[Epoch Times News, December 10, 2024] – Scandals involving foreign students at Shanxi University continue to surface. Recently, after a foreign student at the university was reported to have received generous scholarships provided by the Chinese government, it was revealed that the student had behaved inappropriately towards a Chinese female student. However, local police did not classify the incident as inappropriate, sparking anger among many netizens.
On December 8, a netizen posted on social media revealing that at the entrance of a bar, a foreign student at Shanxi University behaved inappropriately towards a female student, with the process of him touching her buttocks captured on surveillance footage. The “surveillance evidence is conclusive, but the other party vehemently denies it.”
According to information from informed sources reported by Dahe Daily, a foreign student from Turkmenistan in Central Asia was accused of touching a female student’s buttocks while she was lifting a door curtain, with the surveillance clearly recording the entire process.
However, according to a report by Guizhou Radio and Television’s “Concern of the People,” a staff member from the International Education and Exchange College at Shanxi University told reporters that the surveillance footage was not clear enough to determine if the involved foreign student actually touched the female student’s buttocks. Therefore, law enforcement did not categorize the incident as inappropriate touching but rather as briefly touching the female student’s buttocks.
On the 9th, multiple attempts by reporters from “New Yellow River,” a section of Jinan Daily, to contact the Office of Foreign Student Management at the International Education and Exchange College of Shanxi University were unsuccessful. According to the introduction on the official website of Shanxi University’s International Education and Exchange College, the office is responsible for handling cases and emergencies involving foreign students as well as imposing penalties on violators.
As public attention continues to focus on the matter, a report by the Beijing News stated that a staff member at the Office of Foreign Student Management mentioned that the involved foreign student is a junior at the university, has been detained by the police for “touching a girl’s buttocks in a bar,” and the university will take strict disciplinary actions against the student based on the decisions made by law enforcement. A punishment decision for the student is currently being drafted.
The incident has sparked significant attention and discussion among many netizens.
Netizen “Shui Mo Qing Ju” said: “Let’s see how the foreign big shots are dealt with. It won’t be forgiving each other, right?”
Netizen “Liu Yuan Duo Yi Yuan Er” commented: “Classified as ‘touched a buttock, not classified as inappropriate’ – the funniest joke I’ve heard this year.”
Netizen “TooKLaaP” questioned: “A foreign student touched a girl’s buttocks, yet the police didn’t classify it as inappropriate. Is this the professionalism of the police?”
Netizen “Yao Yuan de Hao” expressed: “Not deported? Want to learn from Shandong University?”
Netizen “Shang Jiong” criticized: “Introduced with a scholarship of 100,000 yuan, with seven or eight study buddies taking turns to serve.”
Netizen “Bei Yu Leng Xi” highlighted the disparity: “How many people’s salaries can match their subsidies? Elderly people in rural areas receive only 100 yuan in pension per month and cannot afford it. They have money because they please the country.”
Public information shows that Shanxi University is located in Xiaodian District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, and is a university jointly constructed by the Shanxi Provincial Government and the Chinese Ministry of Education. As of 2024, the university had 24,590 full-time undergraduate students, 9,036 full-time master’s students, 1,551 part-time master’s students, and 1,370 full-time doctoral students.
Information from the official website of the International Education and Exchange College at Shanxi University indicates that the college was established in 1993 and is one of the designated Chinese language education bases confirmed by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China. It is also a recipient of the Confucius Institute Scholarship Program and has been enrolling recipients of the Chinese government scholarship since 2013. The college’s main responsibilities include the recruitment and management of international students (including self-funded students, exchange students, Confucius Institute scholarship students, and Chinese government scholarship students), Chinese language training, and international cooperation in education and research.
The college’s website states that since 1981, Shanxi University has been enrolling international students, with more than a thousand students from over 50 countries such as Russia, Mongolia, Thailand, Algeria, Cameroon, and Madagascar. Most of the graduates are currently working at foreign embassies, diplomatic institutions, friendly associations, joint ventures, and enterprises of various countries and regions in China.
