Life on the other side: Hong Kong students get taste of mainland living
Rise in number of those choosing universities up north due to factors such as low living costs, with experience also giving them a broader perspective on the mainland
Hong Kong student Yim Wa-sing’s first day of university on the mainland in 2005 was not what he had expected.
Yim, one of the first students from the city admitted to Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing city, had arrived to find that the campus was located in a remote village north of the city.
On top of that, the campus was also shrouded in dust and fumes, with key buildings still under construction, and surrounded by farmland covered in piles of bricks.
“I felt like [I was being] cheated. It was unimaginable,” Yim said.
Not only was he among the first Hong Kong students to be admitted to the Chongqing institution, he was among the first wave of students pursuing higher education on the mainland.
In 2006, only 518 Hong Kong students, accounting for just 0.6 per cent of high school graduates, applied to study at mainland universities. But those numbers have swelled over the past decade, rising from less than 1 per cent to nearly 6 per cent in 2015. Last year, 3,526 students applied for places in mainland universities, with nearly 50 per cent, or 1,689 students,gaining admission.
China’s booming economy, low living costs and the improved reputation of mainland universities are among the major reasons for the students to go north, with the experience also giving Hong Kong students exposure to the mainland.
