Two sisters from Vietnam: a master's in Chinese philosophy at Shandong University

Why they chose it

The two sisters describe their interest in Chinese philosophy as something that began in childhood, listening to older relatives tell stories about Confucius and Mencius. That interest turned into a determination to study the language properly, and eventually into a decision to pursue a postgraduate degree in China rather than in Vietnam.

They found the programme on Shandong University's website. Shandong is the province where Confucius was born, and the university's Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies is one of the principal centres for the field — so the choice of institution was driven by the subject rather than by ranking.

Preparing the application

Their account of preparation is methodical: once they saw the notice on the university website they read widely about the scholarship programme, checking the details carefully before applying, and then prepared the application around the specific programme rather than around Chinese universities in general.

The funding came through the International Confucian Association's scholars programme, which supports a China studies master's and doctoral project at partner universities and research bases. For applicants interested in philosophy, history, religion or Chinese studies, this is a scheme that receives far less attention than the CSC — and therefore less competition.

What they say about the first months

They describe arriving in September and beginning a Chinese-language postgraduate programme in a subject that demands close reading of classical texts. Their framing of the opportunity — that it is both an honour and a rare chance, and that they intend to use it to work on understanding Chinese culture seriously rather than superficially — is the reason their account is useful.

It is also a reminder that not every funded route runs through the CSC: specialist academic associations, provincial schemes and university-level awards frequently fund the same degree with a fraction of the applicant pool.