Chinese Studies Major in Thai Universities and China-Thailand Cultural Exchange

1. The undergraduate "Chinese Studies" major in Thai universities and Cultural Exchange between China and Thailand YNAG Baoyun School of International Studies，Peking University PridiBanomyong International College，ThammasatUniversity

2. Introduction Authorhas teaching “China studies” and “ASEAN studies” at PBIC international college of ThammasatUniversityof Thailand for 6 yearssince August 2013. In the light of the needs of teaching work, a survey was conducted among several graduates on the professional aspects of "Chinese Studies". This paper is based on the results of a questionnaire survey conducted by the 2019 graduating class students on the Chinese studies major of the International College.

3. Key points • I Establishment of Major "Chinese Studies" in Thai Universities • II The Development of "Chinese Studies" at PBIC International College • III A few points of thinking

4. I Establishment of "Chinese Studies" in Thai Universities Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, bilateral relations have continued to strengthen, China‘s overall national strength has continued to grow and its international influence has expanded, and Thailand has banned the Chinese teaching so in short of Chinese talents. Thammasat University is the first one in Thailand to establish PBIC International College in 2008 for Chinese research. Undergraduate Major: Chinese Studies, Thai Studies, Indian Studies. Postgraduate: ASEAN Studies.

5. CoursePrograms Languages: Basic Chines, AncientChinese, readingSeminars, EssayWriting, etc.； Politics：Chinesepolicy: Chinesepolitics, Chinesediplomacy, law, etc..； Culture: ChineseHistoryPhilosophy, Cultural Etiquette, Calligraphy and Computer Lessons.etc.； Social : Social issues and crisisin course, history of China, Chinese overseas, etc.； Economy: The Chineseeconomy, business negotiations, trade and investment, internationaltrade, etc... Other activities:frenquentcompetitionslikeChinese, writing, speeches and debatesponsored by PBIC and in cooperationwithsomeChineseuniversities for organizingstudents to participate in activities of short-termstudy in the summer camps and otheractivites。

6. Schooling System The length of major system is 4 years. The students of Third-year will go to study at Chinese universities such as Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai Overseas Chinese College and Shandong University in the second semester. The credits and test scores are included in the credits and achievements of the major.

7. Origins of Students Mainly from Bangkok and its surrounding provinces， Few number from south, eastor northeast of Thailand. The vast majority are Thai Chinese, a small number of Thai students, Thai Indian, Thai British as well as students from mainland China and Taiwan. Students are required to pass the entrance examination, including The Chinese and English proficiency tests. Some of the candidates have studied or traveled to China, and some have obtained a HSK certificate . Most students have a certain Chinese linguistic bases and knowledge when they entered school.

8. Team of the Teachers In the beginning most were Chinese teachers, including the teachers and volunteers sent by Hanban, a few was Thai teachers. In the recent two years, the teacher structure has changed, the college recruited a number of young Thai teachers with master's or doctoral degrees obtained from Chinese universities , and gradually formed a local Thai teachers-based team. These young teachers have taken some courses on Chinese history, economy, culture and tuition of thesis based on their majors in studying in China.

9. II Development of "Chinese Studies" in PBIC As PBIC has been established for 11 years and enrolled on this major 11 promotions of students, each one from dozens to more than 100, now the recruitment of promotion 2019 has come to an end. In the last two years, the competition for recruitment to Chinese studies has become increasingly fierce, and the number of applicants has decreased. But overall, the number of PBIC candidates in this major remain relatively stable.

10. The Reason for Choosing this Major For Graduates 2017: 58% of students for improving their Chinese language. The importance of Thai, English and Chinese: 53.1% think Thai is the most important mother tongue for Thais, 19.7% think Chinese is the most important, and 20.8% think English is the most important, that is shown that Chinese and English are in almost equal importance. For Graduates 2019: 27.6% to improve their Chinese language, 23.5% influenced by family, friendsand national development trends, 20.7% according to their own interests, 19.5% of students believe that mastering Chinese can improve their chances of finding a job in the future.

11. Career Prospect In fact, through communication with many students, it was found that expectations of employment prospects were the primary reason for choosing the major. Students believe that relations among China and Thailand and ASEAN countries become closer, Chinese is more useful. For example, tourists from mainland Chinese, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore contribute a lot to Thailand's tourism industry, in order to receive these Chinese-speaking tourists, a large number of Chinese speaking will be needed. Chinese-speaking staff has a promising career, they will have the better treatment and salary .

