As was shown in Chapter 2, one of the keys to understanding language learners' strategic learning is to have some knowledge of the learning contexts and, of particular relevance to this inquiry, mainland Chinese students' migration for further studies to Hong Kong. In this chapter, I shall describe the educational and social context on the Chinese mainland to illustrate the contextual forces pushing mainland Chinese students to migrate to other educational contexts in pursuit of English-medium tertiary education. I will also draw on research literature and my personal knowledge to portray the social, linguistic and educational context in Hong Kong. As a mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, I experienced many challenges and difficulties similar to those of many mainland Chinese students.

Education on the Chinese Mainland

Education occupies a central position in the Chinese cultural tradition and has remained a top priority among the concerns felt by most Chinese, despite the dramatic social, cultural and political shifts in China over the centuries (Elman, 2000; Lee, W., 1996; Lee, H., 2000; Miyazaki, 1976; Thøgersen, 2002). Cultural discourses, especially writings by Confucius and on Confucianism, emphasize learning for one's own self or moral perfection and the implication of such individual perfection in social transformation (Bai, 2005; Elman, 2000; Lee, W., 1996; Lee, H., 2000). In other words, Chinese traditional educational ideals and expectations attach both instrumental (pragmatic) and intrinsic (cultural) values to education. In contrast with these cultural ideals, in the past the public often adopted a pragmatic approach to education and consistently expected to acquire academic and literacy skills as well as achieve upward social mobility and personal development through education (Thøgersen, 2002). In particular, it was essential for people to achieve social mobility, gain financial returns or maintain their 'elite' status in communities through educational efforts, the culmination being to achieve success in imperial civil service exams (Miyazaki, 1976; Schulte, 2003).