International students say 'yes' to China

"I would like to experience what it's like to live in such a fast-paced environment, and learn how a rapidly developing city operates," he says.

Saparat is one of many young people from around the world arriving at CUHK-Shenzhen this summer, as the university expands its international community.

On Aug 24 and 25, 450 international undergraduate freshmen from 30 countries arrived on campus, including students from Indonesia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Their arrival comes as the university deepens its education exchange network across the Asia-Pacific. CUHK-Shenzhen has partnerships with 55 universities across 16 APEC economies, covering about 100 programs ranging from semester exchanges and summer study to research exchanges and joint training, according to Ke Changqing, director of the university's Office of Academic Links.