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 PrintableVersion 'But it's so different in China'The opportunities and challenges of working among Chinese students in the UKIt has been called 'the cultural revolution for the 21st century'.1 Thousands of students from outside the EU are coming to study in the UK. Of particular note is the number of Chinese students flocking to universities and colleges across the UK. In fact, last year China was ranked second among nations outside the EU for the total number of international students studying in the UK (only the US ranked higher).2 Over 10,000 Chinese students came to study in UK universities and colleges, with numbers doubling for the second year running.2 Over half of these students are studying for postgraduate degrees. Many of them will return to positions of influence and authority in government or business when they go home. This trend is set to continue following the launch of a three-year, government-backed worldwide marketing campaign costing £5m, designed to support the overseas promotion of UK institutions. Welcoming the campaign to attract more international students to the UK in January 2001, National Assembly First Secretary, Alun Michael commented, 'ƒ I am sure that this is an enriching experience for [international students] both in academic terms and the opportunity to experience our unique heritage, traditions and culture.'3 Christian heritageOne aspect of UK 'culture' that many Chinese students are surprisingly open to exploring is our Christian heritage. According to Richard Weston (National Director, Friends International), international students are often shocked when they first arrive in the UK by the level of immorality in what they perceive as a 'Christian' country. Consequently there is a tremendous opportunity for Christians to explain the true meaning of the Christian faith in the context of a nominally Christian society. One Chinese student this academic year walked into the Open House run by the Christian Union during his first week at university, and said to the guy he met there: 'I suppose you're all Christians here. Well, I'm not, but I do want to study the Bible.' What a contrast to your average British undergraduate! There is a real openness among many Chinese students to finding out about the Christian faith and often a firm desire to study the Scriptures. This story is being repeated all over the country, from Southampton to Sheffield, Guildford to Glasgow. Over 1,000 mainland Chinese have come to study in Nottingham alone this academic year. By the end of the first term, about 40 Chinese students had signed up to enquirers' courses, keen to find out more about the Christian faith. Debbie Dickson is the International Student Chaplain at Nottingham University (she is also Friends Inter-national's Nottingham staff worker). Debbie tells me that the mainland Chinese are among the most open of all the international students who come to study in the UK: 'Many of these students have been met by Christians at the Globe Caf· and at welcome events put on in the university. Others come out of a sense of curiosity about a faith they are not able to investigate easily in their own country. One student who approached me wanted to find out about the Bible because he said that his grandmother was a Christian and he was so impressed by her life that he wanted to know more.' Debbie has a deep concern for preparing new Christians to return home. She tells me about a Chinese student 'Y' who came to faith in Nottingham in 1999 whilst studying for a Master's degree in English Language Teaching. In Nottingham he attended a church where he could hear good Bible teaching, enjoy lively, modern music and meet people of his own age and with similar educational and professional experience. Returning to ChinaOn returning to China one of Y's priorities was to find a good church. He found one but it wasn't like Nottingham. The preaching was different, the people were different and it just wasn't the same. He met a lady who led small group Bible studies in a home but she moved away. During this time his son had a brain tumour. He was not expected to live, or if he did he would have severe brain damage ƒ but Y enlisted prayer and was soon very vocally praising his heavenly Father for his son's full recovery. Debbie kept in touch by email, but gradually she suspected he was not attending church. Back home, Y's plight and that of other returnees Debbie had visited, made her think about how best to prepare new Christians to grow and mature without the benefit of so-called 'expert' teachers when they return home. Debbie consulted seven new mainland Chinese Christians about forming a fellowship group for new Chinese Christians that would be Chinese-speaking and led by one of them along with a Chinese-speaking short-term volunteer. They all accepted eagerly. They now follow a regular Bible study course, pray for each other and learn Chinese Christian songs. They are encouraged to be accountable to each other and to take opportunities to lead. Debbie hopes that this fellowship will help prepare new Christians to return home to a country where they may not be able to attend a church as they know it here in the UK. In the meantime, a grandmother in China has been praying for her family's salvation for years (she is the only believer among them). Her granddaughter arrived in the UK recently to begin a course of study, and accepted an invitation to a guest dinner at a local church. The after dinner talk was entitled 'Who needs God?' This was the first time she had heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Will the grandmother's prayer begin to be answered with the salvation of her granddaughter while she is studying here in the UK? May it be so... Sophie Hamilton,
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