Tai chi also ranks as one of the most popular sports among international students at SMU.

Xu Haifeng, a teacher at SMU, says: "For international students, understanding the culture behind the sport is more difficult than practice."

David Bobadilla of Chile, however, already has a keen understanding of Chinese culture through his study of kung fu for 11 years.

"I'm interested in the culture and language of kung fu, both the internal and external styles and movements," says Bobadilla, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in international economics and trade at SMU.

"There is difference in the practice between the two - tai chi is more for internal development and kung fu is more of an external sport, but their concept is the same. Some people may think tai chi movements are slow and it is just about moving the hands, but these movements are practical techniques which one can apply to an opponent."

Chinese poetry classes have also left some foreign students like Shreya Pandey from Nepal impressed.

During the New Year's party for foreign students at SMU in November, Pandey even recited Man Jiang Hong (The Whole River Red), a Chinese lyrical poem written by Yue Fei, a legendary Song Dynasty (960-1279) general.

"The preparation for the performance helped me to learn about Yue Fei's story as well as the history, language, and culture of China. I love to learn various types of poems," says Pandey, who is majoring in electrical engineering.