ABSTRACT
Despite the rapid increase of international students in the Chinese higher education sector, little is known about their experiences in China. This chapter explores international students’ experiences within and outside the university, and how such experiences affect their perceptions of China. Nine Pakistani participants, selected after an initial questionnaire survey, were interviewed at a university in central China, through annual in-depth interviews. Drawing on Martin Buber’s concepts of ‘I-Thou’ relationships and dialogical communication, analysis of our data reveals how Pakistani participants’ interactions with their Chinese hosts failed to help generate less stereotypical understandings of China and feel themselves ‘objectified’ by the university.
