Liu Qingsong, deputy head of the life science department. [Photo provided to China Daily]

New trends

China's rapid economic growth and the broader opportunities offered by its development have become strong pull factors for overseas Chinese students and scholars.

More than 3.22 million Chinese students completed their studies abroad between 1978 and the end of last year, with 2.65 million returning home to find jobs, the Ministry of Education reported in March.

"When I went abroad, the economic gap between China and the US was big," says Ren Tao, who went to University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study microbiology in 1997. "But things change gradually."

Ren later went to work at Harvard Medical School. He noticed more praise for China from his foreign colleagues over the years.

Ren recalls that during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he projected the live broadcast of the opening ceremony on a conference room wall.

"As Chinese gathered to watch the broadcast, some Americans joined us, and they were amazed by the grand ceremony," says Ren. "We felt so proud of our motherland."

Ren spent 18 years living in the US before returning home in 2015. His time abroad also made him a good cook.

"I had an easy and comfortable life in the US, but I always felt that I didn't make full use of my knowledge," says Ren.