Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

An item from June 27, 1998, in China Daily showed foreign students celebrating at the graduation ceremony of the Beijing Language and Culture University.

In all, 212 students from 22 countries received bachelor's degrees in Chinese after finishing four-year studies.

Foreign students studying in China can be traced back to 1950 when Tsinghua University started international student enrollment. That year, 14 students from Eastern Europe were admitted into Tsinghua.

After decades of development, the number of foreigners studying in China has continued to rise in the past few years.

In Tsinghua, about 3,700 international students from more than 120 countries and regions study on campus. Nationwide, more than 492,000 overseas students from 196 countries and regions studied in China last year, according to the Ministry of Education.

China has now become one of the most popular study destinations in Asia. Some cities have also unveiled policies to help young foreigners open their own businesses.

In Shanghai, foreign graduates of universities on the Chinese mainland can apply for a two-year residence permit by presenting a graduation certificate and a business plan, or proof of their startup.

Experts estimate that China will be transformed from a major source of talent in the world into a popular destination for international talent in the next five years.

To better connect China with the world, the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit organization that works largely through cooperation between a Chinese university and a foreign counterpart, has established about 550 branches in 154 countries and regions. The first branch was opened in 2004.

The institute has also started to diversify by setting up centers that highlight traditional Chinese medicine, business and fashion design.

In June, the world's first Music Confucius Classroom was established in Kiev, capital of Ukraine.