A different class

"In China, all families pay close attention to their children's education. If I had received education in Pakistan, I'm not sure I'd qualify academically to become a doctor," says Kazmi, who also enjoys volleyball, skating and hip-hop dancing.

Another foreign student in the new cohort is Kim Seong-eun from South Korea. After graduating from a high school in Harbin city, Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, Kim returned to her home in Gyeonggi province for two months before the new school year started.

Majoring in international relations, she says Shanghai is an influential trade center and many people from around the globe gather in the city for business and living.

"I'm convinced that I'll learn a lot at Fudan and build up my skill set for the future. I hope that I'll work for an international organization and work around the world," says the 19-year-old, who began studying in Harbin in 2016.

Kim says she was influenced by her mother, a Chinese culture enthusiast, to learn more about China. Before going to school in Harbin, she had the opportunity to travel to many parts of China, including Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou, with her mother.

Around 7,000 international students attend Fudan University for short-term and long-term education each year, and the number has remained nearly the same despite the pandemic, though many are now doing so remotely, rather than in person, according to the Fudan University International Students Office.

A teacher from the office surnamed Liu says they have come across several newly enrolled students whose parents are alumni of Fudan.

"One of our alumni later became the chairman of the Nepal-China Friendship Association. Last year, his son became a freshman at Fudan," she says.

Contact the writer at zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn