Understanding China

13 May 2013

Study Frenzy reaches Chinese Kindergarteners, Wuhan Reporters Investigate

Posted in Chinese education, EdNewsChina, Understanding China | Leave a comment

Test-focused cram reviews are now available to Chinese kindergarteners in Wuhan, one of China’s major inland cities according to Chinese reporters in Wuhan [translation available at EdNewsChina]. Parents worried that they might – excuse me, their kids might – “lose at the starting line” can now enroll (more…)

04 Mar 2013

What is Learning: East vs. West

Tags: east vs. west, learning
Posted in Chinese education, Understanding China | 2 Comments

In his latest op-ed for the New York Times, “The Learning Virtues,” David Brooks discusses some key observations on Chinese and American understanding of learning, taken from the book “Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West” by Jin Li. Here is a quick summary of his (more…)

27 Feb 2013

Why Chinese Education Must Pay Off

Posted in Chinese education, Chinese Families, Chinese graduates, Understanding China | Leave a comment

When we think of Chinese parents, it’s not uncommon to think of a worried couple hovering over their single child, pouring all of their time and resources into the child’s education. Education’s link with success is unquestioned, and it is the single largest expense made by (more…)

22 Feb 2013

Cheating or Not?

Tags: academic integrity, cheating, Chinese academic style, Chinese education, ghostwriting, plagiarism, Western academic style
Posted in Chinese education, Plagiarism, Understanding China, Vericant | Leave a comment

In the May of 2010, days after I returned to Beijing for summer break of my junior year in college, I received a call from a friend. Lu, a high school classmate, was now an industrial engineering major at the prestigious Tsinghua University. Summer starts later (more…)

04 Feb 2013

Inside China Ed: January 2013 Edition

Tags: campus collaboration, Chinese colleges, Chinese graduates, educated workers, international schools, one-child policy, summer classes
Posted in Chinese education, Chinese graduates, Inside China Ed, Study Abroad, Understanding China, Vericant | Leave a comment

This is an issue of Inside China Ed, a monthly news digest available through the Vericant newsletter. All Inside China Ed newsletters are posted to the Vericant Blog a week after it is sent to our newsletter subscribers. If you would like to receive the Inside (more…)

10 Oct 2012

Gifts in China: Do’s and Don’ts Infographic

Posted in Infographic, Understanding China, Vericant | Leave a comment

Illuminant has a cool year-long series of China-related infographics called Chinese Takeout. Part 4, Gift-giving, is a helpful guide to anyone wondering what to offer for their Chinese hosts, partners, and potential business contacts. Knowing the do’s and don’ts of gift-giving in China can, as the (more…)

28 Sep 2012

FotoFriday – Evening Dancing

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Residents of Badong, China, dance next to the Yangtze River as night falls. Scenes like this are common all over China wherever public spaces are found. Source: Carlos Barria/Reuters, via Boston Globe’s The Big Picture Scenes from China. A more eclectic selection of images can be found (more…)

20 Sep 2012

Student Life and Camaraderie in China | 21st Century Scholar

Posted in In the News, Understanding China | Leave a comment

Professor Robert Rhoades’ third blogpost in this week’s series on Chinese higher education (from the 21st Century Scholar blog) is on the topic of college student life in China, and the glimpses it offers into the cultural differences between China and the U.S. He points out (more…)

05 Sep 2012

What Scares Chinese Students Away from American Schools

Tags: Admissions Tips, China admissions, Chinese students, international admissions, overseas study
Posted in Admission Tips, China Admissions, Understanding China, Vericant | Leave a comment

For any girls wishing to study abroad: don’t come to [school name omitted] no matter what! Agents are all over this school, I don’t know why, but maybe because the tuition is high so they’ll get a bigger cut. There are too many Chinese students, you (more…)

23 Aug 2012

What China Means to American Boarding Schools

Tags: admissions, China admissions, China factoids, China's New Love Affair, Chinese culture, Chinese families, Chinese students, private schools, US schools
Posted in Understanding China, Vericant | Leave a comment

We really enjoyed a recent article from AdmissionsQuest by Trip Darrin, Assistant Headmaster for Enrollment & Marketing at Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia. Darrin gives a frank and pragmatic assessment of why China’s economic growth (and thirst for American education) is significant for American (more…)