Opinion | Resentment in China against those studying abroad during Covid-19 is a symptom of larger social problems

Online posts during the pandemic reveal a resurgence in tensions, with some referring to overseas students as ‘fake Chinese’

Prejudice is rooted in uneven access to opportunities in China and the harsh working environment young people face

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Chinese students at the University of Sydney take photos on the campus on August 20, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:30am, 18 May 2022

Recently, a video of a student from Tsinghua University doing experiments on a laptop while riding a bicycle back to his room went viral. According to some Tsinghua students, it is common for them to eat dinner or study while riding to save time.

A new word – involution – has become popular in China since 2020 to describe the phenomenon of young people being locked in endless competition, although no amount of effort is likely to better their prospects. An increasing number of Chinese students are going abroad to study, trying to escape the intensely competitive educational environment and labour market.

Tensions have developed between those who have gone abroad and those who remain in China, evident in the comments on socials media posts. While this problem is tricky, it fundamentally stems from the uneven opportunities for education in China and abroad.

While working as an intern at a Chinese tech company, I experienced the infamous 996 work culture – toiling from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – for a monthly wage of only around 3,000 yuan (US$440). Thinking back, I cannot understand how I endured that environment for so long.

Given the heavy work pressure and low pay, it’s no wonder that moving abroad is a tempting proposition for many young people. In fields like computer science and engineering, the starting salary in the United States can be five times more than that in China, for example.

Moreover, people who work abroad also tend to have a better work-life balance as a number of jobs in China have extremely long working hours. Unsurprisingly, a report by the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University found that more than 90 per cent of Chinese PhD students in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) in the US between 2000 and 2015 were still living in the country in 2017.

Chinese graduates throw their hats into the air after a commencement ceremony at Columbia University in New York on May 18, 2016. Photo: Xinhua

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