BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Loneliness and anxiety could take a heavy toll on young pupils
Jinxing, 15, attends an English summer school every day in Beijing. At 1,800 British pounds ($2,812) per month, it is not cheap, but her parents consider it an investment in her future as she will soon enroll in a boarding school in London.
An increasing number of Chinese children are studying abroad. But sometimes the sense of displacement and emotional upheaval can take a heavy toll.
Last month, a Chinese student at an independent boarding school in the UK was jailed after stabbing another student.
He Minheng, who went to the Langley School in Norfolk, attacked another student with a knife. The victim sustained serious wounds to his shoulder and elbow.
He was sentenced to four years in prison. The judge said it was a "serious, pre-meditated" attack on an "innocent, unarmed victim" whose injuries were "appalling", although not life-threatening.
The defendant, who discovered his mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer when he returned to China on vacation, was left "isolated, alone and vulnerable", his defense team said.
The case put a spotlight on the difficulties faced by Chinese pupils abroad.
According to local media, He, a "gifted mathematician", had come to Norfolk when he was 17 to learn English.
With no family support, He was one of only two Chinese students who spoke Mandarin - the others at the school spoke Cantonese.
"Children who study in foreign schools are especially vulnerable to loneliness and feelings of isolation. A lot of them do not have family support overseas," said Chai Yin, an education expert in China and the founder of a project which provides services for students who are under 18.
In the past three years, Chai has witnessed a wide range of problems.
"Parents should understand that sending children abroad doesn't guarantee solutions for all their problems; instead, it's a starting point for new challenges."
Childhood in an isolated sterile room
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