Walking on campus, one can often see overseas students from all over the world. According to statistics by the Overseas Chinese Student Guidance Section, the number of overseas students has been steadily growing and it has broken the record again this year, totaling 478.

The 169 newly enrolled overseas freshmen have also created a new TKU record. The Overseas Chinese Student Guidance Section has explained that since the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission changed the quota of overseas students, increasing the distribution quota of students from Hong Kong and Macao in 2007, the overseas students from these places are doubled in the last two years. There were only 279 overseas students in 2005 and 386 last year, but this year has reached 478.

The 478 overseas students come from different parts of the world. Macao has pulled out first with 186 students (about 39%); Hong Kong is the second with 90 (about 19%); Malaysia takes the third with 88 (about 18%). Indonesia has 40 (about 8%), Burma 11 (about 2%), Thailand 8 (about 2%), the US 6 and Canada 6 (about 1.26). The rest of the countries, including South Korea, New Zealand, Argentina and France, have 43 (about 9%).

As the students are doubled, the efforts of the Overseas Chinese Student Guidance Section are also doubled in caring for them. The Section Chief, Pei-fen Chen said, “The present overseas students are active and lively, like going around with local students; so it is more likely for them to have accidents. Thus the Section has made great effort to propagate safety measures and necessary methods of handling emergent situations. At the same time, we have also encouraged cadres of the Overseas Students Social Club to take active care of new overseas students. Public Administration freshman Xiao-mei Wen from Macau has expressed, “Coming to TKU, I have met overseas students not only from other countries but also from Hong Kong and Macao. Wandering on campus, I often hear students talk in Cantonese which gives me warm feelings.” ( ~Dean X. Wang )