Since the implementation of the Open Door Policy, studying abroad, or Chinese Liuxue, has undergone significant transitions. This book reveals how Chinese students prepare for Western universities through international schooling. It explores their motivations and strategies within China’s evolving educational landscape.

Using surveys, interviews, field observations, and policy analysis, the authors uncover how families navigate the tension between meritocracy and global higher education. Through an innovative approach to analyzing students’ pre-mobility experiences, the authors trace students’ pathways through international schools and agencies, showing how these institutions bridge the Chinese and Western educational systems. Key insights include the ‘field-habitus match’ concept, which explains successful and complex transitions, and how international education adapts to local values.

This book is an essential resource for educators, international school administrators, policymakers, and scholars of the sociology of education, transnational studies, and Asian education. It is also useful for librarians and professionals in global student services.