Last Spring, 12 students committed suicide in Wuhan, Hubei, prompting the Chinese Education Department to organize a meeting of educators and Communist Party officials from 81 universities to discuss the rising tide of suicides by university students in China.
The Wuhan incident is not isolated; it is among a rash of suicides by Chinese students recently reported by the media. One of these reports came from China’s capital, where a third-year law student at Beijing University hung himself from a tree at Fragrant Mountain, a park outside of the city. A Beijing Forestry University student is said to have hung himself just two days later.
Compared to most industrialized countries, the suicide rate among Chinese students is not alarmingly high, but a closer look at the statistics reveals a recent spike in the rate. It’s this spike that has prompted education officials to address the problem.
While WZU（Wenzhou University） school authority has put much more emphasis on students, for instance, psychological counseling center has been put online, a series of lectures have been hold. In order to get more information on our campus, the DXC has focused much more on students’ health and many students have been involved.
This issue’s Pulse Survey of Da Xue Crossing (DXC, an orgnization) probed student health on campus, including students’ physical and psychological health.
The DXC Pulse Survey randomly sampled the opinions of 700 students campus wide,10 percent of the student body, by the questionnaires we’d offered, then we collected all of the questionnaires back, and did the statistics within two days. All the 14 colleges were represented in the survey. This is considered as an accurate and representative sample.
The survey reveals that students may not be comfortable seeking help from their parents for psychological difficulties. Asked whom they would consult for help, 41 percent of students say their peers, 18 percent say they would seek professional help off campus, 16 percent would choose their family, 12 percent would consult no one at all, and 13 percent say they would choose other options.
Chinese sociologists and psychologists have put forth several explanations, including pressure to succeed at university, a competitive labor market, tuition costs, the high expectations of parents, and failed relationships.
Many, however, suggest the root problem is the rapid change taking place in Chinese society. Traditional social values are clashing with the tide of modernization, and leaving students with a conflicting sense of self and place.
The survey’s results show some complains in students, and we hope they could tackle these complaints in a proper way and our school authorities could make great efforts to help us.
