Chinese students in Australia have been accused of trying to stifle freedom of speech on campus, of attacking pro-democracy protesters and of undermining the quality of education at our top universities which are increasingly dependent on the money they bring.

They stand at the centre of many of our political debates as we navigate the increasing influence of China in our region, its attempts to infiltrate our politics and institutions, and Australia’s increasing economic dependence.

In all this, the voices of individual Chinese students are rarely heard.

Over the past 10 weeks Guardian Australia has interviewed Chinese students studying in Australia in an attempt to get at the humanity and the diversity behind the headlines.

Most of those we approached felt that the Australian media was hostile to them, always writing about Chinese in Australia as a threat. Getting their trust was difficult.

The interviews were conducted in Mandarin by a former Chinese journalism student who has now graduated, and on the understanding that the students not be identified. Several, particularly those who were critical of their home country, worried about the consequences of their names being known.

International education is one of Australia’s largest export industries, coming in fourth behind coal, iron ore and the natural gas industry. But the education of young people is a more complex business than digging up and shipping out coal and ore.

International students bring in an estimated $35.2bn, or 8% of total exports. It’s a massive business that is transforming our cities, with student accommodation driving much of the high-rise apartment boom, and noodle and bubble tea shops springing up in the streets around university campuses.

Chinese students represent about one-third of the students who come to Australia, but bring in a larger proportion of the money because they gravitate to the more expensive, prestigious universities.

So what do Chinese students make of the debates that swirl around them? Does their Australian education alter their attitudes to their home country? And how do they process western media coverage of the Hong Kong protests and the anxieties about China’s rise? Are they altered by their education, or do they only seek to alter us?

A complex human picture emerged from our interviews. Some of our subjects envied and aspired to the free-thinking education available in Australia. Others thought such freedoms were appropriate for the west but not for China.

Some didn’t feel safe here.

They noticed different things: cleaner streets than at home, but also racism, and what they perceived as shallow cultural roots.

For some, love of country was the same as loyalty to the Chinese Communist party. Others drew a distinction between love of China and love of its government.

They talked about media censorship at home, and the great firewall of China which prevents internet access to international media.

There were lots of different views and attitudes but a common thread was an increased national pride and confidence. This is China’s time, many said. They want to be part of a better future for China even if they don’t necessarily agree on what that might mean.

Wendy

Wendy is studying a master’s of media and communications. She has worked as a teacher of Chinese language in Thailand and Britain.

I love my country. I love traditional Chinese culture, the verses, the ditties, odes and songs in Chinese history and the heritage left by ancient people. I’m not a believer in socialism. I think so-called socialism now is not exactly as it was defined originally. Socialism happened to be the right way for China at a specific historical stage. If another system fitted into the historical stage, the society may still have developed well. I was brought up in the Chinese education system, so I learned the idea of respecting your teacher and his teaching. China is a country with clear hierarchies, and the teacher is in a high position. Most of the time we don’t have the guts to question what we are taught. I want to choose what kind of life I want to live and what ideas and values I want to believe. After I lived abroad, this feeling became stronger. I hope Chinese students in Australia can get rid of their biased thinking, their mental block and fixed mindset, to accept some new ideas and values.

Wendy: ‘Australia and China understand each other more than many other countries do. But in term of understanding, you can never have too much.’ Photograph: Chris Hopkins/The Guardian

I thought that the students who attacked the Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrations represented a group of people who are brainwashed and have lost the ability for critical thinking. They do not represent all international students. They gathered in patriotism parades and shouted dirty words and didn’t allow others to question. They didn’t know what the Hong Kong demonstrators were demanding. They didn’t allow any questioning of the authorities. There’s an old saying: scholars need to question. Only questioning can make progress. If we lose the spirit of questioning, how can our society and country improve? Many mainland Chinese people are brainwashed too severely. I am not a secessionist. I certainly hope China would become a unified country. But if Hong Kong and Taiwan have different ideas, I support them too. The people living on those lands are the people who have the right to choose, not us, who are not living on those lands. I support social stability, but not by brainwashing. This stability is a fake stability. But the worry is that if people have the right to choose, the options will be too many for the huge population. The Chinese Communist party dragged China out of war. So many people are grateful. I think being grateful is good. But making your people live a peaceful and happy life is not a bonus, but an obligation for any party. As a former educator, I very much hope China will become a well-educated, civilised country. China develops very fast. The rising power of one country will always make others nervous. Our nation leaves a not so gentle impression on others, not as gentle as in history. Australia and China understand each other more than many other countries do. But in term of understanding, you can never have too much.

Yao

Yao is a PhD student in Melbourne, researching Chinese media. She comes from Shaanxi province.

