Thai students study in China
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos courtesy of Onkanok Watthanalertrak
and Adisorn Khrongyut
Did you know
Around 955 million people speak Mandarin.
Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world, and as Chinese economic growth has an increasing influence on the rest of the world, more and more people are interested in learning Chinese language or studying in China.
Two Thai students — Onkanok Watthanalertrak (Fern), 24, and Adisorn Khrongyut (Donk), 20 — earned scholarships from the King’s Scholarship and One District One Scholarship (ODOS) respectively. They are now studying in China to complete their Bachelor’s degrees.
Fern studies international trade and economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, while Donk is a freshman majoring in business at Shanghai University.
Student Weekly recently interviewed Fern and Donk via email to find out about their experiences living and studying in China.
Student Weekly: Why did you decide to study in China?
Fern: China is a unique country and its economy has grown rapidly. As well as learning the language by studying in China, I’ll also learn about their culture, economics and policies regarding development and investment. I can then adapt the knowledge to my future career.
Donk: Studying Chinese language was a trend when I was in high school, and I wanted to visit China. When I received the ODOS scholarship, I chose to study there. I wanted to learn about Chinese culture and society so that I can use the knowledge for benefit of our country.
Student Weekly: What’s it like living in China?
Fern: I’ve lived in Beijing for six years. Beijing is big city with lots of historical attractions and various kinds of transportation. There are a lot of foreigners and a big variety of food in the city. I don’t have much trouble living in Beijing.
Donk: I initially lived in Beijing with 44 other scholarship students. We had to study Chinese language for a year. Having so many friends helped me not to feel homesick or lonely. Now I live in Shanghai.
Student Weekly: How have you improved your Chinese language skills?
Fern: I’d never studied Chinese language before moving to China. It was really tough at first because there are more than 10,000 characters with different meanings. I always review every lesson at home and write down new words repeatedly until I can remember them. I also work on a lot of grammar exercises. And I speak Mandarin to people whenever I go out.
Donk: Studying Chinese requires a lot of memorising because you have to learn how to write each character and know its meaning. It was difficult and confusing at first, but I eventually got used to it. Talking with Chinese friends helps me to improve my listening and speaking skills. Native speakers are a great help when you’re learning a new language.
Student Weekly: Is studying in China similar to studying in Thailand?
Fern: The teaching techniques used in both countries are similar. But Thai students have to get used to working with their classmates. In a class with a lot of international students, there are always a variety of opinions. Chinese students also tend to be more competitive than Thais.
Donk: Lectures are similar to the ones in Thailand. Chinese students are nice and helpful to foreign students. The teachers can be either tough or flexible. I have a hard time because every lecture is in Chinese. I always go over my lessons at home and sometimes look up information on the topics in Thai language. Chinese people are diligent and patient, and take their work seriously. I use those attitudes as a role model.
Student Weekly: What has been your most memorable moment in China so far?
Fern: I left my purse at a temple restroom and a Chinese person kept it for me. I was impressed because there were a lot of important things in the purse. That incident changed my attitude toward Chinese people and made me enjoy living in China a lot.
Donk: I enjoy travelling to other cities. Travelling brings new experiences and helps me to learn about different cultures. I found that northern people like to eat noodles and spicy food, while southern people eat rice with various kinds of dishes.
Student Weekly: Have you ever celebrated Chinese New Year in China?
Fern: It’s winter during Chinese New Year, so I always go back to Thailand. In China, places are decorated in red for New Year to bring good fortune.
Donk: I’ve been here for two years, but I’ve never celebrated Chinese New Year outside because there are too many people! You can hear sound of firecrackers all day.
Student Weekly: Do you have any advice for readers who are interested in scholarships to study in China?
Fern: Anybody can get information about the King’s Scholarship at www.ocsc.go.th. Applicants must have a high school grade-point average [GPA] of at least 3.5. There’s no Chinese language test, so it’s a good option for people who want to study in China but who don’t have any knowledge of Chinese language.
For students who can speak Chinese, there are other scholarships from the Confucius Institute and the Chinese government.
Vocabulary
- scholarship (n): amount of money given to somebody by an organisation to help pay for their education
transportation (n): a vehicle or system of vehicles, such as buses, trains, etc. for getting from one place to another
memorise (v): to learn something carefully so that you can remember it exactly
competitive (adj): trying very hard to be better than others
go over something (phrasal v): to study something carefully, especially by repeating it
diligent (adj): showing care and effort in your work, duties, studies, etc.
purse (n): a small bag made of leather, plastic, etc. used for carrying money, cards, etc.
