Bringing it all back home

Yang Lu returned to China last summer with a bachelor's degree in French literature from a university in La Rochelle, France, something that would have been unthinkable for members of the first generation of Chinese students to study overseas.

The 23-year-old, who now lives and works in her hometown of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, said she chose the major just because of her curiosity about, and love of, France.

"It's a romantic country that I wanted to visit and live in for a period of time. In addition, the French language, which is beautiful and interesting, also attracted me," she said.