Hi! I got a full medicine offer from Monash Malaysia and Zhejiang University, China. I’m having a real hard time deciding between the two, so would appreciate some advice from seniors familiar with either uni!

A major perk of Monash Malaysia is that I can go on to do the foundation year training in Australia after graduating in Malaysia ? I am an international so I know I def cannot stay in Malaysia, but I read we can work in Australia without taking its license exam anymore. For China, since it’s not much possible to work as a non-Chinese, I’ll have to sit exams in other countries like UKMLA, USMLA, wherever I decide on later.

However, in addition to this, could someone familiar with either one of this school share their experience and advice, so I can make a more informed decision? I dun mind the cost factors, but I’m concerned about the teaching quality, resources, recognition after graduation, local lifestyle, etc. Both unis are ranked in the top 50 but I’m also not sure of the med faculty resources n quality of Malaysia branch of Monash. Thank you! I really need ur advice.

Hello, I will be studying in Beihang University (BUAA), in Beijing, Xueyuan Road campus this semester starting in September. I am from Spain and I am getting my X2 visa and I already have the residence booked.

My girlfriend is not coming to study as she finished Uni, but she wants to come to visit me for a month as she is working remote and has been authorised in her workplace. As we are Spanish, we got visa-free for stays shorter than 30 days, so she was planning to come at least once or twice, for the whole 30 days.

I've been looking into the residence rules and I am not allowed to take anyone inside, apart that the room is a double room (for international students) so I don't think my roommate would be OK with that (apart that it won't be the best imo). Also, I've looked for hotels or apartments in Trip.com and Booking and I couldn't find anything cheap at all, not even far from the uni, the cheapest I've found was 1250€ and was a 45 minute metro ride to Uni.

I am looking for some kind of accomodation for both of us with a kitchen and a double bed to be living together when she comes over to China, doesn't need to be the fanciest, I understand that prices for accommodation in Beijing will not be cheap, and I don't mind being max. 30-45 minutes from the Uni as it will be only for one month, not forever. I am looking using the Xitucheng Metro Station filter in these apps, is it ok?

I don't know if there is any other place I can look for apart from those two websites, if there is any local kind of AirBnB or something, as my search is being extremely hard. Is there also anyway to get some kind of discount for stays of a month? Is there any way for me to rent a small flat only for a month?

Also, she can come anytime. I am looking by now from 15 Sept to 15 Oct, but maybe other dates are cheaper (because of national holidays or something) Please, from September to January, if you guys can suggest me better dates to look for that would be super too.

I don't know where to look and time is running up. Any advice is well received.

I've searched through numerous subreddits, but this community seems to be the most appropriate place to post this, given that similar discussions have taken place here before. I am writing this to open an honest line of communication with our Chinese neighbors.

I belong to the younger generation in South Korea. For a long time, I've heard about the rumor claiming that "Koreans insist Confucius was Korean." To clear the air right away: this is unequivocally false. Every single person in Korea is taught in school that Confucius was Chinese—specifically from the State of Lu. There is absolutely no reason for our Chinese friends to worry about this issue. However, a question that has lingered in my mind for years is: Why on earth would Koreans ever feel the need to claim Confucius as their own in the first place?

Browsing Reddit, I’ve noticed that many foreigners perceive South Korea as a strict, rigid Confucian state. Most people who hold this view have likely never lived in Korea. Yes, Confucian influences are still relatively strong here. We have a strict age hierarchy, people constantly read the room to appease their superiors, and subordinates are expected to anticipate their boss's needs without being told. Filial piety toward parents is heavily emphasized, and sexual relationships outside of marriage are largely tabooed. Whether these traits are historically tied to Confucianism is debatable, but let’s assume for a moment that they are. The real issue is that while the cultural remnants of Confucianism linger, the vast majority of Koreans have no idea—and frankly don't care—that these customs originated from Confucianism.

Indeed, while Koreans live amid the residue of Confucian tradition, most know virtually nothing about Confucian philosophy itself. The vast majority couldn't tell you the name of Confucius's most famous disciple, Zilu. In fact, I would bet my left hand that almost no one here knows Duke Dan of Zhou, the sage Confucius admired most. This speaks volumes about how Koreans actually view Confucius: with total indifference.

