Adaptation strategies of universities in the focus of foreign language education in Chinese cities

The authors have identified the main prerequisites of difficulties that arise in the process of transcultural adaptation of students from abroad receiving foreign language education in China. This kind of adaptation is considered as an element of the social management system, which is carried out through transcultural communication. The experience of transcultural adaptation of students from abroad in China, which is highly representative due to the vivid regional specifics, became the research material. The peculiarities of the social management system in China include its mixed type of vertical interaction, including strict administrative leadership at the highest levels of government, and soft dialogical forms of work with the population at the grassroots levels, as well as the widespread use of digital technologies by political and social elites. In such a model, at the level of vertical management, China's desire to integrate into global educational processes is observed and confirmed by government policy. Chinese experts recognize the significant difficulties in the adaptation of foreign students in China associated with the crisis of cultural identity. In order to overcome these problems, Chinese universities have developed and are implementing some dichotomous strategies for transcultural communication. These include overcoming the language barrier with the help of automated translation tools / by involving students in bilingual work practice, which is criticized for reducing motivation to learn a language, although solving the adaptation problems. The second strategy is the formation of social connections through the use of communication applications and social networks / through offline communication, involving the active use of Internet applications at the first stage of adaptation and the subsequent combination of online and offline communication. An important strategy for transcultural adaptation is the involvement of students in the campus culture / urban community culture: at the first stage, the student will have to adapt more to the artificial space, at the second stage - to connect to the process of adaptation to the natural space. Last but not least strategy is integration into the Chinese cultural environment through cloud tourism and VR technologies / using study trips. Such trips instill a sense of belonging to Chinese culture and civilization thereby contributing to transcultural adaptation. At the same time, many universities set themselves the task of developing "cloud tourism" for those foreign students, who cannot participate in study trips. Thus, the process of transcultural adaptation is perceived by the Chinese participants of this process as controlled, purposeful and extremely necessary for creating a harmonious environment of coexistence between Chinese and foreigners. In modern conditions, it is considered as a combination of artificial and natural environments. The result of such adaptation is the integration of students from abroad into the local community, overcoming possible social isolation, which ensures safe and harmonious social interaction. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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