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Chinese Students in Great Britain
from Malaya and studying at the Inns and Temples in London. These striking categories, I feel, reflect the desires of the families of the students concerned; the families of the former have an eye on Government service in China, while a knowledge of law would be very suitable to the families of the latter, who have in most cases large businesses and large family estates in Malaya. (I may add here that most of the 80 classed under General and Pre- paratory Education probably should also be classified to swell up the totals of these two types-especially the Social and Political Sciences-so that the respective totals will look more like 110 and 80.) These two types, then, form a large proportion of the Chinese students in London. In fact, as a factor of practical convenience in the matter of sizing up a Chinese student (mentioned just now), if the student speaks fluent English (though with an obvious accent) and if he wears clothes of perfect cut (perhaps the best in London), you may almost be sure that he comes from Malaya and is reading Law at the Bar; on the other hand, if he speaks hesitating English and wears clothes betraying American influence, then he is probably a student from China and a prospective Government official studying at the London School of Economics, So much, then, for these aids to diagnosis.
Now there are just one or two more points left with regard to the third classification which perhaps just deserve mention in passing. You will note the attraction to Edin- burgh of medical and to Manchester of engineering stu dents; and I might add that the present comparatively high figures for naval and military students are due to the recent arrival of students sent here by the Chinese Government.
Then, in addition, there are three more numerical points outside these statistics which may be of interest, and which I shall quickly mention:
1. The total number of students supported by the national and provincial governments including the naval
Chinese Students in Great Britain
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and military students already mentioned-is about 80. Otherwise practically all are private students.
2. Re the number of women students, I have not attempted to differentiate between girl students pure and simple and wives of students who may or may not be students as well as acting in a domestic capacity. The total estimate then, without differentiations, is 45.
3. The great public schools of this country are so highly esteemed generally that I feel it of general interest to mention that Chinese have been educated at most of the big schools, including Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Charter- house, Clifton, Cheltenham, Haileybury, St. Paul's. How- ever, they are the exception rather than the rule, and amongst other obvious factors, that of the very young age required for entry of names precludes any but the smallest numbers ever securing an English public school education. The majority of Chinese students arrive in Great Britain at the university age, i.e. 18-19 years, an appreciable minority being, however, the number of considerably older students doing research or other postgraduate studies. As regards the length of stay in this country, those learning the profes- sions (viz. law, medicine, Chartered accountancy, engineer- ing, etc.) stay 5, 6 or more years; those studying social and political sciences usually much less, 2 to 3 years.
DIFFICULTIES
And now for some of the difficulties.
As regards the life of students over here, the times are indeed hard just now, for one's mode of living is truly governed by one's finances. The recent fall of silver has hit China so badly that the allowance of a Chinese student, by the time it reaches this country, is now worth, thanks to the movements in the exchange, just about half of what it used to be worth. Nor are the Chinese students from Malaya, who normally are considerably more fortunate in the matter of allowances, much better off, for there has also
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