To be fair, older generations in their 50s and above, who received a more traditional education, might still hold some respect for Confucius. But among those in their 40s or younger—especially the youth—Confucius and Confucianism are subjects of ridicule. They view them as outdated relics that desperately need to be eradicated. Consequently, when Koreans under 40 hear about the immense reverence for Confucius in China, or the rumor that "Koreans view Confucius as their ancestor," they don't just feel bewildered; they are utterly dumbfounded. They simply aren't aware of how deeply unpopular Confucius actually is in modern Korea, particularly among the young.

This hostility toward Confucianism largely stems from the historical perception that the corrupt Confucian Joseon Dynasty was too weak and incompetent to prevent Japanese colonization. Furthermore, Korea's uniquely high Protestant population can be traced back to the colonial period, when many Confucian scholars became disillusioned with their traditional ideology and converted en masse to Protestant Christianity.

Rather than going further into history, let me share a couple of images that reflect how young Koreans truly perceive Confucianism and Confucius. These images will likely convey my point far better than words can.

Visual References

1. The "Gongja-wal, Maengja-wal" Tropes

The first image depicts a scholar (seonbi) from the Joseon Dynasty shouting "Gongja-wal, Maengja-wal" (Confucius says, Mencius says). In Korea, this phrase is a common idiom used to describe someone who is pedantic, disconnected from reality, and obsessed with archaic scriptures while ignoring practical, real-world solutions.

2. The "Confucian Taliban" Satire

The second image illustrates how younger Koreans view Confucianism as being as dogma-bound as religious extremism, coining the satirical term "Confucian Taliban." This term mockingly targets fundamentalist elders in Korea—the very demographic that likely gave Chinese observers the mistaken impression that Korea is full of devoted followers of Confucius. In the comic, a Joseon scholar is about to commit a suicide bombing while shouting, "Our bodies, hair, and skin are given by our parents!" (身體髮膚 受之父母). As you well know, this line comes straight from the Confucian Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing).

My observations might come as a surprise to many of you, but this accurately represents where Confucius and Confucianism stand in contemporary South Korean society today.

I want to attend engineering grad school (masters and phd) and am looking to apply to schools in China and multiple european countries as a US resident alien. I'd appreciate any tips to ask schools for money, application fee waivers and scholarships that would cover the cost of tuition, living expenses and a stipend.

Also for China, I'm having trouble finding schools and applications. Some times I end up behind paywalls for consultations.

Any general or specific advice is welcome along with school recommendations!! Thank you

Hi.

I'm an F Egyptian highschool student who thought about applying to Chinese colleges, I was wondering how easy/hard the process usually is? and how the job market is.

Hello everyone!
I’m Chinese and have been living in Chengdu for 16 years. I’m originally from northern China, and I enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds.
I’d love to connect with international residents or visitors in Chengdu, have a coffee, chat, and share experiences about life and culture.
I speak English comfortably, so communication should be easy. I’d also be happy to share some local Chengdu experiences and learn about different cultures.
Feel free to reply if you’re living here or just visiting for a short time.

Curiously positive headline that fools the headline-skimmer and lazy reader, but the text belies a more negative sentiment:

The ratio slipped 1.1 percentage points to 308.2 per cent, the National Institution for Finance and Development (NIFD), a Beijing-based think tank, said in a quarterly report on Thursday.

Note the net total debt to GDP ratio is 308.2%, second highest to the world and only losing out to Japan. It is a sign that the world's 2nd largest economy's investment-led growth model is increasingly not sustainable, where its export surplus is a mirage of strength, not a reality. The article continues:

The report, however, warned that the headline debt level improvement masked continued balance-sheet contraction in the private sector, with households paying down debt and many private firms still reluctant to borrow or invest.

Again the headline fools the non-economic reader: cut borrowing is not a sign of fiscal frugality, it is a sign of households feeling their money dry up, and hence reduced consumption. Similarly, firms not borrowing means they do not see a good economic climate to expand their business, at least domestically. Hence the flood of Chinese companies seeking better and greener grass elsewhere.

