China has recently witnessed an increasing number of overseas students returning to the country and finding success after starting up their own businesses.

According to the statistics from the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, the number of students who chose to return to China after finishing their studies abroad reached 370,000 in 2014, a 3.2 percent increase over the same number in 2013. Among all returnees in 2014, 27 percent opted to work in State-owned enterprises, 21 percent joined private companies, while the majority chose to be their own bosses.

Xu Xian, a Chinese graduate from Eastern Michigan University and Oxford University who worked at a New York-based telemarketing company for four years, told the Global Times that she started her own business after participating in a startup contest in Beijing in  2014, in which she successfully obtained 1.5 million  yuan ($245,902) in investment to help her launch a Western-style restaurant in central Beijing.

China's National Medium- and Long-term Talent Development Plan (2010-20) has implemented favorable policies to attract educated young people to return to China, in terms of taxation, housing, and career development.

In tandem with these favorable policies, domestic venture capital firms are willing to provide a platform for newcomers who can offer innovative ideas and products. The most popular startups are the IT and lifestyle sectors.

A foreign degree is far from enough to launch a startup, said Xu, adding that  the current investment environment in China is very effective and provides great opportunities for new starters. But cultural differences may stand in the way, as there are many divergences between East and West in terms of communication skills and working styles, she added.

Zhang Weilong, chief designer of a fashion design company in Beijing who graduated from the London College of Fashion under the University of the Arts London, chose to start his new profession in his homeland.

Overseas educational backgrounds are a big plus in the interview process, but there is much more to becoming successful beyond getting a degree, said Zhang, noting that it is challenging to get acquainted with the domestic market and assimilate into local industries.

Of course, the ties that bind will always pull people towards their home. Yang Yingfei, a recent graduate student from the Hult International Business School, told the Global Times that she has decided to look for a job in China based on her need to take care of her parents and the attractions of the domestic job market.