Thursday, February 22, 2007

response to "China's lost talent overseas "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6374301.stm
This article is about four Chinese scholars who got their education overseas but didn’t return to China. According to the media, two thirds of the Chinese scholars refused to go back to their home country. The four interviewed scholars studied in Canada, UK, Singapore and the US. Their scholars’ reason for why they did not return shows the most common reason among the Chinese scholars after 1980s.
Ming Wang is a scholar who studied in Singapore in the 1980s, he was among the very early batches of Chinese scholars who came to Singapore. He said that he decided to stay in Singapore instead of going back to China was due to the “painful images of tanks marching into the Tiananmen Square”. This reason may cause some of the scholars decided not to go back at that time when they finished their study in foreign countries. However, they have the chance to go back to China after the chaos was put down, but they refused to go back. The reason is various but from the four interviewed scholar I found that the reasons have features in common.
First, after the scholars decided to stay, they found that living in foreign counties can enjoy a more easy life. They slowly got used to their new life style. And when they finally started to think about going back to China, they realized that China was not as comfortable and easy as they are living. For this reason some of the formal scholars who had become lecturers, businessmen decided not to go back.
Some younger scholars feel they cannot get a good job in China and they think they can have a better career in foreign developed countries. Chinese universities are sending more and more graduates into the society which can not give working opportunities to satisfy the graduates. This caused the lost of younger scholars.
The present of China hit the passion of some scholars. After China opened itself to the world, people realized that they have to obtain money to make a better living. Gradually, some people lost themselves in the ocean of wealth. They give up their morality to pursue more money, and some of the scholars don not want to live in a country which has many unfair competitions so they choose to stay. They don’t want to be corrupted, so even some of the successful formal scholars who opened their business in China decided to give up the corrupted Chinese market.
As a conclusion, the lost of Chinese talents is due to both political and social problems. In order to attract more of her sons back, she has to change herself. She must accept international and various ideas and thoughts. We should not lose one of our best resources and leave them outside. Most of them still have the will to serve China, we have to bring them back.

2 comments:

Yuen Kah Mun said...

Hmm ... it was a thoughtful reflection. Brain drain is a serious problem, especially to small countries like Singapore. You are spot on where you identified the reasons for scholars not willing to return. But without them returning and making the difference, how will China be able to make the leap forward?

Anonymous said...

you, as one of those lost talents, have you ever considered going back and contribute to your country after you have finished your studies abroad? ever? never?
By Px