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Chinese Study Abroad Students’ Extravagant Lives Exposed

Sydney Opera House in Australia.

From Sina:

Our country’s study abroad students’ extravagant lifestyles in Australia exposed

Right now I am studying at University of Sydney, but I was previously a student at one of Australia’s well-known preparatory schools. A study abroad student called “Chen Yang”, before returning to spend summer vacation and while talking with schoolmates in China on QQ [a popular internet communication tool in China], revealed the extravagant and wasteful lives of our country’s male and female study abroad students in Australia. The truth/reality of those preparatory study aboard students’ lives had also shocked him greatly, even saying that there are definitely few parents of study abroad students who know the real situation.

I think: That reality is also something most of our countrymen do not know, that those study abroad student’s are completely different from the part-time working, part-time studying, diligently studying, always striving to improve image we have in our thoughts. The first time I saw the media report this, I was also very shocked, feeling it was unbelievable, that it was very difficult to image that those so-called study abroad students were attending school overseas like that, were “getting gold plated” like that.

1. LV is our school bag, and using Gucci would be considered lowered status.

Girl in pink t-shirt with jeans carrying Louis Vuitton bag.

In more than half of the study abroad students that came form Chinese schools, from “traditional monogram” to “checkerboard”, authentic LV [Louis Vuitton] can be seen everywhere, and not shortage of limited editions. These classic designs are priced 10,000 and above domestically in our country, as luxury masterpieces. In Australia, LV bags evidently are cheaper than in China, with mid-range being 1500 AUD (about 9000 RMB), but they are still luxury symbols.

Chen Yang said a schoolmate once carried an LV [bag] through Sydney customs, and the female customs officer asked him how much it cost. Upon hearing that it cost 1800 AUD, she joked, “You are so rich, I want to marry you”. Even though the exchange rate with Australian dollars recently dropped significantly, dropping from 6.5 kuai to 4 kuai, LV’s prices have not changed. When going shopping with several girls, every person each bought three or four items. He modestly said: LV is our school bag, and using Gucci would be considered lowered status.

2. Driving high-end, luxurious cars is commonplace.

Asian girl with white BMW 6 series.

I think two background points are worth nothing: First, the majority of those who are able to send their children abroad are either government officials or the rich; Second, even if they are an ordinary family, they too will provide the utmost financial support they can. LV is not the only symbol of wealth, Chen Yang said that there was also a schoolmate who bought a Benz in the first year, and then a BMW in the second year. And amongst his friends, Hummers are common, and even Bentleys. A bunch of luxury cars are often parked in front of the school, with everybody inside chatting and laughing inside is commonplace.

3. Girls all wear make up, nothing natural, gold-diggers.

Group of young people.

Chen Yang says the girls all wear makeup to class, reeking of smoke would not be an exaggeration, and nothing natural. In Australia’s empty large malls, there is always a bunch of study abroad students shopping for make-up., including Lamer (higher class than Lancome, a bottle of facial cream is over 10,000). Many girls insist on buying, either overdrafting their dowry early or relying on a boyfriend that provides food and shelter. In the eyes of Australians, this bunch of  prep school students are “tycoons”, dressed flamboyantly and behaving loftily.

4. Everyone has their own circle, and that circle is black society [gang, triad, organized crime].

Asian girl carrying boxes and bags.

Circle, circle, when it comes to preparatory school student lives, Chen Yang on QQ repeatedly said this word. “Because you are lonely, you want friends, and the people you know cannot possibly be just one person, so, you enter a circle.” He said that there are different circles for whether you have good grades, different circles for whether you drive a nice car, different circles for whether you use brand names, even different circles for whether you are homosexual.

To exaggerate a little, these circles are just like the little boys’ “factions/gangs” in middle and high school, with one circle’s people not liking the people of another circle, resulting in opposing circles. “Two people will have a problem and they will find an organization to do something about it”. The “organization” is black society [organized crime]. Chen Yang himself knows several members of organized crime. Chen Yang said he maintains his own student principles: No whoring, no gambling, no drugs.

5. There is an endless stream of Chinese boys and girls going to Australia to study.

People lining up to enter Louis Vuitton store.

It is said that Chen Yang’s prep school originally only had one floor, but after establishing relations with an agency in China, the endless stream of incoming students have now filled up four complete floors. Now over half of the international students in the school are all Chinese. There are even people who upon graduating decided to simply stay in Australia and start preparatory schools.

Building at night.

Comments from Sina:

随便唠叨:

Let me first grab the sofa. This kind of phenomenon definitely exists, but some study abroad students are still work hard and live plainly, diligently studying, for the glory of China [to be a credit to China and Chinese people]. I think those people who are exposed above must be “government official children”, “government official grandchildren” or so-called “rich people’s children”, “rich people’s grandchildren”. To those so-called study abroad students, our country’s favorite sons, I feel very sad!

9时30分:

Nothing new or strange. Many study abroad students are the sons and daughters of corrupt officials and rich people, the initial group sent before emigrating overseas.

我最爱热闹:

From what I know, the study abroad students to Australia I know are the children of rich people if they are not the children of officials.

Their academic grades are always poor. To be blunt, there’s not a single one who studies well. Just speaking of those I know.

zhiguo9623:

Don’t study but lots of flash, all are the sons and daughters of domestic corrupt officials and coal mine bosses, truly losing face for Chinese people them.

mlhddd:

So envy them, the materialistic dream that women yearn for, the have all realized, so awesome!

李国平药师:

Those corrupt officials and evil rich businessmen will definitely say: My child spending my own money is what fucking business of your’s?

梁子:

If you have money, spend more. If you don’t have money, spend less. There is no shame, just don’t delay or let it get in the way of your studies.

生姜老大:

Very normal. These days there are few study abroad students who go abroad after studying hard. Those who go abroad after going through hardships would cherish their opportunity. Only those who do not know how hard it is to make money would dare to squander/waste money.

欢迎你来唐古拉:

There are many people studying abroad in Australia, please don’t lump all of them together.

There are indeed many descendants of corrupt officials and rich people abroad, and that Chinese study abroad students are becoming younger and younger is also very apparent. But even with these preparatory and private school students, likewise tehre are even more students who come from China’s common ordinary families, for example white-collars.

I have never approved of children who are too young going abroad to live by themselves. This very bad for the child’s grown and development. But the popularity of this phenomenon shows that we have indeed lost all hope towards our own country’s living environment and education environment.

My descendants [children], if in the future they can go abroad, I will approve. However, it must be after undergraduate university or after, going abroad with  scholarships earned through their own academic performance, and only to well-known schools, so I do not have to prepare any money for my children. America is not like Australia and Canada, quickly building so many schools to cater to China’s “lots of money but stupid” people.

Of course, those people who don’t have the money themselves to send their children abroad, on the internet cursing corrupt officials and YYing a little to vent, also does not influence the fact that one day when they have the means, they too will send their children abroad.

火柴1982:

When we ridicule their material possessions, they are also ridiculing our poverty.

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Written by Fauna

Fauna is a mysterious young Shanghainese girl who lives in the only place a Shanghainese person would ever want to live: Shanghai. In mid-2008, she started chinaSMACK to combine her hobby of browsing Chinese internet forums with her goal of improving her English. Through her tireless translation of popular Chinese internet news and phenomenon, her English has apparently gotten dramatically better. At least, reading and writing-wise. Unfortunately, she's still not confident enough to have written this bio, about herself, by herself.

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