International schools ride booming demand in China

Victor Xian was five years old when his family emigrated to Australia from Guangzhou in 2007. Living in Sydney, he quickly fitted in at school, where he played soccer with his new friends and was in no time speaking fluent English.

At the age of 10, as he was looking forward to starting junior high school, his family decided to return to Guangzhou to care for his ageing grandparents, but Victor was not happy about the move. Besides the adjustment of leaving his friends behind, Victor's basic Chinese meant he couldn't attend the local schools, so his family sought an alternative.

After passing strict assessment criteria, Victor was admitted to the American International School in Guangzhou (AISG). Now in Year Eight, the 13-year-old regularly hangs out with his English-speaking friends. Although he speaks Cantonese at home, he has little interest in learning Putonghua at school and has opted to learn Spanish as a second language.

His mother, Ada Xian Meishan, is frustrated: "He is pure-blooded Chinese. Of course I want him to study Chinese, but I have to respect his wishes. He'll know one day how important Chinese is."

AISG requires all elementary students to learn Putonghua, but from junior high students can choose Chinese, French or Spanish as an elective language.

"We might soon send Victor back to Sydney to study," says Xian, a businesswoman. "Australia has more nature and open space, which he misses."

AISG was founded in 1981, originally to teach a handful of children whose parents worked at the city's American consulate. Other early international schools in China catered specifically to expat children and traditionally follow the American or British curriculums.