(7 of 8)
At the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's main campus, hemmed in by the city's shops, offices and apartments, Kezeng "Lily" Liao, 26, is hunkering down for study. Born in Shanghai, the marketing student with a diploma in the dark art of public relations arrived in Australia in 2001 to learn English. Liao has given up well-paid work as a guide for Chinese tourists visiting Victoria to concentrate on campus clubs and activities - and the subjects she hopes to complete to finish her degree by the end of 2006. "I think that adjusting back to life in China would be very difficult for me now," says Liao, who hopes to settle in Australia, where she has developed a sense of independence. "In Australia the work is less stressful, there is a well maintained social-welfare system and a much stronger economy. For me, all of that makes for a better standard of living compared to China."
According to Monash's O'Connor, foreign students have brought vitality to campus life and the classroom. "But it can be a mixed blessing," he says. "The learning styles are different, more resources are needed for language support, and in some classes local students shy away from doing group work with Asian students." Academics and administrators are sensitive to claims of a slip in degree standards, poor-quality students and soft marking to keep foreigners coming through the turnstiles. RMIT vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner believes that going all out for growth in student numbers is a dangerous game. "Australian higher education has been very successful. But it would be wrong to think that you can simply project that success forward. We have to think seriously about quality, otherwise we will lose the ability to provide that vibrancy that students are expecting when they come here."
Australians have a fairly positive image of China and a curiosity to know more about it. But there is a distinct cultural gap. Basic questions pop up all the time that people don't quite know how to answer. Is China still a communist country? Yes, and it retains many of the hallmarks of a totalitarian state. Can people travel freely from China? That depends on where they live in China. It also helps if they choose an Approved Destination (Australia and New Zealand were among the first countries to be granted this status). In such a poor country, where do people get the money to buy flash cars, clothes and Shanghai apartments? That's complicated. Wealth can be due to luck, corruption or cleverness. China's "peaceful rise" is a brand that's been pitched in the same manner as a multinational mining company would push its green credentials. "Ambassador Fu is out and about and very focused on China's image," says an Australian bureaucrat. "But their methods have been heavy-handed on Falun Gong - they've given them far too much attention." On Taiwan, says another official, the Chinese have been emphatic in public and assiduous in working the back channels. If anything, the charm offensive has worked so well that usually robust Australians - afraid to give offense or spoil a business venture - often seem unduly sensitive about Chinese feelings. In numerous interviews for this story, participants new to China prefaced their remarks by saying, "I don't want to offend the Chinese, so don't print this." Off-the-record remarks are a feature of reporting, but they're usually red-hot and racy, like a Sichuan stir-fry.