At a weeklong forum held at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei in March this year, university students packed the auditorium to listen to talks on relations between Taiwan and mainland China. The unusual thing about the students attending Strait Talk Taipei 2012, however, was that those from mainland China noticeably outnumbered their local counterparts. The mainland Chinese students were not in Taipei while participating in short-term exchange programs, as had previously been the case, but were instead members of the first group of university students from mainland China to gain the opportunity to pursue degrees in Taiwan.
A total of 928 mainland Chinese students quietly wrapped up their first year of studies at tertiary institutions across Taiwan in June this year. Of that number, 724 were undergraduates, with the remainder enrolled in master’s or doctoral programs. In line with mainland China’s regulations, all of the students were from or possessed residence permits from six specific areas, which included the cities of Beijing and Shanghai and the coastal provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Emily Tsui is one of the students from mainland China and is working on a Master of Business Administration degree at National Taipei College of Business (NTCB). Tsui finds that student life in Taiwan is much more easygoing and enjoyable than it is back home. “In China, it’s very competitive in school. Students put most of their focus on getting good grades. In Taiwan, students have more time to do things like take part in clubs or go out,” she says. “There’s more pressure in China. In Taiwan, people do things slower and I’ve picked up that habit.” Tsui has also gained an appreciation for Taiwan’s food. “Xiaochi [small snacks] are very delicious,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve even put on some weight.”
The establishment of a mechanism allowing degree-seeking mainland Chinese students like Tsui to study full time in Taiwan is one of a series of significant developments in cross-strait relations that have occurred since Republic of China President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May 2008. Previously, mainland Chinese students had been permitted to attend Taiwan’s tertiary institutions for a maximum of four months while participating in exchange and postdoctoral programs. The policy changed in October 2008, when the government extended their maximum stay to one year.
While that change drew relatively little comment, in 2010 the drafting of amendments designed to allow degree-seeking mainland Chinese students to study full time in Taiwan caused an uproar. Conflict broke out in the Legislative Yuan in April and May that year, for example, as opposition lawmakers attempted to block the passage of amendments to three key pieces of legislation: the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Junior College Act and University Act. The contentious process of amending the legislation continued until August 2010, when enough restrictions had been put in place to mollify at least some of the policy’s critics and ensure the passage of the new rules.
The desire to build cross-strait ties is one of the most important reasons the government has pursued the policy of opening local universities to full-time students from mainland China. “This allows young people on both sides to interact, which contributes to cross-strait peace and mutual understanding,” says Liao Kao-hsien (廖高賢), who was formerly section chief of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Department of Higher Education and is now first cultural secretary of the MOE’s Bureau of International and Educational Relations.
Liao is also hopeful that opportunities to interact with industrious mainland Chinese students will prove beneficial to their Taiwanese classmates. “If we can recruit excellent mainland students, those students can raise the competitiveness of local students and be an example for our local students,” he says.
Given the growing importance of mainland China in the global economic and geopolitical arenas, attending classes with counterparts from that country also gives local university students a vital opportunity to learn more about their powerful neighbor on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. “Mainland students bring a new dimension to our international student body,” says Tai Wan-chin (戴萬欽), vice president for international affairs at Tamkang University in New Taipei City. Tamkang enrolled 77 mainland Chinese students during the past school year, one of the highest totals in Taiwan. “The mainland is a place no one can ignore. Business students, for instance, should know more about mainland China. It’s good our [local] students will have the opportunity to get familiar with these mainland youths.”
Admitting more mainland Chinese students also helps to offset, at least to a degree, the growing number of admission vacancies at local universities that have resulted from Taiwan’s low birthrate, which has hovered at slightly more than one birth per woman of childbearing age for the past 10 years. If the birthrate does not increase, Taiwan could see a population decline in the not-too-distant future and consequently fewer local students enrolling in local institutions. Absent a significant influx of new students, experts believe that some of the country’s universities will face a bleak future. The April 2011 issue of the Chinese-language CommonWealth magazine, for example, quoted Ho Cho-fei (何卓飛), director of the MOE’s Department of Higher Education, as saying that an expected 20 percent decline in university admissions over the next five years would likely force 65 of Taiwan’s 165 colleges to close or seek mergers with other institutions.