I am a patriot. Patriotism is hoping the country and the people will be better. The government exists to serve the people. If you serve the people well, yes I can love you. Loving my country and loving the Chinese Communist party surely should be separated. But we are always told that China and the CCP are the same. I watch Chinese and western media. I am against looking at China only with western values. And I am against looking at the west with only Chinese values. The conflict between the two is irreconcilable. Each media cannot help being biased when reporting foreign news. I understand that the Chinese government restricts and controls the media because otherwise social conflicts would be too intense. From my perspective, the great firewall of China shouldn’t be there, while from the government’s perspective it is an effective way to guide public opinion. There are too many people; you cannot handle them. That is the thinking. I think some Chinese people don’t have much national confidence. If you cannot accept criticism, then you are not confident. I think national confidence is that I’m not afraid of others’ words. I hope China and Australia come to understand each other with an open mind. When you criticise China’s system, you need to understand China’s position and its history, instead of criticising only from the position of a liberal democracy. I hope Chinese people come to have more compassion. Don’t just care about your surroundings, know more about the world. Don’t restrict your opinions in China. Look at the world. It’s so big. As Chinese society develops, it is good that education becomes more mobile. I support this kind of globalisation.

Shao

Shao came to Australia one year ago. He was raised in Anhui province, and has done voluntary work in Africa and gained a degree in psychology in China. He is studying strategic communications.

China hasn’t been very powerful. But now we are powerful enough to not tolerate what we shouldn’t tolerate. As world power transfers, some people need to stand out and question the west. I’m a nationalist. I therefore think of the western world as being in the opposite position to me. It is dominant, but it should be China that is dominant. Since the industrial revolution it has been the westerners who dominated the world. Now the trend is towards China. I think one of our problems is that before we did not see the western nations as our enemy. Now we should, in a little part of ourselves, see the west as an enemy. When our country was not strong, we wanted to keep a low profile. We could not be too aggressive. But now we have more power we shouldn’t be like we have been in the past. Western media are too strong. China needs the great firewall to guard against the influence from an untested value system of the west. Democracy and freedom seem to be right because the west has developed to be so dominant. But these ideas have never been tested by history. China has too many people and the level of education is limited, so it’s hard to gain stability if public opinion is influenced by the untested values from outside. As for the issue of the South China sea, it is survival of the fittest. These countries in the region are pitiful. You have demands in front of China but you don’t have the power. Then don’t speak! Just as when the United States was powerful, so China did not get full sovereignty in the South China sea. Australia is not important in my expectations about the future. It just follows the US. The future of China is about surpassing the US, which is our competitor. Actually we are not ‘climbing’ to No 1. We were No 1 in history. We are simply reviving and ‘going back’ to the No 1 place. Under the western system, they separate the love of country from the love of government. But is this correct? You cannot use the western system to judge ours. The western system is not right for all societies. The Chinese Communist party is great, but we have to acknowledge it didn’t do very well on some things. Our system has the ability to correct its errors. It is wrong to talk about China’s problems to outsiders. When you are strong enough you can talk about your problems, because you don’t care – you are already the strongest, such as America now. But China is not at this stage. Some problems, we know them ourselves and solve them by ourselves. But don’t talk about them to others. From the beginning I thought western countries were behind the Hong Kong protests. I think the protesters have problems. Working hard or studying hard is enough. Why do these meaningless things? Freedom and democracy … are they basic needs of human beings? … I think they are just a dream weaved by western media. Hong Kong’s problem is far more complicated than we as individuals can solve. Therefore we need to believe in the Chinese Communist party and the Hong Kong government’s wisdom. They will solve it in the best way. I want to contribute to my country and the people. The most ideal way is to get into the ministry of foreign affairs and become a diplomat. It would be better if I become an ambassador. I cannot only help our fellow people overseas but also promote the image of China.

Venus

Venus is from Xi’an, in Shaanxi province, and is studying marketing. She has joined the campus Chinese debating team because she enjoys thinking critically.

I am a confident person – 70% of my confidence may come from my personality; 30% comes from a strong country behind me. China does well in patriotism education. We are instilled with the national sense of honour at a very young age. We are educated that everyone needs to contribute to the development of the country and society. I don’t love every part of China, but I’ll accept its good and bad things. I’ll face them. I think this is a healthy love. My parents are not perfect but I love them. My love for the country is a bit like this. I study to understand China’s history and culture. I think understanding is the first step of love. Second, I will defend my country – not irrationally, but more spiritually. If I meet a foreigner and talk about political issues, I will acknowledge our shortcomings and say it’s OK, we will try to improve. The party and the country are bonded. This is something we cannot deny. Personally I separate them. I will only say I love the country. The history and culture I love is not created by the party. I don’t understand the party very much. In my family, half are CCP members and half are not. So my position is in the middle. I hope Chinese people can be more confident, culturally and nationally. I think differently about this confidence to many Chinese people. I think confidence means acknowledging both good and bad things and facing them frankly. A lot of radical patriots find it ear-piercing when hearing any criticism. This reaction actually shows you are not confident enough. If I am truly confident, I accept all the strengths and weaknesses of myself. I get my news from Weibo, Instagram and WeChat. I normally wouldn’t figure out whether the information is true or not, because I know all of it must be polished. I naturally believe that each piece of news is half true and half fake. Fake news might be ethically wrong but sometimes there are no other choices. If you completely release the truth it may arouse social panic. Some people may not be as calm as me. They are more likely to be provoked and may cause some unknown consequences. From this angle, media control is excusable. So I think fake news is not completely wrong. As for the Hong Kong protests, expressing your appeals lawfully is not wrong. I think Hongkongers should lawfully express their appeal while not resorting to extreme, violent and even terroristic ways. I am a patriot so I spiritually support territorial integrity and oppose independence of Hong Kong.

