When Guangli Xu’s phone started buzzing with thousands of notifications, he realised he had “gone viral”.
The 28-year-old shared a video to social media platform Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — titled “Challenging the world’s longest commute to classes”. The video documents the 8,800km journey Xu takes weekly from his hometown Dezhou, in China’s Shandong province, to Melbourne for face-to-face classes.
“A round trip takes about 72 hours. One way is about 10 to 13 hours on the plane,” he tells SBS Mandarin.
Xu first came to Melbourne eight years ago and in that time has completed his undergraduate studies in game design and a master’s degree in arts management at RMIT University. For his final semester this year, he decided to move back to his hometown and become an ‘international commuter’.
Guangli Xu’s weekly international commute to uni went viral after he shared a video on Douyin. Source: Supplied
“I usually leave for Melbourne on Monday mornings and can be back home [in China] by Wednesday evenings,” Xu says.
Between August and October, he made the commute 11 times, with each round trip costing around $1,500. He says the expense is comparable to his typical monthly living costs in Melbourne.
The overall cost is not much different. But I think the money is better spent [in China] because the overall cost here is lower.
Xu says the main reasons he wanted to become an “international commute student” were to spend more time with his family and girlfriend, who are based in Dezhou, and to prepare for a career in China post-graduation.
Before committing to the plan, Xu read up on China’s overseas degree recognition and recruitment timelines and assessed the feasibility of managing his coursework remotely.
“I found that the flight routes between China and Australia are frequent, with multiple airlines operating, so I gave it a try … It turned out to be quite feasible and I haven’t encountered any major issues,” he explains.
“I prefer the environment and convenience in China. After living abroad for so many years, I also wanted to spend more time with my family.”
Cross-state commuting
Alongside international commuting, some domestic students are travelling interstate for their studies.
Hunter Huang, a Chinese international student at the University of Adelaide, moved to Sydney in February and began a four-month journey of “cross-state commuting” to complete his postgraduate studies in marketing.
The 27-year-old had been living in Adelaide since 2016, where he completed his foundation and undergraduate studies.
Hunter Huang decided to move to Sydney after living in Adelaide for eight years. Source: Supplied
Speaking to SBS Mandarin, Huang says he would typically fly from Sydney to Adelaide once a month, returning the same day.
“I usually arrive at Sydney Airport around 6am and take the earliest flight to Adelaide, arriving just in time for my 10am class.
I catch an evening flight back to Sydney after finishing classes at 5pm, often getting home late at night.
Like Xu, Huang’s move was in part motivated by love — his girlfriend lives in Sydney. He also cited Sydney’s lower shared accommodation costs and greater job opportunities as primary reasons behind his decision to commute between states.
“After calculating the costs, I found that living together [with my girlfriend] in Sydney is cheaper than living apart, with me staying in Adelaide to study. We’re saving nearly a month’s rent, around $2,000,” Huang says.
“Also, it’s not easy to find a marketing job in Adelaide but there are more opportunities here in Sydney.”
Could international commuting become mainstream?
Xu isn’t the only one adopting the international commute lifestyle. On Chinese social media, it is not unusual to see international students from other countries posting videos tagged “China-Japan commute”, “China-Korea commute” and “China-Russia commute”.
Dr Qian Gong, a scholar of Chinese media and popular culture at Perth’s Curtin University, believes that short-term international commuting could become “a more common practice” among international students in the near future.
“Particularly for countries that are geographically closer, like South Korea, Japan, Malaysia or Singapore, I think it’s highly possible that some students might opt for a period of international commuting,” she says.
Curtin University’s Dr Qian Gong says international commuting may become commonplace in the future. Source: Supplied
Gong explains that compared with earlier generations of Chinese international students, the new generation places a higher value on staying connected with their families. Additionally, an increasing number of students now choose to return to China after graduation.
“I’ve seen students mention that one reason they choose Australia is the [smaller] time difference between Australia and China. Whereas in the US, for instance, it’s less convenient to call or video chat with family,” she says.
“Over time, international commuting might become a practice that no longer stands out as unusual.”
International commute not for everyone
As Xu’s international commute videos gained traction online, he started facing criticism. Some comments posted on Douyin label him a “wealthy kid” and questioned the value of his degree.
Dr Hongzhi Zhang is a senior lecturer in education at Monash University and says the decision to undertake international commuting is tied to a range of social, economic and lifestyle factors international students have to consider.
“If there were more job opportunities and better living conditions here in Australia, I believe [Xu] would be more inclined to invite his family to live in Australia, rather than flying back to China every week,” Zhang says.
D Hongzhi Zhang works at Monash University’s faculty of education and says international students face different pressures to their Australian counterparts. Source: SBS News
Despite the considerable time spent travelling and associated costs, Zhang says international commuting does not necessarily diminish the quality of learning.
“What affects the quality of learning is whether the student has adequately prepared before attending class,” he explains.
Zhang points out that since the pandemic, universities have embraced more flexible teaching methods to meet diverse needs.
“For instance, many reading materials are now provided online in advance. Whether students are in Australia or elsewhere, they can prepare for class ahead of time.”
In early December, Xu returned to Melbourne to prepare for his graduation ceremony later this month.
Reflecting on his three-month journey as an international commuter, Xu described it as a “bold” experiment that not only enriched his life experience but also made him more confident about planning for his future.
But he says international commuting is “not a good fit for everyone”.
If you’re close to graduating or have a lighter course load, and you have the time and capacity to plan such a schedule, I think it’s worth trying.
“But if your time and energy abroad are already limited, I’d recommend focusing on integrating into local life as soon as possible. I think that will have greater meaning for your future.”
This story was written by Nicole Gong from .