Tai Wan-chin, vice president for international affairs at Tamkang University, says “Mainland students bring a new dimension to our international student body.” (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Given such trends, it is not surprising that Taiwan’s university presidents, particularly those from private institutions, have been some of the most enthusiastic backers of plans to allow the enrollment of degree-seeking mainland Chinese students. Notably, the amendments passed in August 2010 stipulate that prospective undergraduate students from mainland China can only apply to study full time at Taiwan’s private universities. The only exceptions to that rule are National Quemoy University and National Penghu University of Science and Technology, which are public universities located on the outlying islands of Kinmen and Penghu respectively. Mainland Chinese graduate students can apply to all of Taiwan’s public and private universities.
Since work began in 2010 on the legislative framework for admitting degree-seeking mainland Chinese students, however, concerns have been raised over the possibilities that such students could snatch academic opportunities from Taiwanese students or compete in the local job market. To alleviate those worries, restrictions collectively referred to as the “three limits and six noes” were put in place. The first limit caps the total number of mainland Chinese students that can enter local universities. Thus, in February 2011, the MOE announced that a maximum of 2,000 mainland Chinese students, or 1 percent of the total number of all new admissions to Taiwan’s universities, would be allowed to study in tertiary institutions in Taiwan for the 2011–2012 school year. Of that number, 67 universities were allowed to admit 1,123 mainland Chinese students, while 65 technology colleges were allowed to admit 877. The second limit stipulates that applicants to Taiwan’s graduate schools must have earned their undergraduate degrees at specific elite schools in mainland China, while the third bars the accreditation of mainland Chinese diplomas for medical studies.
The six noes prevent mainland Chinese students from receiving scholarships, taking part in examinations for civil service, professional certifications and professional licenses, working in Taiwan before graduation, working after graduation (mainland Chinese students are required to leave Taiwan within one month of completing their degree), and receiving extra points on university entrance exams. Mainland Chinese students are also barred from applying to study in the field of medicine and programs relating to national security.
The severity of the restrictions reflects the government’s desire to secure widespread public support for policies governing sensitive engagements with mainland China. “This policy is still in the beginning stage. We must take every step carefully and evaluate what will happen in the future if we change any policies,” Liao says. “Some legislators oppose this policy, so we must be very careful. We can’t let people think that the government will help mainland students take away their opportunities to work. We have to let our people know this policy will benefit both sides.”
Legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan’s main opposition party, led the resistance to the amendments allowing degree-seeking mainland Chinese students to study in Taiwan and were instrumental in adding the restrictions over several rounds of negotiation. Representatives from the DPP declined to speak on the record for this article, however.
Because of the restrictions, mainland Chinese students are treated differently than “international students,” which the government defines as those from foreign countries or areas other than Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China. The two biggest differences in the treatment of the two groups are in the areas of health insurance and the ability to work. International students, for example, are allowed to enroll in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) program after studying in the country for four consecutive months, while mainland Chinese students are denied access to public health insurance, regardless of how long they stay. As an alternative, the MOE set up an arrangement that allows them to purchase medical insurance from Cathay Life Insurance Co. According to some mainland Chinese students, however, the NHI system provides more convenient and more comprehensive care, while the Cathay plan requires extra paperwork when receiving care and limits certain types of coverage.
As for the ability to work, while international students enrolled in full-time university programs are allowed to hold part-time jobs during the school semester, mainland Chinese students are not allowed to work at all. Su Feng-shan (蘇峰山), an associate professor at Nanhua University in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, is one of those who see good reason for barring mainland Chinese students from the local job market. “If mainland students are allowed to work, they will compete with local students and local people for jobs,” Su says. “That’s why it’s reasonable to maintain [the current] restrictions.”
