around 300 hours of English learning to become naturally fluent in English. If you are living overseas without the actual Mandarin speaking environment, it would be virtually impossible to actually pick up the language. Learning Chinese requires full exposure to the language and long hours of dedication, so it is important that you learn the language in the actual environment, where you are using it in every aspect of your life, such as grocery shopping, travelling, making payments, and doing academic research.

Another reason that you come to study in China is that China is rich in educational resources. Chinese universities have been on the rise in recent years due to increased investment from the Chinese government. During our previous livestreaming session, we explained the C9 league, 985 programs, and the 211 programs. These are educational initiatives from China’s ministry of education that are aimed at improving the educational standards of different universities in China. The rankings of Chinese universities have been on the rise in recent years, thanks to these initiatives. There are more than 2000 universities in China, with more than 100 of them ranking within the global top 1000, and around 10 of them within the top 100. In fact, the Chinese government offers financial incentives into the Chinese universities. These schools have some of the best educational and research facilities in the world, and also employed some of the world’s best professors and research faculties. In fact, China is quite advanced in many different fields in the world, such as IT, civil engineering, medicine, and economics, and China produces the second most amount of research results and publications in the world, only second to the USA. You will learn advanced theories in different subjects, and apply them into your work upon graduation. In fact, if you can graduate from a top notch university in China, such as Peking University, and Tsinghua University, you will essentially become extremely competitive in the research fields. And getting into a good university in China will also boost your chance of finding employment upon graduation. Many schools in China are well-known globally and employers will definitely view that educational experience positively if you happen to graduate from those schools.

Studying in a Chinese university also boosts cultural exchange, and you will meet friends from all over the world. Every year, more than 500,000 international students are enrolled in Chinese universities, and the number of international students in China is only second to that of UK. China is working hard to attract international students from belt and route countries, namely the countries in Southeast Asia, middle east, and Africa. Since China is in close proximity to other Asian countries, you will find a larger Asian student population than students from other parts of the world. But pretty much you can find friends from all over the world. People from less developed countries are so eager to learn in China because they love the facilities and the standard of education here, and earning a degree in China would also make them more competitive in the job market back home.

And China is also a relatively safe country to live in. You can walk outside in big cities in the evening, free of fear of being robbed, raped, shot, or kidnapped. Security cameras are installed in “every corner of the country” and if a crime takes place, the police will be notified immediately to stop the crime and apprehend the suspect. And criminal laws in China are also very harsh, compared with those in many other countries around the world. Guns are outlawed, so we don’t have to worry about the massive shooting incidents that often take place in the USA. Drugs are also a red flag in China, so we needn’t worry about people forcing us to buy drugs. Overall speaking, the Chinese government has invested heavily into public security, and it is estimated that for every 100 civilians in China, there is one police officer. According to a survey, China has the lowest crime rate in the world, and the vast majority of Chinese citizens are extremely satisfied with the standard of safety in Chinese public. And you will never find any red light districts in China like those in New York City, or Chicago. I can assure you that no matter where u go in China, it is always very safe.

And life in China is also extremely convenient. China has invested heavily into the public infrastructure, so the railway lines, metro network, airlines, and bus lines are very developed in China. If you go to bigger Chinese cities like Beijing or Shanghai, the subway lines can take you to every corner of the city, and you can pretty much find a subway line nearby wherever you live. And the buses in China are also extremely great, because nowadays, the old buses are replaced by clean energy buses. They are extremely comfortable to sit on, and arrive at the stops quite punctually and buses are run quite frequently. The bus lines are also extremely long, spanning many areas in the city. China’s railway network is also the longest in the world, surpassing rival countries such as Japan, France and Germany. In 2008, the first high speed railway line between Beijing and Shanghai was built, and nowadays, the high speed railways can reach almost every part of the country, including the remote countryside of China. China’s railway technology is also the most advanced in the world. It runs at a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour, and the trains are powered by clean energy, and offers a lot of stability to its passengers. Of course, China also has one of the most advanced airline network as well. There have been an increasing number of airports built in various parts of the country, and many of those airports offer international airlines to important cities around the world. In 2020, the Beijing Daxing airport was built to accommodate the huge influx of international travelers into China and many Chinese airports have also become some of the biggest airports in the world in terms of the number of inbound and outbound travelers. And e-payment has also become very convenient in China. All you need to do to make a transaction, either for online shopping or at a local retail store, is to scan a QR code and tap the password on your alipay/Wechat account. Such convenience is not offered in other developed countries, where people have to pay with cash or credit cards all the time. And there are also different kinds of apps in China that can make our daily living more convenient. We have Meituan app, which is for delivery, Dianping app, where you can check reviews for your local businesses, and so many other apps(elema, didi, Ctrip, etc.) The list can go on very long and i will not mention all of them. And of course, China is called a infrastructure maniac, and everywhere you go, you will find newly erected buildings. The buildings are very tall and can offer lots of comfort inside. They are properly air-conditioned, clean, and capable of withstanding strong winds or other harsh weather conditions. If you love tall buildings, you should live in a big city like Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Also, commercial services are also quite developed in China. You will find retail shops, hair salons, fitness centers, shopping malls, or other business entities along the streets in the cities, and you can get delivery services 24-7. And door-to-door delivery service in China are also quite convenient, and your items can get shipped on time easily.

Chinese education is also extremely affordable. USA and UK are the most expensive destinations for studying overseas as tuition fees and cost of living may excel 60 thousand US dollars per year. China is in fact even cheaper than Japan for international students. Tuition fees in most Chinese universities cost around 5 thousand US dollars per year, and the cost of living in China may be around 500-700 US dollars per month on average in China. The medical programs in China cost around 6 thousand US dollars per year, and in fact, that is also cheaper than the medical programs in India. This is not to mention the fact that China offers tons of scholarship opportunities for students from the belt and route region. China is working very hard to achieve the internationalization of its campuses, so it is relatively easy to apply for scholarship from Chinese universities. There are three types of scholarship: confucius scholarship, Chinese government scholarship, and local university scholarships. So you can grasp the opportunities now to study in China at a low cost, when these opportunities are still open.

And travelling in China can also be a great experience. As we mentioned, China is a huge country, rich in history, culture and natural landscapes. If you study in one of the major cities in China, you will find lots of local tourist attractions. For instance, you can find the terra colta warriors in Xi’an, the oriental tower in Shanghai, and the West Lake in Hangzhou. There are also nearby towns you can visit to get some unique experiences. Since the railway lines and airline networks are so convenient, you can reach another part of China very easily. And it is also extremely convenient to book hotels upon arrival.

All in all, studying in China can be an extremely positive experience!