Chinese students feel at home with Edinburgh guide

A Mandarin student guide to Edinburgh has been brought out to make life easier for Chinese students in the Scottish capital, especially as many of them are spending more time away from home because of the coronavirus.

The guidebook has been rolled out by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, or ETAG, in a bid to inspire and support the record numbers of Chinese students choosing Scotland for their studies. It is being circulated digitally among members of the Chinese community, providing recommendations and suggested itineraries for students.

Rob Lang, chair of the ETAG's China Ready initiative, said: "ETAG is delighted to introduce Edinburgh's first-ever Chinese student guidebook, where students will find content created by our four Chinese student ambassadors as well as all the latest information on key tourist attractions and go-to restaurants and experiences."

In line with government guidelines, Lang said the initial aim is "to focus on local Chinese students, making sure they feel absolutely welcome, safe and confident that Edinburgh is a responsible, inspiring home from home".

When travel restrictions ease, and with record numbers of Chinese students elsewhere in the United Kingdom, he believes that "this new guide will ensure Edinburgh is exceptionally well positioned in 2021 to benefit from domestic Chinese student tourism, as part of the city's sustainable pandemic recovery efforts".

According to the UK's Higher Education Statistics Agency, 35 percent of higher education students from non-European Union countries in 2018-19 came from China. Of the 120,385 Chinese students recorded, more than 11,500 of them are at Scottish universities.

Historical links

Edinburgh has a long history of welcoming students from all over the world. Huang Kuan, commonly known as Wong Fun, was educated as a medical student at the University of Edinburgh between 1850 and 1855. Upon completing his studies, Huang became the first Chinese student to graduate from any institution in Europe, as well as the first Western-trained doctor in China.

As part of a Chinese social media campaign, the tourism action group has provided regular engagement activities with Chinese students in Edinburgh and the rest of the UK. Annual Edinburgh briefing and welcoming events take place during freshers' week, and a dedicated Chinese student WeChat group provides regular tips and inspiration.

Four UK-based Chinese student bloggers were selected to visit Edinburgh to celebrate Chinese New Year and Burns Night this year as part of a nationwide competition.