Students are returning to universities in Hong Kong for a new semester. However, in November 2019, several university campuses became battlegrounds between protesters and police. Last semester was cut short and many students from the Chinese mainland were forced to go home. Zhang Fenfang is one of them.

Zhang is from southwest China and earned her bachelor's degree in Beijing. She spent a year and a half working for one of the world's largest tech companies. Last fall, she successfully enrolled at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

"My pursuit of a master's degree is all about gaining an advantage for my future career development," Zhang said.

Zhang added that she chose Hong Kong instead of a Western institution because the Polytechnic University is ranked among the world's best. And with Hong Kong being a part of China, it means less of a cultural shock.

Her experience at PolyU, however, was unexpected. Her school has been turned upside down after more than a week-long stand-off between protesters and police.

According to the Hong Kong police, they arrested 1,377 people who are said to have been involved in violent incidents during the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) standoff. And the police said a search in universities in the city found nearly 10,000 petrol bombs. In the most recent operation, 12 officers were injured. A total of 483 officers were injured over the whole security operation.

With their daughter at the forefront of six months of social unrest, Zhang's parents worried about her greatly.

"My parents were very worried and thought I was living in a war zone," as Zhang described in her interview with CGTN.

While Zhang still thinks the situation in Hong Kong can improve, parents' influence over their children, especially in education choices, has deep roots in Chinese culture.

"An overseas destination is not just about if a country or a region is good. For Chinese families, it's based on the whole family's expectations for the child's education," said Amy Gou, an office manager of Amber Education.

Gou has over a decade of experience in helping students from the Chinese mainland study overseas. She said being close to home is the biggest draw for many Chinese mainland families for choosing Hong Kong schools. However, recent social unrest could turn some people away.   

According to Gou, her company has learned that Chinese people put a school's ranking as the first criteria to consider in studying overseas, the second most important factor is regional stability and safety. The university's research capability and program rankings came in last.

Moreover, as mainland schools continue to improve, and Western schools become more affordable for Chinese families, some believe schools in Hong Kong are losing ground.

For Zhang, she's back in her hometown for the winter break but has been following the latest development in Hong Kong closely. She has high hopes for her school to return to normal during the new semester, and says she appreciates PolyU's efforts in letting students re-take classes disrupted by the protest last semester at no additional cost.

Zhang never anticipated her experience studying in Hong Kong would be permeated by bombs and tear gas.

It somewhat changed her. She now believes safety should be one of the top priorities for choosing an overseas destination to study.

(Wu Siyi and Li Ang filmed the story.)