They come to sample Chinese food at the source and travel the vast land, and they leave speaking a whole new language.

Arshad Mahmood from Pakistan, a PhD student at Shanghai Jiaotong University in the Power Machinery Department, says his first impression of China, also known as the "kingdom of bicycles," was amazement at the agility of its cyclists.

"What has impressed me most is that China has so many bicycles," said Arshad. "I was amazed when I first saw the incredible skills of Chinese cyclists that help them slip through the streams of buses and cars," he recalled.

Arshad decided to buy a bicycle himself and experience the traffic on the bustling streets firsthand.

Arshad is one of the university's 350 international students from 28 countries. Eighty per cent of them are enrolled in the Chinese Language Programme offered by the School of International Exchange (SIE), at Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU), while the rest are degree students, according to Yuan Jun, deputy director of the Centre of International Student Education.

Wu Xuewei is a Chinese Indonesian whose pronunciation of Chinese is somewhat similar to that of Cantonese people.

"You know, that is an advantage for me when bargaining with Chinese clothiers on Huating Road. I always tell them that I am from Guangdong, and they will often give me an understanding nod: ‘Oh, smart Cantonese!' In that way, I can always get a good price in the end," said Wu.

Alongside young Chinese people, young foreign students in Shanghai also enjoy surfing the Internet, karaoke, bowling, shopping, and going to pop concerts and bars while they are here. These are all activities that enable them to get closer to the lives of local Chinese people.

International students are also eager to travel to China's historic sites when they are not studying.

Arshad is a typical student with much interest in travelling. So far he has visited many places in China like Harbin, Hohhot, Urumqi and Shenyang. And Tibet is next on his list.

Wu's most unforgettable experience in China is also related to travelling. "Thirty-two hours spent on a train from Kunming to Guilin left me with a deep impression of China's trains!" he said.

On the down side, many Chinese customs can be perplexing for foreign students here.

"For example, many need our help in completing enrolment procedures upon arrival. And it usually takes them about six months to get used to life here," Yuan said.

And even once they have acclimatized, the students are still likely to have bouts of homesickness, especially during holidays.

All international students at Shanghai Jiaotong University have now been moved into the Taoli Garden Hotel on SJTU's Xujiahui campus.

Besides the improved facilities they now enjoy, teachers try to make the environment as welcoming as they can in other ways.

"The self-service kitchen usually closes at night, for example, but we allow Islamic students to prepare their meals at 4:00 or 5:00 am during Ramadan, a time of fasting for Muslims when they are forbidden to consume anything in daylight," Yuan said.

"Whenever we go on field trips, our teachers act as though they are our parents, telling us not to do this, not to do that. But we all understand they want to look after us," said Arshad.

"We are deeply moved when so many people here show their good feeling towards us. With their care, we are not alone here; we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts," added Eiko Fujita, a Japanese girl student, in fluent Chinese.

With a favourable environment for studying and living, the students can concentrate on what they planned to accomplish before coming to China.

Except for those who pursue degrees, the immediate aim for most Chinese language students is to learn Chinese. In order to gain greater insight into both the intriguing Chinese language and the Chinese culture, they focus their attention on study which emphasizes training in the basic language skills. And they try to get close to the common lives of Chinese people on their own initiative.

"This is the third time I have come to China. When I came in 1994, I found Chinese culture appealed to me very much, and the business field I am now in has required me to deepen my understanding of China and Chinese culture. That's why I am here again," said Fujita.

The thing that makes her happiest is she can now use her Chinese to communicate freely with Chinese people.

The language programme the students are in is flexible. A long-term placement (individuals can choose a length of their own liking) requires tuition fees of $2,200 a year; a short-term programme is calculated on a weekly basis.

Besides tuition fees, living costs vary between students in accordance with their respective extracurricular activities. For instance, monthly expenditure for Fujita is less than 1,000 yuan ($120), and Arshad usually spends $200 a month.

When asked about their future plans, most students seem to have already thought it through.

"I will work as an interpreter to enhance communication between China and Japan," said Fujita.

"Perhaps try to find a job in Shanghai...whatever my future plans, this happy experience will be a most cherishable memory for me," Wu smiled.

"I will be very sorry to have to leave all the friends I have made here after graduation. After all, it is a four-year-long friendship. Life here is a mixture of tension and fun. It makes for vivid memories," Arshad said. "I will definitely be back."