Studying in China has not only provided an invaluable experience for US students to get immersed in Chinese culture, but also brought more opportunities to them.

Theodore Byrnes, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Iowa, is now a new Chinese Government Scholarship awardee and will go to East China's Shandong University on a one-year exchange program in September.

"I want to study Chinese language and Chinese culture. I believe in the coming years the Chinese language will be a very useful skill to have in the workplace," Byrnes told the Xinhua News Agency in an interview on Saturday.

Talking about his study plan in China, Byrnes couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes. 

"I hope that in my second semester, if my language is good enough, I'd like to take a Chinese history class as China has such a long history and I am particularly interested in it."

For the former Chinese Government Scholarship awardees who have already spent several years in China, having a good command of the Chinese language has brought them not only joy but also a wide range of opportunities.

Sydney Nichole Torain, a former US community college student who lost the chance to get into a four-year university due to the high tuition fees in the US, said that the Chinese Government Scholarship helped her out.

Having already spent three years learning Chinese as the preparatory stage at Beijing Language and Culture University, Torain will pursue her bachelor's degree starting in September.

"I do like the Chinese language and culture. Now I understand the language more, I have a greater appreciation of it," said Torain.

Fascinated with diverse cultures, Torain told Xinhua that her major is China-English-French translation, a unique major exclusively offered by Beijing Language and Culture University.

"I am very grateful because studying in China will bring me more opportunities in the future," said Torain.

As people-to-people exchanges between China and the US strengthen, more and more students in the US appreciate the opportunity to study in China.

Scarlet Elizabeth Hoffman will go to Peking University to learn both chemistry and Chinese on a one-year exchange program. "I am fond of the Chinese language and Chinese culture. I plan to work in China after graduation. I would like to find a job that uses both chemistry and Chinese."

"Through exchanges and cooperation, we have brought great benefits to the people in both China and the US. We believe that many of the students who are interested in Chinese culture will be able to contribute to the future development of friendship and cooperation between our two countries," Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian said.

China's Ministry of Education issued the "Study in China Plan" in 2010, with the aim of having 500,000 foreign students study in China in 2020 and having 1 million foreign students in 2030.