The Sunday Times, May 6, 2007
By Lee Sze Yong
THE NEW IMMIGRANTS: EDUCATION
Fifteen years after the pioneer batch of Chinese students came here on scholarships, where are they now?
AT HOME: (From left) Mr Yang Lin and Mr Li Hao at Mr Zhang Hengwei's house- warming party on Labour Day.
BACK in 1992, Guang-zhou-born Yang Lin was a wide-eyed 18-year-old high school student who had just been accepted into Xiamen University's computer science faculty.
Then Singapore came knocking.
The high-scoring student, ranked sixth in his school, was invited to be among the pioneer batch of 100 Chinese students taking up a scholarship to study either at the National University of Singapore (NUS) or Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Eager to grab a chance to see more of the world, he signed on the dotted line almost immediately.
Fifteen years later, the decision to come here has paid off for both him and Singapore: The computer engineering graduate now co-owns Activants, an information technology (IT) solutions firm based here. It provides IT support for government agencies like the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, as well as private companies like Fuji-Xerox.
And the scholarship programme is still going strong too.
There are about 5,600 scholarship holders from China studying at NUS and NTU now, the Hong Kong-based Chinese-language weekly Yazhou Zhoukan reported last month.
It hasn't been all smooth sailing for the scheme though.
In 2004, China students created a stir when they swept the top three prizes in the Young Inventors Awards, which recognises research and innovation among tertiary students in the Asia-Pacific.
Four of the five members in the top three Singapore teams from NTU and NUS who won the awards were from China. Only one was Singaporean. This sparked emotions ranging from jealousy to resentment among Singaporean students and parents.
One of the scholarship scheme's pioneering cohort, Mr Zhang Hengwei, 33, says that while he did not feel any tension from his Singaporean peers, he can understand how locals would feel.
But he counters that not every Chinese scholar is a chart-topper.
The Guangdong-born scholar managed a second honours in electrical engineering when he graduated in 1996. Even then, it took more than six months to find a job as there was an employment crunch due to the Asian financial crisis.
'It doesn't mean that if you do well in exams, you'll do well in the job market,' he says.
The scholarship scheme originally came about after the Singapore and Chinese governments established closer diplomatic ties in the 1990s.
Initially, scholars studied for a bachelor degree, and each received a $5,000 annual allowance. In return, the scholar had to work for a Singapore government-linked corporation for six years after graduation.
Now, while the work commitment has remained the same, the scholarship's annual allowance has increased by $1,000.
So has the number of scholarships offered. Last year, 345 vacancies were up for grabs, compared to the original 100 places offered in 1992, according to a website called Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, a corporate body affiliated to China's Ministry of Education.
The programme has also been widened to include Singapore's Ministry of Health, offering 120 scholarships to Chinese medical students to study at Nanyang and Ngee Ann polytechnics.
As for pioneering grad Yang Lin, he recalls that for the 99 scholars who eventually came (one pulled out at the 11th hour), it was a rare chance to leave China for the first time. Back then, China was only just opening its gates to foreign diplomacy and trade.
He points out that the scholarship was given only to the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-placed students in his Chinese university, adding with a laugh: 'Of course the Chinese government is not going to let their top three brains go to another country.'
And from that inaugural batch, just under half are still here. The rest have left Singapore for other countries such as Australia and Germany, or returned to China, says Mr Zhang, who now works at NUS as a lab officer.
He and his software programmer wife Cheng Fang, who is also from the pioneer batch, still keep in contact with some peers.
Just last Tuesday, Labour Day, he held a housewarming party for 10 of them. The affable man became a Singapore citizen last year after deciding that the island is now his home, having lived here for almost 15 years.
He says: 'I like the fact that, in Singapore, if you're willing to do anything, you will definitely find a job.'
His peer, engineer Li Hao, 31, agrees. The Fujian native says: 'After being here for so long, you are so used to the life here that you stay put.'
However, another member of the group - chemist Raymond Lin, 32 - left for Shenzhen last year when he was offered a better-paying job.
That is despite the fact the Fujian-born scholar had become a PR. He tells LifeStyle that he had considered citizenship but found the warm weather too uncomfortable. 'The life is a bit stressful too,' he says.
He adds that there is still a certain amount of resistance towards Chinese nationals. 'Nowadays, the view towards the China Chinese is a little hostile due to the competition in living space and 'little dragon girl' affairs.'
'Little dragon girl' is a term used to describe women from China who compete with Singaporean women for their husbands and boyfriends - and their wallets.
Says Mr Lin: 'They (Singaporeans) don't trust foreigners, and in an organisation, normally the key positions are reserved for the locals.'
And as for Mr Yang, like fellow pioneer scholar Zhang, he too married another scholar. She was his junior by four batches.
Mr Yang and his wife Ye Shuqin, 30, who did nursing, have a three-year-old daughter. While his wife became a Singapore citizen last August, he says he is not applying for Singapore citizenship any time soon.
Mr Yang, who still holds a Chinese passport, says: 'It's more practical. Considering the pace China is developing at now, having a Chinese passport may help if I want to enter the market in the future.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'The eagerness for freebies and studying in fast-food outlets'
Yun Hae Young, 21, a South Korean student, on what she doesn't understand about Singapore culture. She has been here since 2005
'I like the fact that, in Singapore, if you're willing to do anything, you will definitely find a job'
Mr Zhang, who came to Singapore on a scholarship from China
By Lee Sze Yong
THE NEW IMMIGRANTS: EDUCATION
Fifteen years after the pioneer batch of Chinese students came here on scholarships, where are they now?
