University draws foreigners for academics and lifestyle

Teachers and students enjoy pace of the city, Emma Gonzalez reports.

Belarus-born piano teacher Katia Jurova moved to China almost by chance. But nearly five years after she first set foot in Zhanjiang, Jurova said she feels the city in southern China has offered her everything she needs to grow professionally and emotionally.

"I really did not plan to come here. It just simply happened," said Jurova, who is now in her earlier thirties.

Her first contact with the country started when she was still a child. Her father, an employee of the Belarus Space Agency, worked closely with Chinese institutions for more than 20 years.

"While growing up, my dad made frequent work trips to China. We always talked about the things he saw and experienced during his business travels," Jurova said.

But it was not until she was working in Turkey that she met a music producer who suggested that her music career could take a positive turn if she moved to China.

"I was told that China was the place to go for musicians as the country was offering a lot of opportunities for piano players," she said.

Jurova started browsing the Internet looking for jobs and found a piano teacher placement at Lingnan Normal University in Zhanjiang. Although she was also approached by other Chinese universities, she opted for Lingnan because she had always wanted to live by the sea.

"I was looking for a good place where I could work. And I think I found it," she said.

It is easy to see that music is her passion and that her job at Lingnan University enables her to continue with her dedicated piano practice routine and to share her love for music with the university students.

She also unexpectedly felt in love with a local businessman whom she married. The couple has a 1-year-old boy.

Jurova said she does not see her future anywhere else because she now belongs to this city.

"I have a Chinese husband now, so I am not planning to go back to my country. I also never considered moving to another place within China because I personally do not like jumping from one city to another," she said.

In her opinion, the relatively small city of Zhanjiang is more suitable for her than a larger metropolis in China, where she would waste valuable time commuting.

"It is not a huge city so I have time to focus on the things that matter to me, like spending time practicing piano and enjoying time with my family," she said.

She is also pleased with the rapid changes that are taking place in the city. She admits that when she first arrived in Zhanjiang, she thought she would struggle to adjust to her new environment.

She remembers the central area being old with some of the buildings in very poor condition. But she is impressed by how fast things have improved in the city.

"A large number of hotels are being built and the streets are much cleaner. I can see there is an interest to develop green areas in the city. Zhanjiang overall looks more beautiful now," Jurova said. "I think it is going to be very interesting to see what the city will look like in 10 years."

Like Jurova, 24-year-old Vietnamese student Nguyen Trong Tinh first arrived in Zhanjiang five years ago.

He came to Lingnan Normal University as an exchange student for part of an academic cooperation program with his university in Vietnam. Now that Tinh has graduated with a degree in Chinese language, he aspires to become a Chinese-language teacher in his home country.

However, before Tinh returns home for good, he will relocate to Beijing to start a master's degree program.

He said he will be sad to leave Zhanjiang as the university has provided him with an excellent education and many friends that he will miss.

"I think Lingnan University is a very good place to study Chinese because it has a very good language department. I also like that the university has many squares and green areas where you can socialize with other students," Tinh said in flawless Mandarin.

Tinh said because there are not many international students in Zhanjiang, he had the opportunity of making many Chinese friends and improving his Mandarin-language skills.

Xiao Jianchun, deputy director of the office of international exchange and cooperation, Lingnan Normal University, said the center expects to receive 113 international students this year, mainly from Thailand, South Korea and Japan.

"Foreign students that study here choose Lingnan University because of the academic syllabus. But also because of the good weather and its air quality," Xiao said.

The official said the university expects to see more foreign students and teachers joining the school in the coming years.

Contact the writers through emmagonzalez@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/14/2015 page8)