III. What type of negative experiences have Chinese students encountered on campus?

⑤ Chinese international students feel caught between a rock and a hard place when discussing politics

Politics was a thorny issue for many of our respondents during their studies in America. Whether it was what they described as “political correctness” in America or discomfort discussing Chinese politics due to pressure from co-nationals, a number of concerns were expressed in the survey.

Some felt pressured to disavow the Chinese government in a way they felt was not expected of their peers, saying they felt “pressured by American colleagues or classmates to offer exposition on the CCP as well as any current affairs involving China.” This made them uncomfortable — as one student said: “I am not a proponent at all of the current government of China, but I noticed that no other nationals were held to a similar standard regarding their politicians.” Indeed, another noted that they felt “compelled to defend [the] Chinese government’s official political stance because [they were] from China.”

Political pressure, however, didn’t only come from American sources — respondents also felt pressured by Chinese sources to express certain views. One respondent said that “the message from the Chinese government and official Chinese student organizations like CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars Association) is clear: do not criticize the Chinese government.” Another noted that, while they never felt uncomfortable in private discussions, they were nervous about publishing political writing under their own name. Another said that they received negative feedback from other Chinese students on campus for expressing what were perceived to be “‘anti-China’ sentiments.”

Figures 9a and 9b show the rising number of students who answered “yes” to the question of whether they felt pressure from Americans or Chinese to express certain political views. Clearly, whether it comes from Chinese or American sources, politicized pressure has made it difficult for students from China to discuss certain issues over the last 30 years.

Figure 9a. Political Pressure from American Sources by Cohort

Figure 9b. Political Pressure from Chinese Sources by Cohort

⑥ Chinese students report more experiences of discrimination over time

Discrimination has become a more common experience among our respondents, especially after 2016. Both graduate students and undergraduates reported a steady increase in these experiences over time, with slightly different patterns. While undergraduates were more likely to report experiencing discrimination on the campus, graduate students were more likely to experience it off campus. In addition, undergraduates in the 2004-2015 cohort were more likely to be unsure about whether they experienced discrimination, whereas the other cohorts tended to be more clear about experiences of discrimination.

Reported discrimination was described in a variety of ways and seems to have been experienced in many contexts and forms. One undergraduate student described a professor’s dismissive reaction in front of the class to a question they raised, insinuating that the student had been brainwashed and was merely repeating lines from a nationalistic Chinese newspaper. One graduate student was asked directly by their supervisor if they were a Chinese spy, and another had a professor who “openly” claimed that “All Chinese students [cheat] on their GRE exams.” A number of graduate students reported hearing racial slurs like “go home/back to China/back to your country” shouted at them.