From 33 Students to 500,000: The 75-Year History of Studying in China

The Origin Story You've Never Heard

When you apply for a CSC scholarship or enroll at a Chinese university, you're participating in a system that has been evolving for 75+ years. Understanding this history helps you appreciate why China invests billions in international education — and what it means for your future.

1949: A Country Starting from Scratch

To understand why China began accepting international students, you need to understand where China was in 1949:

80%+ of 540 million people lived in rural areas
Literacy rate: Only ~20% — over 80% of the population was illiterate
Total universities: Just 207 in the entire country
Graduate students in ALL of China: Only 424 people
Total university graduates from 1911–1947: 360,000 (yes, 36 years produced fewer graduates than a single year today)

China desperately needed both to send students abroad and attract foreign students — not for tuition revenue, but for diplomatic and strategic reasons.

1950: The First 33 Students Arrive

How It Actually Started

Poland and Czechoslovakia first expressed interest in student exchange
Premier Zhou Enlai personally directed the Education Ministry to prepare exchange plans
June 1950: Zhou Enlai chaired a meeting deciding to exchange students with 5 Eastern European countries

The Initial Numbers

Country	Students Sent to China
Romania	5
Hungary	6
Bulgaria	5
Czechoslovakia	8
Poland	9
Total	33

These 33 students — arriving in the fall and winter of 1950–51 — were the very beginning of what would become a 500,000-student system.

The Birth of Chinese Language Education

September 1950: Tsinghua Creates History

The Education Ministry assigned Tsinghua University to establish the Chinese Language Special Training Class (中国语文专修班) — the first dedicated program for teaching Chinese to foreign students in the People's Republic.

Structure: 2-year program — Year 1: basic Chinese + current affairs; Year 2: advanced Chinese + cultural subjects
1952: Program transferred from Tsinghua to Peking University during the national university reorganization
This lineage eventually led to the establishment of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) — today's global center for teaching Chinese as a foreign language

Fun fact: When you study Chinese at BLCU today, you're following a tradition that began at Tsinghua's 1950 special training class.

Vietnam: The Original International Student Powerhouse

Long before Vietnamese students became the competitive applicant pool they are today, Vietnam was China's largest source of international students by a massive margin.

The Numbers (1953–1956)

Vietnam sent 1,299 students to China
88% of ALL international students in China came from Vietnam + North Korea combined
Total from all countries (1949–1956): Only 1,858 international students

Special Treatment for Vietnam

China went further than scholarships — it allowed Vietnam to establish entire schools on Chinese soil:

1 secondary vocational school in Nanning
1 junior vocational school in Nanning
1 regular primary/secondary school in Nanning
1 Chinese language school in Nanning
1 school in Guilin (1,041 students + teachers)

All were taught in Vietnamese, by Vietnamese teachers, under Vietnamese administration — funded by China's foreign aid budget.

The 1950s Scholarship Package

The original scholarship structure looks surprisingly familiar to today's CSC system:

Benefit	Exchange Students	Scholarship Students
Tuition	Free	Free
Living expenses	Paid by home country	Paid by China
International travel	Paid by home country	Paid by home country
Medical care	Free	Free
Housing	Free	Free

The Stipend Controversy (Sound Familiar?)

Undergraduate stipend: 80 yuan/month
Graduate stipend: 100 yuan/month
This was MORE than what Chinese teachers earned at the time

Chinese students noticed the disparity — early signs of the ongoing debate about "preferential treatment" (超国民待遇) that still surfaces on Zhihu today.

The "are foreigners treated too well?" debate literally started in the 1950s. It's not new, and the government's response has always been the same: maintain academic rigor while providing appropriate care.

The Management Framework

The 1950s system was already sophisticated:

Four ministries coordinated: Education, Foreign Affairs, Youth League, Students' Federation
Monthly meetings to review teaching plans and student conditions
Core principle: "Strict in academics, considerate in daily life" (学习上严格要求, 生活上适当照顾)
Serious disciplinary actions required Ministry of Education approval
Leave requests went through: home embassy → Foreign Ministry → Education Ministry → school

From 33 to 500,000

Here's the growth trajectory:

Year	International Students in China
1950	33
1956	1,858 (cumulative)
2000	~50,000
2010	~265,000
2018	~492,000 (pre-COVID peak)
2025	~500,000+ (recovered and growing)

Today's system features:

274 CSC-eligible universities
Students from 196 countries
Programs in Chinese and English
Scholarships at national, provincial, and university levels
Growing at 10–15% annually

What This Means for You

Understanding this history matters for three practical reasons:

1. The System Is Mature

China has been refining its international student programs for 75 years. The bureaucracy can be frustrating, but it's not improvised — there are established processes for everything from visa issues to scholarship renewal.

2. The Investment Is Strategic

China doesn't fund CSC scholarships out of charity. International education has always been tied to diplomatic, economic, and cultural objectives. This means the program is politically protected and unlikely to be cut — your scholarship is backed by national strategy.

3. The "Foreigner Privilege" Debate Is Old

If you encounter resentment about international students receiving better treatment, know that this conversation has been happening since 1955. The government's position hasn't changed: international students are strategic assets, not charity cases.

Bottom Line

From 33 Eastern European students at Tsinghua in 1950 to 500,000+ students from every continent today, China's international education system is one of the most ambitious and sustained educational projects in human history. When you apply for that CSC scholarship or book your flight to Beijing, you're joining a 75-year-old tradition.

Curious about applying? Start with our CSC Scholarship Guide or ask our AI Study Advisor anything about the process.

Got specific questions?