Chinese Students Studying In The UK And Modern China

In March1877, the Qing government sent naval students to the UK, overseaseducation in the UK started in modern China. During the period of the Republic ofChina, the number of students studying in the UK increased and the scale of overseaseducation in the UK expanded with the characteristics of “education of chinese navystudents in the UK”and “Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program”. ManyChinese students studying in the UK were attracted back China because the People’sRepublic of China (PRC) made many beneficial policies for them. At the verybeginning of the PRC, neither did China and Britain establish diplomatic relations nordid both have educational exchanges between them due to the accordance of theattitude towards Taiwan between Britain and the United States. In June1954, Chinaestablished agency diplomatic relations with Britain and sent three students to Britainin1956, which means the start of Chinese overseas education in the UK. WhenCultural Revolution broke out, Chinese overseas education in the UK was interrupted.It did not re-start until March1972when China established the formal diplomaticrelations with Britain. China sent sixteen students to Britain at the end of1972and afew students were sent annually before China’s reform and opening-up.31studentswere sent to Britain on April17,1979, which symbolized the start of Chineseoverseas education in the UK after China’s reform and opening-up. After that Chineseoverseas education in the UK entered a new phase.At the beginning of1980s, Chinasent students to Britain through many channels and the “Sino-Britain FriendshipScholarship Scheme” turned up in time. The scheme not only provided talents forChina, but also enhanced the relationship between the two nations. In1986, theadjustment of studying-abroad policies ensured the high level and high quality ofChinese students studying in the UK. In1990s, China continued to send students tothe UK and established the work principles, wich are,“supporting studying abroad,encouraging returning China, coming back and going abroad freely”. This was thestable phase of Chinese overseas education in the UK. In the twenty-first century, thenumber of self-funded students studying in the UK have increased,they have been the important proportion of the students studying in the UK.Correspondently, Chinese students studying in the UK returned China. Afterstudents returned,they devoted themselves to building the country and promoted thedevelopment of Chinese society. Firstly, they urged the development of China’s higheducation. They improved the discipline structure by reforming the traditionaldisciplines, introducing new majors and building up new laboratories and researchinstitutes. They improved the teaching quality by editing new course books,establishing new courses and adopting new teaching methods and concepts. Theymade achievements academically through hard work, and some of them even becamethe presidents of the major universities and carried out reforms in the universities.Secondly, they pushed forward the development of China’s technology.In1980s,China’s economy, education and culture began to revive.The scientific researchconditions were still bad.The returned students started to do pioneering work aboutthe science and technology. They started by establishing laboratories and introducedthe advanced technologies into China and made them work in China. China’s scienceand technology level also gradually restored and improved.After1990, the scientificresearch conditions greatly improved, which facilitated their development ofundertakings. They achieved more by introducing more knowledge and disciplinesand exploring new technology areas. During this time, the Chinese Academy ofScience carried out the “The Hundred Talents Program” and the returned studentsenrolled in it tremendously pushed the development of China’s technologies.Meanwhile,the returned students also played an important role in “863Plan”,”973Plan” and other construction of the State Key Laboratories.Academicians who studiedin the UK also contributed a lot. They are scientific elites.Like the returned studentsin the fields of natural sciences, the returned students in the fields of the humanitiesand social sciences also worked hard.They contributed a lot in philosophy, history,politics, sociology, law and economics, etc. They promoted the development of thehumanities and social sciences.Thirdly, the self-employed students also had asignificant impact on China. In1980s,the returned students changed their minds andbegan to be self-employed. In1990s, more and more returned students joined themand were active in many fields. In21cneturies, China has continued to improve policies about attracting overseas students back and the self-employed students havecontinued to grow. With the guidance of the government, many high-tech enterpriseshave been set up by returned students, most accumulated in the Overseas StudentsPioneer Park. Their self-employed behavior won comments from different corners ofthe society as well as from the government.Moreover, the returned students have confronted with a battery of problemsduring their involvement of social construction, problems including the interpersonalrelationship, the independent innovation environment, the academic environment, thefinancing for pioneer parks, the construction of pioneer parks and the attendance toschool for their children. They analyze the reasons about these problems and findsolutions to them.