Beijing: Zhang Ning seemed excited when talking about her dream of studying overseas. But when she shared her thoughts on her ambitious plan for 2012, the year she joked was the "End of the World" as in the 2009 hit movie "2012", her rational thinking was even more impressive.

Zhang, a sophomore at Beijing Forest University, who, with her mother sought information and consultation at the two-day session of the 15th International Education Exhibition Tour in Beijing, which opened on March 13, sounded quite confident.

A representative from an Irish university (L) talks to a student who seeks information at the 15th China International Education Exhibition Tour (CIEET) in Beijing on March 13, 2010. The 15th CIEET, which ends on March 28, will be held in China's five cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Chongqing and Guangzhou. [Cai Shanshan/chinadaily.com.cn]

"I plan to study in the US or Canada. I trust the education quality of these two countries," she said with a smile, her hands full of bags of materials given out by exhibitors. "Economic development is another factor that I take into consideration. I want to study in countries with strong national strength."

Zhang is among tens of thousands of college students in China who dream of studying abroad.

Attendees check information on the information board of the 15th China International Education Exhibition Tour (CIEET) in Beijing on March 13, 2010. The 15th CIEET, which ends on March 28, will be held in China's five cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Chongqing and Guangzhou. [Cai Shanshan/chinadaily.com.cn]

The number of Chinese students seeking education abroad has been on a rapid rise in recent years due to the country's rapid economic and social development and a series of policies favoring overseas students issued by foreign countries. In 2009, the number of students studying overseas at their own expense reached 229,300, up 30 percent from the previous year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education.

The bustling scene at the annual fair, which would tour five cities including Beijing as the first leg, also told the story.

Diarmuid Mitchell, a program producer at BBC, was shocked by the big turnout of the fair. "Education has never been as important as now it seems to be," he said.

While the big group pursuing education in foreign countries is getting bigger, the post-90s generation, the group's major force, is not just blindly following the flow. They are being very rational in choosing their major and destination country.