Lessons in separation

A still of A Love for Separation. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The series reflects a changing trend and provokes thought about the state of education in China and the accompanying social issues."

Meanwhile, the popularity of the series has prompted the producers to work on a sequel.

To prepare for this, Lu says he traveled to the United States earlier this month to meet students, parents and consultants to write the script for the second season.

Zeng Minghui, publicity director of Linmon Pictures, says the series, which is now running again on the small screen, will be broadcast in Taiwan, North America and some Southeast Asian countries.

"The timing is yet to be decided. But the version for the US market will be dubbed," he says.

For Lu, who is now an author and professor at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, the wave of sending young Chinese abroad to study, which began around 2005, is different from the earlier ones.

According to him, the Chinese have had a long history of pursuing advanced studies overseas－with peaks at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in the 1950s and in the 1980s.

He says what differentiates the current wave is that domestic college fees have surged in recent years, making going abroad not as expensive as in the past.

He also adds that most parents now are well-educated and favor Western education for their children.

Lu, who sent his daughter to the US to study, also says a US middle school background makes it easier for Chinese students to be admitted to prestigious US universities, which is another reason the number of adolescent Chinese students going abroad is rising.