"Of course cheating, over-priced (yet recommended) textbooks and (usually sexual) favours for the lecturers are unheard of where you come from DoS... "

I didn't mean to imply that this behavior is not around in other countries at all, I simply stated it was rampant in China.

"and oh god spare us the Chinese students study harder clap-trap...or do you just believe everything your girlfriend tells you? perhaps you need to get out more."

I have been out lots, thank-you. My comment certainly wasn't based just on my girlfriend, but on my observations over the years here and interactions with many, many students. I *know* that Chinese students study harder than I, or any of my colleagues did back in the west, in high school, college or uni.. Maybe we were all just lazy of course, but all the younger teachers I meet here from the west generally say the same thing, and they are more recently out of the education system than I.

I am a little suprised to get a response from an English newspaper as well...