The global study abroad landscape is quietly reshaping: Studying in China has become a popular choice for overseas students.

What are the current advantages of studying in China? In recent years, the scientific research strength and global rankings of Chinese universities have reached new heights. This article will share a new understanding. 01 New Quality Productivity and University Research Development: A recent New York Times article titled "A Century Belonging to China May Have Arrived" has caused a sensation internationally. The author, Princeton researcher and RAND Corporation think tank expert Kyle Chan, cited multiple studies, stating that China has already taken the lead in global production in 12 key industries, including steel, aluminum, shipbuilding, batteries, solar energy, electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, 5G equipment, consumer electronics, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and high-speed rail. Several studies suggest that China's rapid rise will trigger another shift in the center of higher education, creating a multi-center landscape, with China as one of them. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a national leader in scientific and technological development. The Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area assigns the region the important task of "building an international science and technology innovation center." The Greater Bay Area currently boasts over 77,000 national high-tech enterprises, 34 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint laboratories, and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou technology cluster has ranked second globally for five consecutive years. Furthermore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen have both launched the "Study in Hong Kong" and "Study in Shenzhen" branding strategies, using a series of policies to attract talent. This is bound to create a higher-quality international education, and studying abroad in the Bay Area has become a trend. 02 The "Returning Wave" of Chinese Scientists Paves the Way for Technological Development. In the new round of scientific and technological revolution, the fierce competition among countries around the world is essentially a competition for high-tech innovation capabilities, and the key lies in talent. With the rise of emerging industrial nations, traditional brain drain countries, such as China, India, and Brazil, have begun to see a return of overseas talent. According to Hong Kong media statistics, due to the uncertain policy situation in the UK and the US in recent years, since the end of 2024, more than ten well-known Chinese scientists have left the US and the UK to return to teach at Chinese universities. Their main research areas are basic research in mathematics and physics. This recent wave of returning overseas talent has also included scientists and postdoctoral fellows joining universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Greater Bay Area universities such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the Southern University of Science and Technology have become hubs for high-end overseas talent. Biologist Yan Ning returned to China to lead the Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences and the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory. Dr. Li Huaiguang, a young scholar at the University of Cambridge who was developing and researching novel carbon dioxide adsorbents, and Qian Qi, recipient of the Materials Research Society Postdoctoral Achievement Award, have joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. World-renowned mathematician Zhang Yitang has joined Sun Yat-sen University full-time at the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study, where he will reside and work in the Greater Bay Area. According to public information released by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, the university has recruited nearly 700 outstanding internationally renowned scholars and researchers worldwide, including six Nobel laureates, nearly 50 academicians from various countries, and over 110 national-level talents. 100% of the faculty currently recruited have teaching or research experience at top international universities, and 109 of them have been named to the top 2% of the world's top scientists for 2024. Many of these scientists are currently in high demand as cutting-edge researchers in the prime of their academic careers. This will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the academic strength of domestic universities and future technological development. 03 Chinese universities are reaching new academic heights. According to the latest QS World University Rankings 2026, five universities in mainland China have already entered the global top 100, with approximately 45% of universities rising in the rankings. Universities in Hong Kong, China, have made significant strides, with the University of Hong Kong rising to 11th place globally, and five universities also appearing in the QS top 100. Notably, mainland branches of Hong Kong universities share the ranking of their home universities. The QS rankings not only reflect the growing academic strength of Chinese universities but also reflect the growing strength and globalization of Chinese universities. Concurrently, mainland Chinese universities account for 153 of the 2025 Nature Index's top 500 global universities, an increase of 18 from last year. Chinese institutions dominate the top 10 institutions in the 2025 Nature Index's research leadership list, with eight being Chinese institutions. In contrast, in the 2021 index, only two Chinese institutions—the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of China—were included. This, to a certain extent, reflects the growing overall strength of China's scientific research. More and more domestic and international students are choosing to study in China, and Sino-foreign cooperative institutions have become their preferred choice. According to Student C, who attends an American high school, a 12th-grade American student at his school applied to NYU Shanghai. The recent surge in the popularity of Sino-foreign cooperative education, particularly independent Sino-foreign institutions, also confirms this. Of the 11 independent undergraduate Sino-foreign institutions nationwide, six are in Guangdong, giving them a numerical advantage. The geographical advantages of Hong Kong and Macao make the Bay Area a pioneer in studying in China.