Students showcase their skills in the global classroom

In the late 1970s, only a handful of Chinese studied abroad. Now, the country is the world's largest source of international scholars. Zou Shuo reports.

Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series of stories reflecting China's achievements in a range of fields, including science, law enforcement, education and transportation, resulting from 40 years of the reform and opening-up policy. More stories will follow.

In 1978, when China adopted the reform and opening-up policy, only 860 people traveled overseas to study. Most of them were sponsored by the government, and many were mistaken for Japanese nationals by their peers at universities in the West.