ABSTRACT
In this chapter I explore the relations between Chinese international students in the United Kingdom and their parents in China. Chinese parents invest heavily in their children's international education. Deeply rooted Confucian heritage cultural values of filial obligation underpin and explain this investment and produce high expectations of Chinese international students in terms of their educational achievement. These mutual obligations are exacerbated by a combination of these students being an only-child, and their parents’ desire to fulfil their own life ambitions through their children. This phenomenon is significant among Chinese overseas students and their parents, because parents invest so heavily in their children's overseas studies.