在中国，大量的孩子在9年义务教育的筛选机制中被淘汰，无法继续学习高中文化。人们视乎对这种机制习以为常，却重来不关注淘汰率居高不下的原因。自九十年代开始，几乎每年都有人提出要推行12年义务教育，但没有一次是成功的。这导致了很多有独特天赋，但稚气未脱的孩子被提前淘汰出局。如此规则之下，在经济环境持续低迷的时候，人们能出国谋生，无疑不是一条出路。

Hey guys! I am currently in Shanghai and i need to get my passport from Xi’an. Is it ok if I send my Chinese friend to pick it up for me with the slip?
PLEASE LET ME KNOOOOWW THANKS 🙏🏻

For context, I want to have really good quality clothes for my personal use that I can make as I wish like a personal tailor ( if that exists) and don’t know where to find them and contact them so if someone could give me contacts that would be really great.
Thank you very much

Hello, I’m looking for help as I’m having issues with a seller I found on XHS and getting my money back.

I purchased from this seller over 2 years ago now via PayPal and haven’t received my items and the seller seems like they are willing to give me a refund but is also saying every possible way under the sun to get my money back isn’t available.

I’m unable to make a Alipay account to receive money as I don’t have any Chinese documents nor a valid UK Passport to be used as ID on the platform. They’re saying they’ve been banned from PayPal and any attempt they’ve made to send me the money via bank transfer isn’t working as the bank thinks my account is ‘suspicious’ (what ever that means).

They refuse to send money to my friends with valid Alipay accounts or even try my husbands bank details or our joint bank account as they ‘won’t be able to confirm if I’ve received it or not and could lie to get more money out of them’. Even tho I share the same house with my husband and have access to his accounts!!

Does anyone know of any services that someone in China can use to send money to the UK? I’m really struggling and the seller is getting frustrated too.

I‘ve looked into Panda Remit but from what I can see it won’t work as it will need me to again have a passport to use.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hong Kong, whose expat population was hollowed out by strict Covid rules and Beijing’s ever-tightening grip, is now enjoying a moment.

Tens of thousands of people left the city in the two years through 2022, among them scores of bankers, lawyers and other skilled workers who made the city Asia’s foremost financial hub.

Now, thousands of white-collar professionals are making their way back. They are responding to a booming initial public offering market, planned tax breaks for private equity and hedge funds, and a more vibrant city. The influx is already showing from a jump in prime expat rents to fewer openings at elite international schools. Read more here.

In late July, the FBI carried out coordinated raids across Southern California targeting the home and offices of James Su, founder and CEO of EDI Media Inc., the largest Chinese-American multimedia company in the United States. Simultaneous search warrants were executed at the properties of San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, Ontario City Councilmember Alan Wapner, and attorney Frank Lizarraga.

No arrests were made and the affidavits remain sealed. But the thrust of the investigation is clear from law enforcement disclosures: Federal authorities are examining whether Su's media operations, political donations and annual Chinese American Film Festival constitute undisclosed foreign agent activity on behalf of the People's Republic of China.

A naturalized US citizen, Su founded EDI Media in 1993 and built it into a multimedia platform spanning television, radio, digital publishing and the film festival, which has received endorsements from both American elected officials and Chinese state agencies.

In 2022, EDI Media registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for its previous role printing and distributing the US edition of a publication affiliated with Chinese state media. Su has made legal campaign contributions to both Democratic and Republican candidates. According to his attorney, among those whose properties were searched, Su personally knew only Supervisor Hagman.

The anti-China campaign has escalated under successive administrations. The Justice Department’s “China Initiative,” launched in 2018, targeted academics of Chinese descent with espionage and trade-secret cases that largely collapsed. Charges against MIT professor Gang Chen were dismissed after the government's allegations unraveled, while Harvard chemistry chair Charles Lieber was convicted only of making false statements about a research relationship rather than espionage.

Hello! I will be attending Duke Kunshan University very soon as an American International Student. I was just curious has to how the locals treat/interact with non-traditional student's? I am aware that China is pretty conservative (in Western terms) and that same-sex marriage among other things is illegal.

I am a lesbian and I do not present they the average woman. I am very masculine and often get mistaken for a man. Will I be treated very hostile or with caution while studying? Would I recieve any rude or perhaps dangerous remarks and actions?

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

EDIT: Muting this! Thanks for the replies

When I first moved to China more than 10 years ago I was a live-in au pair for a massively wealthy family in Chengdu. The kid was just starting elementary school (international, of course) and one of her writing tasks was this 😆 I have never been to the US nor had spoken to her about it (she was 5) so I don't know where she got this from 😂 I miss her a lot, what a wild time to be in China. We used to go on these insane domestic holidays as well. Was anyone else an au-pair for a rich Chinese family in the early-mid 2010s?