Miami

Miami was raised in Hebei and learned English in China. He played rap with African Americans at home, and was deeply influenced by American street culture. He is studying strategic communications.

When I saw our military force in the military parade on our national day, I wanted to cry. This is the strongest national confidence. Like president Xi said, there is hard power and soft power. Soft power is our culture. Soft power can also bring national confidence. But personally I value hard power more. Australia embraces all cultures while losing its own. It feels like a Chinatown. I can even communicate in Chinese in the city. Australia sits on the fence. I don’t really care about Australian opinions. Australia’s opinion on political issues follows that of the US. At first in Australia I really wanted to jump out of my circle and communicate more with Australians but I found I couldn’t do it. It was more efficient to communicate with Chinese. I sometimes played rap with some black people in China but here I find that street culture is not popular. Australian ways of communicating are quite different from American ways. Enduring loneliness is a compulsory course when studying overseas. Yet I have found the joy of learning here in Australia. The cramming method of teaching in China is completely different. In China the teacher will teach you everything and tell you what to do in each step. People may think this is more efficient in the short term. Personally I choose the western education but there’s nothing wrong with the Chinese way. We must understand that China has a huge population. It’s impossible to have everyone doing their own thinking. I think white people intrinsically have a sense of superiority. I have experienced discrimination at the university. When I was seeking some information about my subjects, the white person there was laughing all the time. I asked her why and she said she couldn’t understand my accent. She found another person, another white guy. When I was talking, they both started laughing. I want to go back to China because my country is not strong enough. It’s already very strong but not enough. I hope it has more voice worldwide. I want to contribute to this course. Some people go abroad to stay there. Some people go abroad to integrate the foreign culture into their way of thinking. I’m the second kind of person. I can go back to China and solve problems in a Chinese way but from a global perspective, to make my country better. I was angry about the Hong Kong protests at the beginning. I thought the protesters had forgotten their origins. Now I feel that this isn’t an issue any more. I see them as clowns. They won’t influence us much now. All they can do is influence some public opinions worldwide. I don’t want to see western media discussing this. Your discussions are making it harder for us (China and Hong Kong) to live peacefully. It’s like I want to reconcile with my husband while western countries are like a mistress sabotaging us, making the process slower and slower. Hong Kong is part of China. China always sees Hong Kong as a son. A special son. This son may not be so intimate to us. But we need them to understand the parent more. The leaders will have their solutions. Of course I hope it’s peacefully solved. I want to see my country peaceful and stable.

Ethan

Ethan came to Australia on the advice of a relative after failing to get good enough marks to enter a good university in China. He studied English at school in Jiangsu province and was strongly drawn to all things foreign. He is studying accounting.

One thing that struck me here is that people clean the streets. In China people care only about their own spaces and the public space is the dirtiest. I like this about Australia. The sense of community here is great. I was a person who worshipped and had blind faith in foreign things when I was in China. After I came to Australia, I found there were not strong cultural roots here. I look back at China and think that I was shallow in my love of foreign things. China is not shallow. China has very deep historical roots. We are the generation under the one child policy. I have to say we are spoiled. As long as you are the only child, your parents’ investment in you makes you less independent compared with the children here.

Ethan: ‘I don’t think loving the country means that you cannot criticise your country.’ Photograph: Chris Hopkins/The Guardian

I don’t accept the pure pursuit of individualism. I’m still a Chinese and I’m still family-centred. People here say to me, ‘You should move out of home’ and ‘You don’t need to give the money to your parents because it’s your money.’ I can understand, but I won’t do this. In nature most animals kick out their children when they grow up. Westerners are also like this, like animals. But what makes China great is that in its culture there are things that can challenge nature. There is the filial piety of Confucius. The continuing heritage of a family. Patriotism is loving your country. Loving the 9.6m sq km. It’s loving your history, your people, your government and your party, all of these. But I don’t think loving the country means that you cannot criticise your country. My life since I was born has been under the leadership of Chinese Communist party. Personally I’m quite satisfied. I didn’t suffer a lot and experience unfairness. My position is that I love CCP. I read some books about the Communist party and appreciate their pure spirit. Of course I wish the Cultural Revolution had never happened. But can everything be perfect? It’s an unexpected thing at a certain age. As long as we can face it, it’s OK. And Deng Xiaoping apologised. People have been rehabilitated. The great firewall is not really so strict. Those who are easily influenced are kept inside, but those of us who know how to use a VPN can easily get over it, and we have enough knowledge to distinguish between right and wrong. But it keeps those who are too easily influenced by western values inside.

Sally

Sally has completed a master of journalism course in Australia and has remained here after graduating, working with Australian journalists writing about China.