China's students' studying-abroad trend

[Anonymous]

It could be for political, educational , or for both reasons to serve as benefits, they are still focused on what they feel is necessary in order for their children to be better prepared for the future. First become educated then they can better understand the politics of the world.

[Anonymous]

Often parents send their children places to be educated with one thing in mind and often end up with rheir children getting something else completely different out of it. I imagine the parents hope the experience of an education in another country will hep to make the child more comfortable with the language and the culture. However along with the,"high cultural values they are suppose to be learning they also get attatched to the teenage culture. I'm not to certain that if the student were sent to the U.S. and came home spotting the latest RAP music and wearing their pants below their knees that their parents would be overjoyed to seeing them.
However it hould make for a truely internationally flavored China. I remenber when Russia tried the same thing and all of a sudden Beatles albums and black market jeans were all the rage. I've always felt that was what tore dsown the wall much more then Ronald Reagan. We shall have to wait and see what happens next.

[Anonymous]

It's interesting to see the importance placed on education and the commitment to return to China more educated and prepared to contribute to the Chinese society from a global perspective. This type of commitment is important for citizens of all countries to invest in their youth. Hopefully the United States of America will continue to push for more educated youth (from all walks of life) so that we can gain a stronger reputation globally and have the intellectual power to back up the reputation. While it is a part of our culture, we don't want the reputation of our youth to be based solely on music and clothing styles.
edited by nfreeman on 11/25/2012

[Anonymous]

As the former host-parent for a couple of foreign students I can say that education is the main reason why parents send their children to study abroad and then they will also acquire a better knowledge of the country and its culture. it is important to understand that in order to reach a better understanding of each other we need to know each other better and see the differences in our cultures. I guess the fact that a large number of students are going abroad will bring in the long term a better understanding at a global level.

[Anonymous]

It is hard to assess and conclude what the level of cultural impact and also the resistance to assimilation might be from those who go so far as even being coached to study abroad might be... The previous-previous comment does remind me of a topic I read about some years ago that had to do with investments and immigration; only that the context did not have to do primarily with education, and much less did it have to do with China. Rather, it was about the investment that parents in Central America as well as in Mexico made when it came time to choose whether to send their children to higher education in their own countries (or at times even lower levels of education) or to send them to the United States despite not having papers. Obviously, the second option involves the child having an under-the-table job in order for the remittances to be sent back to a hungry family that is at or below the poverty level.
Either way, it must be a difficult choice for either a family in Central America or China to make that sort of a decision. One wonders what the world would look like if: 1. the right (not privilege) of a quality education were truly accessible to any and everyone on the planet, what impact it would have (in general) on people’s ideology, as well as what impact it would have (specifically) on the concept of having to see one’s own family members as a type of investment, and also, if 2. the right (not privilege) of earning a livable wage were attainable for all those that are willing to work for it were a reality, what it would mean for those willing to opt for a societal norm that goes along the lines of “from each according to her/his abilities; to each according to his needs”. Or, the same question on another level: who, then, would be exploited and how, either in the world of academics, in the work-force, and everywhere in between.
“When I give food to the hungry they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist…”
-Hélder Câmara

[Anonymous]

it is interesting to find out that the monster that we are so afraid of is responsible for the cultural mingling that we currently see all over the world. I was first introduced to this phenomenon at a young age when I was in grad school. A good friend of mine was born in Columbia of Korean parents, came to the US as a teen. She was born learning Korean and Spanish, English was her third language. Not until now did I find out that this is more common than what I originally thought.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2012/11/20121116181549827749.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2012/11/2012111063644678319.html

Great profile of a current occurrence in China of parents sending their children to study abroad-including getting coached-to the United States as well as to countries in Europe (namely Britain). Reminds me of the fascinating experience at Santa Monica College at which I met Spanish Speakers from all over the globe, including Korean/Argentines whose Spanish was as authentic as one could imagine, not to mention all of other ethnic groups who were (and continue to be) represented in significant ways at that college. At the same time, I am left to wonder where the trend we looked at not long ago regarding Korea’s emphasis on education stands; in other words, might there be a reason that China’s youth are being sent primarily to English-speaking countries? Perhaps the answer lies in that there are not only academic interests at play, but also some cultural/sociological interests as well… Also brings to mind Professor Dube’s talk about “soft power”, which may be reaping what it has sown for some time in China.
It was a great point that the reporter (of the second video/report) highlighted as far as Britain seeing itself as “forging links with the future elite of a rising superpower”. Politics as usual it seems… And, of course, education is the vehicle.

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