Undergraduate takes time to settle but rises to new challenges

For 21-year-old Liu Zilei, studying in London has not only opened her eyes to the world but helped her to appreciate her culture.

"I really enjoy conversations with classmates from different countries around the world," said Liu, who comes from Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, and is an undergraduate at the London School of Economics, where she is majoring in social policy with government.

"I enjoy sharing knowledge about China with them, and often these conversations make me wish I knew my own country a lot better," she said.

Although Liu is the only Chinese student in her class, she makes every effort to take part in discussions. Outside class, she has made the most of campus life by joining the university's baking society and its dance group.

"Understanding the different cultures and the ways of thinking of my friends and classmates has opened my eyes to the world," she said. "It will benefit me in the future, no matter whether I work in China or abroad."

Because of her eagerness to help British people better understand China, Liu has joined the China Development Society, a student-led organization at the LSE.

The society's annual conference, which discusses issues related to China's economy, its society and its international engagement, attracted an audience of more than 400, including students and academics.

"I am really proud to see so many people in the UK are interested in understanding China," Liu said. "I also learned a lot in the process of organizing the event. It gave me my first experience of working in the real world."

As the society's marketing director, Liu worked to create the conference poster and liaised with those responsible for the event's publicity and media coverage.

"Working on these tasks is very different to my studies," she said. "Whereas with my academic work I only need to be responsible for my own projects, working with a team requires more dedication and professionalism because what I do impacts on how our whole team is perceived."

Liu said that when she first arrived in London she took time to adjust to student life.

"I've always dreamed about student life on a big campus with beautiful gardens and lawns, so when I saw the LSE was just a few blocks of buildings in the middle of a busy city, I was slightly disappointed."

But she quickly realized that the lack of an enclosed campus actually helped her to make new friends with students from other universities. She also worked with friends at the LSE baking society to organize a competition in which contestants from universities across London took part.

"Those cakes were so amazing and delicious," Liu said. "Sitting there with friends to admire and taste the cakes really made me realize that London student life is full of possibilities, and I am lucky to be here."