The advantages of a different approach

Many Chinese art students abroad say the biggest challenge they encounter in their studies is the different approach to education. But that is also their biggest reward.

"In China, basic techniques and skills are the priority. The standards of assessments are strict and rigid," says Wang Tian, a 31-year-old fashion designer in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. "In Western countries, the ability to think independently holds more weight."

Wang runs a design studio and tutors fashion design students in the international art program of the art school of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.