Student sojourn is chance of a lifetime

Europeans at university count themselves lucky to have landed in Shenyang

For Marius Falke it is among the most exciting experiences of his life.

"Living in Shenyang and studying at Northeastern University is so international," says Falke, 26, a German exchange student who hails from Munich and who has lived in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province in Northeast China, for the past five months.

What he appreciates about living in this part of the country is that it is brimming with evidence that there is much more to China than a couple of metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai.

"You have many cities, big and small, with their own characteristics. Living in Shenyang has given me a great insight into the country. Shenyang is very international."

Falke says he can communicate with many locals because they speak English, and he adds that "people are very open-minded".

"Studying at Northeastern gives me good job opportunities, too, because it has strong ties with big Chinese electronics and computer companies."

Falke is one of many foreign students who have chosen Northeastern University as the starting point of an overseas educational journey that may stretch over many years. The Ministry of Education says that about 377,000 overseas students from 203 countries and regions were studying in China last year. Among them, 67,475 were from Europe, and 21,010 students from around the world were studying in Liaoning province, most in Shenyang.

Marcin Balejko, who is from Poland and is studying Chinese, is as enthusiastic as Falke about Shenyang, saying choosing to study at Northeastern University was a great decision.

"I am majoring in Chinese, and since arriving in Shenyang learning it has become so much faster. It's no exaggeration to say one semester of study has been more effective than 10 years' studying Chinese in Poland. Coming here has shown me the reality of China."

Balejko says he hopes to work in China after he graduates in August.

"I have already learned so much, although there is one thing I want to change: talking to more Chinese to find out more about the country."

Antonina Pigodina, 24, from Russia, says she opted for Shenyang because she was attracted by Chinese culture and wanted to learn more about Asian culture.

Shenyang is the perfect place to embrace old and modern China, she says. "I have studied at the university for more than two years, more than what I had planned. Everyday is an adventure. Things like square dancing are really amazing.

"One thing I have noticed, too, is that Russians and Chinese think very differently. Generally Chinese are open-minded and friendly. I have made many local friends, and it is a wonderful city to live in."

As China opens its door wider to the outside world, universities should follow the trend and go global, says Yu Fuxiao, the director of the School of International Exchanges of Northeastern University.

"Northeastern University has had vigorous collaboration with international institutions, especially in Europe," Yu says.

For example, it has signed collaboration agreements with 64 universities and research institutes in 20 countries and regions in Europe," Yu says.

"The ways we have collaborated include training teachers together, exchanging students and establishing language studies programs together."

Northeastern University was founded in 1923 and these days has about 34,000 students. The university offers 65 bachelor's degree programs, 173 master's degree programs and 84 doctoral degree programs. Currently, 129 overseas students from 10 European countries are studying at the university. It is expected that the number of the overseas students will rise to 1,400 next year, Yu says. The growth of Northeastern University's international ties also reflects the globalization of Shenyang and of Liaoning, Yu says.

"Shenyang has a strong European flavor. For instance, there is the railway line that runs all the way to Leipzig in Germany. That line has played a very important role in connecting the city with the outside world more closely."

Max Kasperowski, who is studying software engineering at Northeastern University, says he chose to do his undergraduate degree there because his father was in China working for BMW in the city.

"Living in Shenyang is great for me because of its strong Chinese and Germanflavor with themany German companies here."

The Shenyang Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission says 162 companies from 24 European countries operate in Shenyang. Last year imports and exports between it and Europe were worth $7.4 billion, exports accounting for $1.2 billion of that, says Liang Jing, director of the European office of the Shenyang Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Yu says Northeastern University is working with the Shenyang Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission to cosponsor international economic forums. Sixty undergraduate students from the university went to Europe to study last year.

"We will keep putting effort into promoting mutual exchanges between China and the outside world, to enable China to be better engaged on the global stage, by means such as training more international talent," Yu says.

Contact the writers through huhaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn