Have you or your friends ever talked about studying abroad? It's becoming a common topic of discussion in China. More students are studying abroad than ever before.
Last year, 662, 100 Chinese went abroad to study, a growth of 8.83 percent from 2017. For parents who send their children abroad to study, 43 percent of them hold regular jobs. With quick economic (经济的) growth and rising income levels (收入水平), China's people have more chances to open their eyes and have more life experiences.
Seventy years ago, however, the picture was different. Thousands of students and science and technology experts (专家) had to have a competition with each other to win a chance to study abroad. It was a valuable and unusual experience for people back then.
In 1984, Wang Huiyao, who later built a non-governmental think tank (智库) that mainly pays attention to Chinese public policy and globalization (全球化), went to study at the University of Windsor in Canada. He found that while Chinese people knew little about the outside world, Westerners also knew little about Chinese people. "They even asked to touch my head to see if anything was different," he said.
But today, there are fewer of these misunderstandings. With more exchange programs, Chinese students get more chances to share their life stories with people from different cultures. Ma Ying, a15-year-old Beijinger, took a short 7-day study trip to the UK. Attracted by the culture there, she decided to stay and study in the country. "I talked to my parents, and they supported my decison. I'm happy to study more English, understand their humor, and slowly go the local lifestyle, " she said.
| Studying abroad | |
| Introduction | More discussion about Chinese are studying abroad. |
| for studying abroad | The number of the Chinese going abroad keepswith the rise of economy and income levels quickly. They have open their eyes to the world and experience different cultures. |
| In the past | It was of greatand an unusual experience to study abroad by winning a chance through competition. Wang Huiyao, saidthe Chinese nor Westerners know much about each other. |
| At present | There iscultural misunderstanding with more exchange students to share their stories and experiences. |
