University draws foreigners for academics and lifestyle

Belarus-born piano teacher Katia Jurova talks with Vietnamese student Nguyen Trong Tinh (second from left), a Chinese student and a fellow faculty member at Lingnan Normal University in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. ZOU ZHONGPIN / CHINA DAILY

Teachers and students enjoy pace of the city, Emma Gonzalez reports.

Belarus-born piano teacher Katia Jurova moved to China almost by chance. But nearly five years after she first set foot in Zhanjiang, Jurova said she feels the city in southern China has offered her everything she needs to grow professionally and emotionally.

"I really did not plan to come here. It just simply happened," said Jurova, who is now in her earlier thirties.

Her first contact with the country started when she was still a child. Her father, an employee of the Belarus Space Agency, worked closely with Chinese institutions for more than 20 years.

"While growing up, my dad made frequent work trips to China. We always talked about the things he saw and experienced during his business travels," Jurova said.

But it was not until she was working in Turkey that she met a music producer who suggested that her music career could take a positive turn if she moved to China.

"I was told that China was the place to go for musicians as the country was offering a lot of opportunities for piano players," she said.

Jurova started browsing the Internet looking for jobs and found a piano teacher placement at Lingnan Normal University in Zhanjiang. Although she was also approached by other Chinese universities, she opted for Lingnan because she had always wanted to live by the sea.

"I was looking for a good place where I could work. And I think I found it," she said.

It is easy to see that music is her passion and that her job at Lingnan University enables her to continue with her dedicated piano practice routine and to share her love for music with the university students.

She also unexpectedly felt in love with a local businessman whom she married. The couple has a 1-year-old boy.

Jurova said she does not see her future anywhere else because she now belongs to this city.

"I have a Chinese husband now, so I am not planning to go back to my country. I also never considered moving to another place within China because I personally do not like jumping from one city to another," she said.