Epoch Times reporters have observed that the International Education and Exchange College at Shanxi University offers four types of scholarships: “Confucius Institute Scholarship,” “Chinese Government Scholarship,” “Shanxi University Scholarship,” and “Provincial Government Scholarship.”
According to the introduction of the Confucius Institute Scholarship Application Method (2019), the scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and comprehensive medical insurance.
During their studies at the university, international students receive a substantial monthly living allowance: 2,500 CNY for undergraduate students and one-year/six-month research students; 3,000 CNY for international master’s students majoring in Chinese education; and 3,500 CNY for international doctoral students majoring in Chinese education.
According to the “Chinese (Communist Party) Government Scholarship Application Guide” released by the National Scholarship Council under the Chinese Ministry of Education, the scholarship covers tuition fees, free university dormitories or accommodation subsidies, scholarships, and comprehensive medical insurance.
The monthly scholarships provided by the Ministry of Education are: 2,500 CNY for undergraduate students; 3,000 CNY for master’s students/general visiting scholars; and 3,500 CNY for doctoral students/senior visiting scholars.
As per the “2020 Shanxi University Scholarship for International Students” released by the International Education and Exchange College at Shanxi University, the full scholarship includes waiving registration and tuition fees and providing students with living expenses during the semester (7,500 CNY/year for undergraduate students, 15,000 CNY/year for master’s students, 20,000 CNY/year for doctoral students, and 45,000 CNY/year for doctoral students).
Regarding the Shanxi Provincial Government Scholarship, according to the Shanxi University “Shanxi Government Scholarship for Foreign Students Interim Management Measures,” the scholarship includes: Category A – exemption from registration fees, tuition fees, and accommodation fees, with an annual scholarship standard of 25,000 CNY; Category B – exemption from registration fees, tuition fees, and accommodation fees, with an annual scholarship standard of 20,000 CNY; Category C – exemption from registration fees and tuition fees, with an annual scholarship standard of 15,000 CNY; Category D – providing 6,000 CNY per semester.
The generous scholarships provided by Shanxi University enable foreign students to lead a lavish lifestyle. In May of this year, news surfaced that foreign students at the university were reluctant to complete their studies and return home.
According to a report in Shandong Business Daily, a Sina Weibo user named “allaloneeeee” revealed information about “Pakistani students at Shanxi University who eat, drink, and have fun everywhere with scholarships, and have not graduated for many years.”
The netizen accused these students of living a luxurious life funded by scholarships, enjoying gourmet food, entertainment, and delaying graduation and departure. They also took advantage of superior educational resources and received “special care,” such as birthday celebrations from the university. Additionally, the netizen criticized some students for being addicted to social media, which may involve improper behavior.
Subsequently, the International Education and Exchange College at Shanxi University issued a statement to dispel rumors.
Epoch Times reporters found that following the exposure of the incident, the whistleblower, “allaloneeeee,” was put under a mute status, and the related Weibo posts were deleted.
This Weibo user, with an IP address in Shanxi, has also exposed numerous cases of foreign students illegally staying in China after graduating, commonly referred to as “Sanfei Foreigners,” a collective term for all foreigners who illegally work, enter China, and reside unlawfully without proper procedures. Many of these cases involve entering the country on study or visit visas and subsequently engaging in illegal employment.
Previously, a search on the official website of the Ministry of Education of the Chinese Communist Party revealed that in 2017, there were a total of 489,200 foreign students studying at Chinese institutions of higher education in 935 universities across 31 provinces and cities nationwide.
Listed in the 2018 Department Budget of the Ministry of Education released on April 13, 2018, the general public budget expenditure table showed that in 2018, the budget for educating foreign students in China exceeded 3.3 billion CNY. However, following continuous exposures of related news about foreign students, official information in this regard has been scarce.