12. Comments from Students on the Course Program Students confirmed the necessity of Chinese literacy to lay a solid language foundation. It must to have from the second year Chinese history, politics, economy, culture, society and other aspects of general courses, to better understand the Chinese's thinking and behavior and China's various aspects of the situation. Watching videos about China and reading Chinese newspapers in the course are helpful. Its wide range of contents helps to improve Chinese reading ability and listening, so increases their understanding of China.

13. Students Interests of the Major Graduates 2019: 48.3% interested in Chinese courses, 13.8% in Chinese economy, 11.5% in the media, 10.3% in culture, 9.2% in history, 4.6% others, 2.3% in political courses. With the wide spread of network and multimedia, students want to know and use Chinese commonly used media and social platforms, such as WeChat, Weibo, QQ, etc.

14. Students Opinion on Study in China 2019: 55.2% of students choose the major because of the possibility to study in China sponsored by PBIC. 95.4% of students expressed their willingness to study in China to gain more opportunities to communicate with Chinese and understand their ideas, personalities and culture. At the same time, they can improve their Chinese language. 71.3% of students would study in China for one year and the fee is acceptable.

15. Impact of the Major to the Employment Very helpful：26.4% Quite helpful：43.8% Just so-so：17.2% Not very helpful and no help at all：1.1% each Unsure：5.7%

16. Orientation of Career Graduates 2019 want a career that can use Chinese Business：28.7%； Aviation service ：21.8%； Translation：12.6%； Teaching：6.9%； Hotel and media：2.3% each； Postgraduates：11.5%。

17. Wages Expects of Graduates 2019 31%：20001-25000B/M 25.3%：25001-30000B/M Average of initial wages of graduates 2015 of Thamassat University: Top one: 38 652B/M for Business and Accountability graduates Top two: 34 225 for Politic graduates Top tree: 31 116B/M for graduates PBIC Their lower expectation reflected the actual national and international economic situation so their attitude are quite conservative.

18. III. Some considerationProvide more support Thai universities set up "Chinese studies" major, in fact, with their own resources to build a Thai Chinese exchange platform, the Chinese authorities to actively support and help Among the previous students of the International College of the University of Law and Political Science, many people were very enthusiastic about participating in various professional or cultural exchange activities organized or co-organized by Chinese embassies and consulates, Hanban and Confucius Institutes. The International Academy recently held the opening ceremony of the China Learning Center. The center was created with strong support and sponsorship from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand.

19. Better play the role of volunteers Volunteers who teach in the "China Studies" major of the International Academy have made important contributions to the development of the major. They are basically from studying international Chinese teaching professional origin, have a professional foundation. The age of students in international colleges is similar, there are common interests and hobbies, communication barrier-free Most of the volunteers are mainly engaged in Chinese teaching, but often answer other general questions for students. They should further strengthen their ability training on how to introduce Chinese social culture in the context of language teaching, so as to help improve their teaching standards and promote cultural exchanges between Chinese and Thai youth.

20. Provide more training opportunities for local teachers Teachers in Thai universities reflect their desire for improvements in teacher training and business training. These young teachers are characterized by their relative age and proximity to their students, their ease of communication and understanding, their local teachers, who have no language and cultural barriers in communicating and communicating with students, their long-term learning and living experience in China, and their knowledge of the Situation in China, so they have a greater advantage in teaching the "Chinese Studies" profession. If Hanban and other departments and institutions can organize some practical and effective short-term training programs in response to the needs of local teachers in Thailand's "Chinese studies" and Chinese language majors, it will be beneficial to the development of these professions and promote educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

21. More Attention to Students non Thai-Chinese The number of non-Chinese students in the major has shown a rising trend recently. For graduates 2019, non-Chinese students 11.5 %, and 4.6 % with undefined ethnic origin. This increase has indicated in Thailand more concern from other ethnic groups to China and Chinese culture. In the recruitment of Thai students, in addition to Thai-Chinese students, more attention should be paid to the local ethnic students attracting more local ethnic elite students to study in China, so that they can better understand the Chinese culture and the significance of the "Belt and Road" construction.

22. Thank you for your Attention！