"Some of my South Korean friends asked me how to send their children to study in China," said a researcher at the Research Center on South Korean Issues, under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. According to him, Chinese schools are attracting more and more South Korean students.

Actually, not only South Koreans, but also people from many other countries want to send or have already sent their children to study in China.

This month, Beijing Huijia School received 105 overseas students from 8 countries and regions, including America, Canada, Brazil, Japan and South Korea.

"Among these overseas students, the oldest entered grade three of our high school, while the youngest are in grade one of our primary school. Most of them plan to enter Chinese colleges in the future," according to Liu Xinen, director of the school's administrative office of foreign students. Liu says nearly all these foreign students' parents have a deep interest in Chinese history and culture, which is probably the key reason they send their children to Chinese schools. A South Korean woman Chen Shenghui, studied Chinese as her major when she was a college student. Now she has sent her two daughters to Huijia School. She hopes her children will study at Beijing University someday.

"Certainly China's comparative low tuition fees and expenses are also important reasons for foreigners to choose Chinese schools," he added. Zheng Fengxia, secretary to the principal of Huijia School says for these reasons, many foreigners send their children to China, even if they can't accompany them. "All the students here without their parents have guardians in Beijing," she said.

(Beijing Today 09/23/2001)