Countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are becoming popular destinations for outbound students from Ningbo to study abroad, local media reports.

BRI countries, according to the reports are gaining more popularity with Chinese students as the program advances, some due to proximity and others because of the relatively calm environment compared to Western Europe and the United States of America.

For many people in Ningbo, countries like Thailand and others in Central and Eastern Europe are not only beautiful tourism destinations, but also ideal places to study.

The considerations to study in countries involved in the BRI generally include the curriculum, living cost and a much easier application process.

"English is the major teaching language, which resembles the environment in the US relatively speaking, learning burden here is quite heavy," said Sun Congzhong, a native of Ningbo doing her doctoral studies in Thailand.

"Central and Eastern European countries are now new destinations for Chinese students because the application process is not that fierce and the scenery there attracts us a lot," a Ningbo native planning to go to pre-school in Hungary told the local media.

Xu Wanqing, general director of Overseas Studying Service Center Ltd Co, expressed optimism about these new destinations for overseas studies, noting that "countries involved in the BRI have a huge market potential for Chinese students to study abroad."

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, a Chinese-style garden in Thailand. [Photo/Xinhua.com]