Freshly graduated from Beijing Jiaotong University, four Southeast Asian students tell China Daily how studying in the Chinese capital has aided their personal development and helped to foster closer bonds between China and their homelands.
Beyond expectations
"I have understood China in a real-life context, rather than just relying on information from books and media," said Oudomxay Soukhavong, a 24-year-old student from Laos.
Having chosen to study in China, he majored in civil engineering and lived alone in Beijing before graduating from the city's Jiaotong University with a bachelor's degree. Oudomxay Soukhavong said his first impressions of China were of a "modern", "welcoming" and "diverse" country.
"The level of modernization in China is astonishing," said Nguyen Ha My from Vietnam.
"The people here are warm, hospitable, hardworking and intelligent, which strengthened my resolve to study here," she said.
My wouldn't hesitate to recommend China to fellow students back in Vietnam.
"Maintain a positive and open mindset, and be courageous in trying new things and challenging yourself," she added.
Seeing is believing and, as China continues to open its doors to the world, more and more foreign students are choosing the country as their favored place of study. By immersing themselves in Chinese life, they have discovered that the country is much more developed than they had imagined.
"Studying in China has been an eye-opening experience," said Tangkanjanapas Piya, a student from Thailand.
"China is not only vast in size but also advanced in many other aspects. I chose to major in transportation because of China's highly developed railway system," he said.
