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And this is Story in the Story.

A new survey has shed some light on the quality of life for Chinese students studying overseas. 

The survey by Providence Academy, an organization connected to China's education giant New Oriental, aims to "improve the quality of Chinese students overseas".

It illustrated 50 facts with extensive data on studying abroad, covering subjects including academic life, living, emotions, fashion and food.   

For example, Chinese students studying overseas ordered more than 80 million delivery meals in 2018, according to the survey. 

"The survey shows these students are living a good life, but they should try to learn more about China and the world and be more responsible," said Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences. 

Today's story in the story looks at the students’ likes and dislikes, as well as the kind of lives they lead while overseas.

Chinese students pose for pictures at the graduation ceremony of University of Sydney in Australia on October 12, 2017. (Photo: VCG) 

Since the reform and opening-up in 1978, more than 3 million Chinese citizens have returned to China after graduating from overseas schools and universities, accounting for 83.73 percent of the total Chinese students overseas, said China’s Ministry of Education. 

According to the survey, currently there are 842,140 Chinese students studying in 10 major destination countries. The US has the most Chinese students with 363,341, followed by Australia with 192,984. Canada, Japan and the UK were respectively the third, fourth and fifth most popular countries for Chinese students. 

Australia has the most expensive tuition fees at $35,193 on average each year, the equivalent of 35 iPhoneX's. And one in three foreign students in the US is Chinese and many are paying full fees. 

The most popular majors for Chinese students are Business & Management, Engineering and Math & Computer Science. Literature, Archaeology and History are at the end of the list. The "most-hated" courses are Calculus I, II, III and English intro writing. 

"The status quo and future trend of Chinese students overseas will have a significant influence on China's economy and education development," reads the white paper. 

The survey found that Chinese students' favorite foods are fried eggs with tomatoes, which has been called China's "national dish" because it is easy to cook and resembles China's national flag. 

Instant noodles, hotpots and dumplings are also favored by Chinese students. 

"I totally agree with the instant noodles part," said Zhang Hanyu, a Chinese student who just graduated from a US university. "Many of my schoolmates take a whole suitcase of instant noodles from China. It's a taste of home." 

"I don't like the items that show stereotypes," Ma Tina (pseudonym), a postgraduate student at the University of Melbourne said. 

"There are some Chinese students who live a luxurious, fashionable or dishonest life, but most of us are just studying and playing like students in Chinese universities," she said.

Students from China pose for photos after graduating from a business studies course at the University of Sydney in October 2017. (Photo: China Daily) 

As well as looking into the academic situation, the survey brought to light some interesting facts about Chinese students in other countries. For instance, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds and Arena of Valor are among their favorite video games to play.   

WeChat, Weibo and Line are the most used social media platforms. Jo Malone's perfume and Apple or Sephora gift cards are the most popular presents among Chinese students. 

"Out of every 10 Chinese students overseas, three pretend to go to the gym and are only there to take selfies … only one is seriously working out," reads the white paper. 

Chinese students have voted Berlin, Montreal, New York City and Seoul as the places where love at first sight happens the most. The University of Toronto, Columbia University and University College London had the highest number of student break-ups. 

Purdue University, MIT and Harvard University have the highest rate of students' getting married after graduation, while students at the University of Southern California, King's College London and University of Melbourne are more likely to cheat, said the survey. 

Berklee College of Music has produced the most celebrities, and Moscow State University students are good at drinking. 

Kevin, Tony, Alex, Helen, Christina and Jessica are the most popular English names for Chinese students. 

Chu Zhaohui said the survey shows that Chinese students studying abroad are mostly from families with good financial conditions. "The survey also shows that they are not independent enough and rely on other people's services." 

From his research, Chu found that many students do not have a deep understanding of Chinese society. 

At the same time, more Chinese students have chosen to return to work in China after graduation. According to the Ministry of Education, since 2014 the return rate of overseas Chinese students has remained above 78 percent. 

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Brian Lowe, Lance Crayon, Elaine Yue Lin. Music by: bensound.com. Text from Global Times, China Daily)