Terrorism will not keep Americans from pursuing education in China
From Max Lee
The Daily Mail’s Special Correspondent in Beijing

ONE interesting side effect of China’s dramatic economic development is that more people from foreign governments, educational institutions and enterprises are learning to speak Chinese.
To strengthen communications, exchanges, understanding and co-operation with other countries in teaching the language, the first World Chinese Conference was held in Beijing July 20 — 22, Ministry of Education officials announced on June 15. It is estimated that more than 30 million foreigners around the world are now studying Chinese. About 2,500 universities and colleges in more than 100 countries have established Chinese-language programmes. Some primary and middle schools have also introduced Chinese-language programmes, said Xu Lin, director of the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.
After a steep decline last year, the number of US students traveling to China to pursue their college level studies has hit a record high. While concern about SARS in early 2003 initially resulted in a dramatic fall in enrollment of American students at Chinese universities, new statistics show evidence of a full recovery and continuation of the growing interest in Chinese study abroad programs that began some 10 years ago.
A report published on November 14 says that US students are heading abroad in record numbers, having increased by 9.6 percent for the 2003-04 academic year and following an 8.5 percent increase the previous year. Official at American colleges and universities say that China’s rapid development is making it a more attractive destination of US students who wish to gain experience living in a foreign country or learn a foreign language
According to Open Doors 2005, an annual report on international education published d by the Institute of International Education, the rise of interesting foreign study brings the total number of US students doing coursework abroad to a record 191,321. New York University was the leading provider of students to overseas programs, followed by Michigan State University and University of California at Los Angeles. The report claims a near 20 percent rise in the number of students seeking education in foreign countries since the 2000-01 academic year, 61 percent of whom chose to study in Europe (the United Kingdom retained its position as the most popular destination). The number of students choosing to conduct their studies in China increased by a whopping 90 percent compared to the 2002-03 academic year.
Of those students who chose to study in China, most are enrolled in short-term, non ¨Cdegree programs. The key factor in this statistic is the difficulty of learning the Chinese language, which can be perceived a barrier to participating in other coursework. Kermit L. Hall, President of the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany), noted that, whereas Chinese who come to the United States come primarily to receive a degree, the majority of Americans studying in China are going there for short-term language programs.
But Hall would like to see that trend change.
“We encourage students to tidy other subjects in addition to language and literature. Interest in China is clearly accelerating and escalating”, Hall said.
“There is a mindset (in both the US and China) that a western education is better”, Hall said, honestly, the Chinese students are extremely diligent and I think a lot of times they are more serious that students (in the US) for them, going to university is an honor, whereas here, for many US students, it is just something that you do. In a lot of ways, the education in China is superior; But Western students first have to get beyond the cultural differences before they will say they want to get their degree there.
Hall says China offers great opportunities for US students looking for businesses training.
The rising specter of China as growing economic powers making it a powerful magnet for business students, said Hall.
What draws businesses-minded US students to China, said Hall, is not necessarily the idea of learning a degree from a Chinese business school, but what they learn from pursuing their studies in a Chinese environment. So, Hall thinks students should move beyond the traditional goal of foreign language learning while studying abroad, taking the time to pursue subjects within their major or academic interests.
I think we’ll see significant increase (in students) studying other non-language subjects, Hall said. Most Americans look to Western Europe where there is more language familiarity.Hall added. But the numbers are growing fast.
John, a 2004 graduate of SUNY Albany, spent tow years studying at Fudan University (Shanghai). After studying Chinese language intensively or the first year, he spent the second year taking classes taught in Chinese in the school’s history department. Now back in the US, John works for and Internet technology staffing company in Morris Plain, New Jersey. He said his percipience in China helped him land the job.
Knowing Chinese is definitely beneficial, said John. It helped me with my job search that’s actually the main reason I was hired.
John, who returned to the US, hoping to find a company that would relocate him with a position back in China, says his present company plans to send him to open up a branch office in Dalian in Northeast China, in December 2005.
Experts attributes the rise in interesting Chinese study-aboard programs to improved facilities and courses offered by Chinese universities, which have made China increasingly attractive to students from many courtiers, particularly in the Asia-pacific region.
It’s a very new development, and one that the Chinese government is helping to support, Hall said. They are attracting students fro Korea, Japan and Pakistan. I think China is seeing its own strengthening graduate programs as places where not only Chinese students can get a good education but students thorough out the region, too. In the future I think that China is definitely going to be one of the largest (foreign student) receiving countries.
But the market for foreign students is one that is easily affected by current events. After the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001, the Institute of International Education reported a sharp decrease in foreign student applying to study in the Unites States as a result of tightened restrictions on visa applications and delays in processing student visas. Two years later, the SAARS epidemic deterred US students fro studying in China.
And today, there are continued concerns with security and health issues, including terrorist bombings in London and Indonesia.
Hall says all of this thing can affect enrollment to a decree. But, in the long term, even the threat of terrorism has not been able to keep Americans from pursuing an education abroad.