A Complicated Matter
Liao says that allowing mainland Chinese students to work is a complicated matter for the government. “[The MOE] needs to work with other government departments such as the Council of Labor Affairs and the National Security Bureau on this issue,” Liao says. “For now, we have to maintain the restrictions and keep reviewing the policies regularly as well.”
Some mainland Chinese students see the rules as onerous, however. “There are too many restrictions—you can’t work, you can’t get regular health insurance,” says Liu Ruixin, an undergraduate at Tamkang who hails from mainland China’s Guangdong province. “There’s the private insurance, but applying for it is a lot of hassle.”
Taiwanese, mainland Chinese and foreign students attend a forum at Strait Talk Taipei 2012, which was held at National Taiwan University in March this year. (Photo Courtesy of Strait Talk Taipei 2012)
Given such views and the fact that the quota for mainland Chinese students for the 2011–2012 school year was less than half-filled, there have been local calls for easing the restrictions. So far, however, the MOE has remained adamant about keeping the main bans on work and public health insurance, although there has been a slight easing in other areas, particularly for graduate students. In January this year, for example, graduate school applicants from mainland China were allowed to apply for admission to up to five graduate programs at a time, up from one, and the previous maximum age limit of 40 for such students was removed completely.
Also, the application period for mainland Chinese graduate students was moved from mid-April to mid-January to allow applicants to apply to Taiwan’s universities right after mainland China’s graduate school entrance exams. This change makes it more convenient for potential applicants by letting them avoid waiting an additional three months to apply.
While the restrictions likely played a role in the low number of mainland Chinese students studying in Taiwan during the 2011–2012 school year, the MOE’s Liao also cites a lack of publicity. “The biggest problem is that in past years, mainland students didn’t know Taiwan’s schools very well,” he says. “[Since this was the] first year, many didn’t apply for programs here. Maybe in three years’ time, they will know our universities much better and more will apply.”
Although their number is relatively small, mainland Chinese students who have made the decision to study in Taiwan appear to have settled in well, both in and out of the classroom. “The schools have reported that their mainland students are hard-working and interact with local peers well,” Liao says. “The schools have generally approved of the students’ academic attitude and competitiveness.” Tamkang’s Tai agrees with Liao’s assessment, saying “There’s been no negative impact [from mainland Chinese students]; no students or faculty members have complained.”
Taiwanese students appear equally accepting of their mainland Chinese classmates. Local student Emma Wang is working on a master’s degree in translation at Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei City. “If Taiwan is going to enter the global village, the most important thing is to be open-minded. From our [mainland] China classmates, I’ve learned different cultural experiences and a hard-working attitude … I believe they can expand our horizons just like other international students do.”
Wang also sympathizes with her mainland Chinese classmates about the restrictions they face. “I think it’s OK to put a restriction on the number of students able to study in Taiwan,” she says. “However, once these students get the offers [from local universities], they should be able to enjoy the same rights as other international students.”
In turn, the mainland Chinese students have found much in Taiwan to be positive about. Erika Guan of Beijing gained her first experience of Taiwan as an exchange student in 2010. “I fell in love with Taiwan then,” she says. After Guan received her undergraduate degree in Hong Kong in 2011, she applied for admission to a master’s program at NTU in Taipei. Guan’s positive impression of Taiwan has continued during her graduate studies. “People are eager to help you,” she says. “My classmates are also very nice. I didn’t experience any discrimination here, which surprised me at first. It’s very touching.”
Tsui, who was the only mainland Chinese student enrolled at NTCB during the 2011–2012 school year, says she also gets along well with her cohorts. “Politics isn’t a big issue when it comes to classmates; our generation doesn’t focus on politics so much,” she says.