AT HOME: (From left) Mr Yang Lin and Mr Li Hao at Mr Zhang Hengwei's house- warming party on Labour Day.BACK in 1992, Guang-zhou-born Yang Lin was a wide-eyed 18-year-old high school student who had just been accepted into Xiamen University's computer science faculty.
Then Singapore came knocking.
The high-scoring student, ranked sixth in his school, was invited to be among the pioneer batch of 100 Chinese students taking up a scholarship to study either at the National University of Singapore (NUS) or Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Eager to grab a chance to see more of the world, he signed on the dotted line almost immediately.
Fifteen years later, the decision to come here has paid off for both him and Singapore: The computer engineering graduate now co-owns Activants, an information technology (IT) solutions firm based here. It provides IT support for government agencies like the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, as well as private companies like Fuji-Xerox.
And the scholarship programme is still going strong too.
There are about 5,600 scholarship holders from China studying at NUS and NTU now, the Hong Kong-based Chinese-language weekly Yazhou Zhoukan reported last month.
It hasn't been all smooth sailing for the scheme though.
In 2004, China students created a stir when they swept the top three prizes in the Young Inventors Awards, which recognises research and innovation among tertiary students in the Asia-Pacific.
Four of the five members in the top three Singapore teams from NTU and NUS who won the awards were from China. Only one was Singaporean. This sparked emotions ranging from jealousy to resentment among Singaporean students and parents.
One of the scholarship scheme's pioneering cohort, Mr Zhang Hengwei, 33, says that while he did not feel any tension from his Singaporean peers, he can understand how locals would feel.
But he counters that not every Chinese scholar is a chart-topper.
The Guangdong-born scholar managed a second honours in electrical engineering when he graduated in 1996. Even then, it took more than six months to find a job as there was an employment crunch due to the Asian financial crisis.
'It doesn't mean that if you do well in exams, you'll do well in the job market,' he says.
The scholarship scheme originally came about after the Singapore and Chinese governments established closer diplomatic ties in the 1990s.
Initially, scholars studied for a bachelor degree, and each received a $5,000 annual allowance. In return, the scholar had to work for a Singapore government-linked corporation for six years after graduation.
Now, while the work commitment has remained the same, the scholarship's annual allowance has increased by $1,000.
So has the number of scholarships offered. Last year, 345 vacancies were up for grabs, compared to the original 100 places offered in 1992, according to a website called Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, a corporate body affiliated to China's Ministry of Education.
The programme has also been widened to include Singapore's Ministry of Health, offering 120 scholarships to Chinese medical students to study at Nanyang and Ngee Ann polytechnics.
As for pioneering grad Yang Lin, he recalls that for the 99 scholars who eventually came (one pulled out at the 11th hour), it was a rare chance to leave China for the first time. Back then, China was only just opening its gates to foreign diplomacy and trade.
He points out that the scholarship was given only to the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-placed students in his Chinese university, adding with a laugh: 'Of course the Chinese government is not going to let their top three brains go to another country.'
And from that inaugural batch, just under half are still here. The rest have left Singapore for other countries such as Australia and Germany, or returned to China, says Mr Zhang, who now works at NUS as a lab officer.
He and his software programmer wife Cheng Fang, who is also from the pioneer batch, still keep in contact with some peers.
Just last Tuesday, Labour Day, he held a housewarming party for 10 of them. The affable man became a Singapore citizen last year after deciding that the island is now his home, having lived here for almost 15 years.
He says: 'I like the fact that, in Singapore, if you're willing to do anything, you will definitely find a job.'
His peer, engineer Li Hao, 31, agrees. The Fujian native says: 'After being here for so long, you are so used to the life here that you stay put.'
However, another member of the group - chemist Raymond Lin, 32 - left for Shenzhen last year when he was offered a better-paying job.
That is despite the fact the Fujian-born scholar had become a PR. He tells LifeStyle that he had considered citizenship but found the warm weather too uncomfortable. 'The life is a bit stressful too,' he says.
He adds that there is still a certain amount of resistance towards Chinese nationals. 'Nowadays, the view towards the China Chinese is a little hostile due to the competition in living space and 'little dragon girl' affairs.'
'Little dragon girl' is a term used to describe women from China who compete with Singaporean women for their husbands and boyfriends - and their wallets.
Says Mr Lin: 'They (Singaporeans) don't trust foreigners, and in an organisation, normally the key positions are reserved for the locals.'
And as for Mr Yang, like fellow pioneer scholar Zhang, he too married another scholar. She was his junior by four batches.
Mr Yang and his wife Ye Shuqin, 30, who did nursing, have a three-year-old daughter. While his wife became a Singapore citizen last August, he says he is not applying for Singapore citizenship any time soon.
Mr Yang, who still holds a Chinese passport, says: 'It's more practical. Considering the pace China is developing at now, having a Chinese passport may help if I want to enter the market in the future.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'The eagerness for freebies and studying in fast-food outlets'
Yun Hae Young, 21, a South Korean student, on what she doesn't understand about Singapore culture. She has been here since 2005
'I like the fact that, in Singapore, if you're willing to do anything, you will definitely find a job'
Mr Zhang, who came to Singapore on a scholarship from China
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