Both Xu Yang and Xie Shuzhi have obtained their Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting and Management with first class from Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China) in 2012. They fell in love in the senior year and got married in 2017. They are now living in Canada. After graduation from NUBS China, they have obtained Master's Degree in Management and Professional Accounting from the University of Toronto, and obtained the CPA designation in Canada afterwards. After working in local accounting firms for four years, Yang joined Nestle Canada as a senior tax analyst, while Shuzhi co-founded Xu & Xie CPA LLP with his partner.
Speaking of the reason of choosing the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), Shuzhi said that despite receiving the offer from a top Chinese University, he decided to choose UNNC because of his father's strong recommendation. After attending two open days, his father was attracted by UNNC's innovative educational philosophy and recommended it to his son Shuzhi. Yang said that she appreciated UNNC’s freedom and international culture, ‘I did not think too much at that time, but afterwards it proves to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.’
Shuzhi says that UNNCers have plenty of advantages, especially in learning ability, English ability, communication and cooperation ability. In the international education environment, Shuzhi and Yang are very familiar with the innovative learning patterns such as teamwork and presentations, as well as the western mindset that emphasises critical thinking and freedom, hence they are able to adapt to study and work abroad fairly well. Yang said, ‘Lectures at UNNC doesn't teach you texts word by word. Instead, they provide learning guidance for you to read, research and discuss, deepening and expanding your thinking by writing essays. This way of teaching has greatly improved our ability to think and learn independently and cooperatively.’
The tutor who impressed Yang most was Dr. Chieh Huang (now moved to the UK). ‘She used lots of examples when teaching theory to make it more interesting and understandable. She emphasised that there was no absolute right or wrong answer.’
In the meantime, Shuzhi was particularly interested in Andrew Edwards’s teaching. ‘He is kind of old-fashioned and has typical British style, very articulate and patient in his lectures, showing a great respect for academics. We students like him very much.’
Shuzhi co-founded Xu & Xie CPA LLP with his partner in 2017. ‘I had this idea not long after I started my professional career,’ Shuzhi said, ‘I decided to try my best while I was young.’ Shuzhi’s accounting firm has grown rapidly with its top professional ability to provide clients with audit and assurance, tax and consulting services. Facing the trend of intellectualisation, Shuzhi’s firm is actively developing cloud-based accounting platforms to assist business to achieve greater efficiency and agility. ‘As a result of our continuous efforts, we have firmly established our roots in Canada, and our company has become a comprehensive accounting firm complimented by clients of small and medium-sized enterprises. Our clients range from software start-ups to mature property developers in Canada.’
As for their love story, Shuzhi said, ‘We were in the same seminar class in Year 1. My English was a little bit poor at that time, so I borrowed her essays to study, and this was when we got to know each other. Afterwards, we went to the University of Melbourne as exchange students in the junior year. Studying and traveling together helped us know each other better, and we dated in the senior year. Later, we went for postgraduate study in Toronto.’ ‘Since going abroad, we have encountered lots of setbacks, and only by mutual support have we survived. Without each other we would not go so far and be able to build a wonderful life together in a foreign country.'
To UNNCers:
Shuzhi: ‘Enjoy the best four years of your life. If you want to do something, do it; if you want to learn something, learn it. Explore different things early on to find what you enjoy working on, and never regret.’
Yang: ‘Upon all the hardwork and fallbacks that you’ve experienced, upon all the ordinary and the extraordinary that you’ve seen, I wish you always find the courage and confidence to find the one thing that you truely love to do and follow your heart.'