Why are Chinese students going abroad to study?

I am a Chinese descendant and a ASEAN native who was lucky enough to be able to obtain my undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Australia. As a Chinese Malaysian, my chances of obtaining a government scholarship was slim back in the 1990s due to policies and specific quotas accorded to indigenous Malays. My parents toiled very hard and sacrificed their health and personal comfort in ensuring the 3 children obtained a good education abroad. I am eternally grateful to my parents for that. They provided a strong foundation for me as I became an independent working adult.

I vividly remember the huge number of Chinese students from PRC which graduated at University of Sydney in 2004. My guesstimate would be 70% of the post-graduates were from PRC. That was 10 years ago. I am pretty sure the numbers have risen.

After working regionally and forming close friendships with a few PRC friends, I am now intrigued with this trend. What are the reasons behind PRC students' mass exodus abroad when it comes to pursuing post-secondary school qualifications? It can't be China lack quality universities what with globally renowned Tsinghua and Peking University in the C-league category.

Is it due to the entrance exams? I have heard from my PRC friends themselves of how stringent and nerve-wrecking this experience can be not only for the student, but the entire family. With the prominent single child policy in place, I do not blame the parents for placing so much hope and perhaps, undue pressure on their child to pass with flying colors. To exacerbate matters, we are talking about a Motherland with a whopping 1 billion population (and rising) and intense globalization. What does this mean? Stiff competition amongst the students even before they enter the 'cut-throat' workforce. This can be truly detrimental for these young minds psychologically, intellectually and physically stemming from over exertion and burn out.

A friend once quoted, life is a marathon...not a sprint. I used to be one of those super achievers living in different cities every 3 years. I craved new challenges and routine bored me. For you see, I am creatively inclined hence need continuous stimulation of the mind and body. So I keep learning new skills (mostly self taught), immersing myself in different cultures and expressing my creativity in various forms from writing, painting, photography, dancing and acting.

This may not be the case for others. We all learn and get inspired differently. Is this one of the reason PRC students are going abroad to obtain post-secondary school degrees? It is certainly not due to China's lack of quality colleges and universities, and Chinese educators are definitely well renowned. What is this 'push' factor then?

My gut feel is perhaps on some of the teaching methods which have not adapted to the 21st century. In other words, we need a seamless merger of proven traditional Chinese pedagogy with dynamism of self-mastery.

If China wants to move up the value chain to a developed 1st world country, then academia is one crucial area to 'modernize'. I honor the thousand years old Confucius centered teaching. I also truly believe China's aim to attain 1st world super status can be expedited via a 'Confucius centered self-mastery' approach.

"Do not give the student the fish.....but teach the student how to fish." - anon