To a growing number of US students in China, study in the ancient country is no longer just a cultural experience it has become an important part of their future professional careers.

    Sam Gor, a 26-year-old student from Santa Clara, a county near San Francisco, said the purpose of his studies in Beijing was to help him find a good job when he goes back to the United States. "Culture matters," he said. "But more importantly, to learn Chinese and get a better understanding of the country may help me professionally." As a new student at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), Gor hopes to find a job in Santa Clara's local government when he goes back home in one year. "I need to learn Chinese if I want the job, as we have a large Chinese community there."

    Gor is not alone in his thinking. While the number of US students in China has grown from less than 100 in the early 1980s to more than 10,000 for the time being. Many of them are here to boost(提高) a professional skill as much as to enjoy a new culture.

    “In the past, foreign students came to China simply for our culture,” said Xu Quihan, director of BLCU's foreign students' office. “But because of China's rapid economic and social development, being able to speak Chinese has become a useful tool to a student's future job”

    There are more US students who choose to stay in the country instead of going back after graduation. Stephanie Schubmehlo, a 23-year-old from Rochester, New York State, said she would like to stay in Beijing after graduation. “I love the city, and I can earn myself a living here if I can speak good Chinese,” she said, adding that some of the US students she knows shared the same idea.