EUROPEANS AT UNIVERSITY COUNT THEMSELVESLUCKY TO HAVE LANDED IN SHENYANG
For Marius Falke it is among the mostexciting experiences of hislife.
“Living in Shenyang and studyingat Northeastern University is sointernational,”says Falke, 26, a German exchangestudent who hails from Munich andwho haslived in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning provincein Northeast China, forthe past fi ve months.
What he appreciates about living in this part ofthe countryis that it is brimming with evidencethat there is muchmore to China than a couple ofmetropolises like Beijing and Shanghai.
“You have many cities, big and small, withtheir owncharacteristics. Living in Shenyanghas given me a greatinsight into the country.Shenyang is very international.”
Falke says he can communicate with manylocalsbecause they speak English, and he addsthat “people arevery open-minded”.
“Studying at Northeastern gives me goodjob opportunities,too, because it has strongties with big Chinese electronics and computercompanies.”
Falke is one of many foreign students whohave chosenNortheastern University as thestarting point of an overseas educational journeythat maystretch over many years. The Ministryof Education saysthat about 377,000 overseasstudents from 203 countries and regionswerestudying in China last year. Among them,67,475 were from Europe, and 21,010studentsfrom around the world were studying in Liaoningprovince,most in Shenyang.
Marcin Balejko, who is from Poland and isstudyingChinese, is as enthusiastic as Falkeabout Shenyang,saying choosing to study atNortheastern University was a great decision.
“I am majoring in Chinese, and since arrivingin Shenyang learning ithas become so muchfaster. It’s no exaggeration to say one semesterof study has beenmore e9 ective than 10 years’studying Chinese in Poland. Coming here hasshown me thereality of China.”
Balejko says he hopes to work in China afterhe graduatesin August.
“I have already learned so much, althoughthere is onething I want to change: talking tomore Chinese to find out more about the country.”
Antonina Pigodina, 24, from Russia, says sheopted forShenyang because she was attractedby Chinese cultureand wanted to learn moreabout Asian culture.
Shenyang is the perfect place to embrace oldand modernChina, she says. “I have studied atthe university for more than two years, morethan what Ihad planned. Everyday is an adventure.Things like square dancing are reallyamazing.
“One thing I have noticed, too, is that Russiansand Chinesethink very di9 erently. GenerallyChinese are open-minded and friendly. I havemade many local friends, and it is a wonderfulcity to live in.”
As China opens its door wider to the outsideworld,universities should follow the trend andgo global, says YuFuxiao, the director of theSchool of International Exchanges of NortheasternUniversity.
“Northeastern University has had vigorouscollaborationwith international institutions,especially in Europe,” Yu says.
For example, it has signed collaboration agreementswith 64universities and research institutesin 20 countries andregions in Europe,” Yu says.
“The ways we have collaborated includetraining teacherstogether, exchanging studentsand establishing language studies programstogether.”
Northeastern University was founded in 1923 and these days has about34,000 students. The university o9 ers 65 bachelor’s degreeprograms, 173 master’s degree programs and 84 doctoral degree programs. Currently, 129overseas students from 10 European countries are studying at the university. Itis expected that the number of the overseas students will rise to 1,400 nextyear, Yu says. The growth of Northeastern University’s international ties alsorefl ects the globalization of Shenyang and of Liaoning, Yusays.
“Shenyang has a strong European flavor. For instance, there is therailway line that runs all the way to Leipzig in Germany. That line has playeda very important role in connecting the city with the outside world moreclosely.”
Max Kasperowski, who is studying software engineering at Northeastern University, says he chose to do his undergraduate degree therebecause his father was in China working for BMW in the city.
“Living in Shenyang is great for me because of its strong Chinese andGerman fl avor with the many German companies here.”
The Shenyang Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission says162 companies from 24 European countries operate in Shenyang. Last year importsand exports between it and Europe were worth $7.4 billion, exports accountingfor $1.2 billion of that, says Liang Jing, director of the European office ofthe Shenyang Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Yu says Northeastern University is working with the Shenyang ForeignTrade and Economic Relations Commission to cosponsor international economic forums.Sixty undergraduate students from the university went to Europe to study lastyear“We will keep puttinge9 ort into promoting mutual exchanges between China and the outside world, toenable China to be better engaged on the global stage, by means such astraining more international talent,” Yu says.
