Romance helps lure Chinese students to the UK

A two-year analysis of social media posts claims Chinese students who are interested in studying in the United Kingdom are attracted by the reputation of its universities－and the prospect of finding love.

Research conducted by the British Council found Britain's written works and its history were also draws.

Researchers analyzed more than 9 million posts on Chinese social media platform Weibo that were written between March 2015 and February 2016. The study included a survey of 5,000 Chinese students and parents.

The British Council said it wanted to better understand the increasingly competitive market.

"Finding romance" was the second-most-dominant topic in posts related to positive aspects of a UK education. More than 13 percent of positive posts pertained to romance. The rankings of universities and their reputation was the most popular positive topic, accounting for almost a third of posts.

Posts about high tuition fees accounted for 37 percent of negative comments, followed by the high cost of living, and the risk of not getting a visa.

British food had Chinese social media users divided－around 5 percent of both positive and negative posts concerned the nation's cuisine.

In descending order, the most common words used to describe Britons in Weibo posts were: conservative, exclusive, lazy, gentle, dark humored, enthusiastic, and boring.

The survey measured the aspects of British culture that students found most interesting. Out of 3,380 respondents, 15 percent were most interested in literature, followed by 12 percent who were most interested in Britain's history and traditions, which trumped an interest in its film, sport and celebrities.

Matt Durnin, a researcher at the British Council who authored the report, said Chinese students are hugely important to the UK's education sector. Nearly 98,000 students from the Chinese mainland studied at UK universities last year, accounting for 39 percent of non-EU international students.

Durnin said demographic shifts and the improving quality of higher education in China are likely to mean the fight to lure Chinese students will become more competitive.