Kwong Ying-Wa, the administrative officer of the Rector's Office at Macau University of Science and Technology is interviewed by a CRI journalist on December 18, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/ Xu Leiying]

by Xu Leiying

While the Macao Special Administrative Region celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) is also preparing for its 10th anniversary which falls on March 27, 2010.

"The first file that Macao's SAR received after its founding was our application to set up a new university," said Kwong Ying-Wa, the administrative officer at MUST's Rector's Office.

The Macao government granted approval for the application on March 27, 2000, and that day became the MUST's birthday.

During the following nine years the newly-built university has grown at a fast pace and seen a rapid growth in student numbers. The university has become well-known among students, including those from the Chinese mainland.

"For the first year, we enrolled only around120 mainland students. Now, we have approximately 4,000 students from the Chinese mainland studying at our university. This includes both undergraduates and graduates," said Kwong.

As an international city, Macao offers some unique opportunities to its students, including overseas trips and the possibility to mix with people from various countries. The cultural diversity here helps to broaden students' minds. These are the main reasons why many mainland Chinese choose to study at universities in Macao, according to Kwong.

Shi Yunding, a senior student at MUST, backs up Kwong's opinion. As the head of MUST's debate team, Shi and his team have visited Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as numerous Chinese cities. Team members have gained new friends and won awards through competitions and exchanges with other students.

"The opportunities are abundant. The only problem is whether you can seize them or not," said Shi.

Liu Yinan, a junior at MUST, is one student who has seized various opportunities. When she was heading for Macao three year ago, she had no clear picture of what lay ahead of her. The decision to study in Macao had been made by her father, and not herself.

But at MUST she has been able to explore the potential of performing folk dances, as well as debating in both English and Chinese. She has become a star on campus after participating in so many events.

"Macao is a small region but a large stage that offers us many opportunities," Liu Yinan said. When she related her experiences of Macao to her former classmates they were all brimming over with envy, she added.

Kwong is extremely proud of his university's achievements. He told CRI that MUST seldom promotes itself on the Chinese mainland, but increasing numbers of people now know of the university and this is due to students sharing their experiences with friends and relatives.

Firsthand experience is more powerful than any kind of advertisement, Kwong concluded.