Tamkang’s Liu has been especially impressed by the friendliness of Taiwanese people. “If I ask for help with directions, for instance, people will help me; over there [mainland China], some people won’t,” he says. “Also, I wasn’t prepared for how polite employees in the service industry are here, always saying ‘thank you, thank you.’ I’ve gotten used to it. Now, when I go back [to mainland China], I’m surprised when service staff aren’t as polite!”
Mainland Chinese students attend class at Tamkang University in May this year. Tamkang enrolled 77 mainland Chinese students during the past school year, one of the highest totals in Taiwan. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Students from mainland China are attracted to studying in Taiwan for a variety of reasons. Like Guan, some have returned after previous positive experiences in Taiwan. Others are drawn by the thought of continuing their education in a place that is both different from and similar to their homeland. “My dad thought my personality was not suited to going to the West right away,” says Xie Yuxin, a Tamkang undergraduate student from Shanghai. “He said I should [study in] Taiwan first, then consider going farther away later on.” Similarly, NTCB student Tsui was attracted to Taiwan because studying in her native language promised to be much more convenient than studying in a foreign language in the West.
For Huang Aihui, a Tamkang undergraduate from Guangzhou, shared culture and finances were the deciding factors. “I feel Chinese culture here is strong, developed and widespread, so I was attracted by this. I didn’t consider Hong Kong because it’s expensive,” he says. “Also, the relationship between the mainland and Taiwan [is becoming stronger], so Taiwan was a better choice.”
Being a pioneer is never easy, however, and for some mainland Chinese students, the decision to study for a degree in Taiwan confounded friends and family members back home. “A lot of my friends were very surprised, as right now, Hong Kong and the West are very popular,” Liu says.
“A lot of our [high school] classmates were interested in Taiwan, but that doesn’t mean they wanted to come,” Xie adds.
“We took the risk to come here,” Liu says. “We had the courage to come!”
Hearing the Stereotypes
Of course, not everything about studying in Taiwan has been positive for mainland Chinese students. While many have experienced politeness and friendliness, some have also been on the receiving end of prejudiced remarks. “I’ve heard some stereotypes,” Liu says. “People have said to me things like ‘mainlanders always urinate on the street’ and so on. Once I was in a class and the professor was talking about civil society. But then he started to talk about people from the mainland, and I wondered why. He said ‘When mainland students come, I will take them to the [Taipei] MRT and show them how clean it is,’” Liu says.
“I think [the prejudice] is because communication between both sides is not deep,” Xie says. “Both sides definitely have a lot of misunderstandings.”
If there is one negative view about Taiwan that many mainland Chinese students seem to share, it is their relatively low opinion of the local media. “Taiwan’s media always broadcasts a lot of negative news about China,” Huang says. “In China, I thought Taiwan’s media was impressive, but after coming here, I think it’s kind of weak.”
“The media here may have more freedom, but they don’t do anything with it,” says Sophia Lau, an undergraduate from Guangdong who is studying at Fu Jen. “They focus too much on local stories.”
Xie holds the media responsible for perpetuating stereotypes about people from both sides of the strait. “The stereotypes are because of the news,” she says. “It’s like why some of my classmates in China think Taiwan is dangerous—because of reports they get from news media.”
The number of mainland Chinese university students studying in Taiwan is expected to rise for the 2012–2013 school year, although not by much. Tamkang University, for example, has seen a slight increase in both applications and acceptances for mainland Chinese students for the coming semester. The government’s admission quota for such students is not likely to climb for the next academic year.
While their number might not yet be to the liking of the government and local universities, mainland Chinese students see possibilities for success. “We’re fortunate to live in an age like this and share these opportunities,” Fu Jen student Lau says. Liu of Tamkang University echoes that sentiment, saying “Our greatest wish is that Taiwanese and mainland Chinese people will come to know each other better.”
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Hilton Yip is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
Copyright © 2012 by Hilton Yip