ABSTRACT
It is important to more closely examine friendships among Chinese international students and domestic students. This chapter is to understand how Chinese international students, at one particular university, conceptualize friendship. Chinese students focus on the group more than the individual, and as a result they feel an obligation to help their friends and return the favor after their friends have helped them. Furthermore, the bonds of friendship are tight, once they have been established; however, it may take some time for the friendship to form in the first place. The chapter focuses on the findings that contribute to the existing literature on Chinese international students and friendship. Wei talked about purposefully adjusting his definition of friendship in order to adapt to the culture. The group mentality that the Chinese students have is not surprising when one considers that China is a collectivist culture. The chapter has implications for higher education personnel, especially those working with international students.
