International students from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine participate in a tai chi competition. [Photo/Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine]

Nanjing is continuing to strengthen its appeal to global talent, ranking seventh in the 2025 Chinese City Talent Attraction Ranking and being named as one of the "Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreign Talent" on eight occasions.

Known for its openness and cultural inclusiveness, Nanjing is increasingly becoming a welcoming environment for international students pursuing educational and career opportunities in China.

At Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, a Tajik student named Li Xiaolong — who adopted his Chinese name due to his childhood admiration for Chinese kung fu — is pursuing a master’s degree in acupuncture and tuina, having enrolled in 2023. In addition to mastering clinical acupuncture techniques, he is researching how acupuncture has spread and developed outside China, aiming to deepen his understanding of the global influence of traditional Chinese medicine.

The university has dedicated more than six decades to expanding its international education programs and has trained nearly 10,000 overseas students. Many graduates have returned to their home countries to practice traditional Chinese medicine, promoting the integration of these practices into local healthcare systems.

At Nanjing University of the Arts, international students are discovering China through creative expression. Russian student Petukhova Kristina, majoring in directing, recently completed a short film project with her classmates. She said the opportunity to document the lives and emotions of ordinary Chinese people in real urban settings was especially meaningful.

Many graduates from the university have gone on to teach in countries including Zambia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Mongolia, bringing with them artistic educational concepts and teaching methods developed in Nanjing and contributing to innovation in local arts education.

For international students at Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, learning extends beyond classrooms into factories and production lines. Students in majors such as communication technology, mechatronics, electrical automation, and cross-border e-commerce participate in joint training programs with Chinese companies expanding overseas.

According to Cao Xue, director of the college's Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, Many graduates have joined Chinese enterprises operating abroad, including the China-Laos Railway, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, and Huawei's overseas operations.