Jinhai's Path: From Economics to Global and Regional History HSE
Jinhai Wang talks about his love for research, life in Russia, and being an international student at HSE. His story highlights the challenges and dreams of a young scholar.
Jinhai Wang, a Chinese student at HSE University Saint Petersburg
In my first year of my master’s program in China, I already chose to do academic research with my tutor. From that time, I started to think, okay, I want to consider academic research as my career. We did some research based on my tutor’s work in political economy and corporate finance. In my second year, I became an exchange student at HSE University in Saint Petersburg. In China, you don’t have many choices to study subjects outside your major. My major was economics, and I thought, okay, it may be interesting to know more about other fields. It’s also very important for academic research because if you only use one subject’s perspective to think about a research question, sometimes it just can’t let you think well. At HSE, I had the freedom to choose many courses. My Chinese university only required me to choose two courses, but I chose maybe more than 12 - very close to free, because it was free for me as an exchange student. I took courses in political science, sociology, history, and anthropology, these kinds of courses. After that, I found my interest. I’m very curious about the political economy, especially issues like corruption and related problems. In China, it’s hard to write about these topics in your paper because of government restrictions. You can’t openly discuss some societal or political questions. But at HSE, I could talk about Chinese issues freely and use other perspectives to think about phenomena in China - politics, society, and economy. Some HSE professors also left their home countries for political reasons, so they understand this freedom. I thought, okay, this is a chance. In my third year of my Chinese master’s program, I didn’t have any courses, so I could do anything. I decided to make use of this time to study another master’s program at HSE University St. Petersburg. Even if my Chinese master’s wasn’t finished, I could credit it later - it’s fine. I applied to HSE University, got an offer, and had to decide whether to stay. I chose to stay for academic research demands. Another reason was personal: at the end of my exchange period, I met my wife. She has some health issues and needs to go to the hospital every two months, so I thought it’s better to stay in Russia. That’s how we made the decision, and I’m still here now.
The courses here focus more on Russia or post-Soviet areas, phenomena, and research. I was hoping for something more common, more global—like theories or knowledge that can be used for other countries, more abstract theories. But here, it feels like the courses are served to Russian society. The professors are Russian researchers, so they naturally do research on Russia. It’s based on their interests, and that makes the program very different from what I expected. I thought anthropology would be broader, but it’s very focused on this region, which is not what I was thinking about when I chose the program.
It’s very interesting. Before my master’s program, I had a Chinese girlfriend. In China, marriage costs are very high. You need maybe 10 million rubles recently - like 3 to 5 million for the bride, and you need to buy a new flat and a new car. This is very necessary and very common. There’s huge pressure to make money. After I broke up with her, I suddenly felt like I could do something for myself, not for society’s expectations. I thought, okay, academic research is very interesting for me. It’s important for life. If I’m single, I don’t need much money. In Russia, I can try to get scholarships. At my Chinese university, I got almost every scholarship, so I could keep my life easily. I don’t need much money. I can live in a dormitory for 1,000 rubles a month. I can cook myself, and maybe 20,000 to 30,000 rubles is enough for my life. I don’t have any pressure. I just want to do something I find interesting. For me, what excites me is whether my research paper can be published in a top journal. But the reality is different. When you try to publish academic papers, you find bureaucracy and other issues. There’s a term called guanxi - it’s about relationships between people. Sometimes your paper can’t be published, not because of quality, but because of these other issues. As an academic researcher, you should be more idealistic, but you face these practical challenges.
In China, the pressure to marry and provide financially is very strong. It makes young men focus on earning money instead of following their interests. My advice is don’t care about others or society - follow your heart. If your partner really loves you, she won’t care how rich or poor you are. For academic researchers, if you’re curious, you can find a job at a university and support a normal life - not a rich life, but you can survive. In China, professor salaries are fine, and the government gives subsidies, like 5 million rubles to help buy a flat. You need to rethink the value of money in your mind. For me, research is more important than money. I don’t need an expensive phone, bags, or clothes. What excites me is my research and whether it can be published in top journals. You should give up the demand to make a lot of money and focus on what’s more important to you.
It depends on what you compare it to. In Russia, HSE is the best university, especially in social sciences - economics, finance, history, sociology. The main reason is that HSE is very international. If you check other Russian universities, their professors’ research is very local, but HSE professors publish in top international journals. That’s how I judge a university’s quality. HSE doesn’t have as many publications as top global universities, but it still has many. There are also issues because of politics. Since 2013, and especially in 2022, many excellent professors left HSE, but they left connections. HSE is a good platform to get into top international university programs. Studying in Russia is cheaper than in Australia or Europe, and HSE has a high reputation in Europe. Many professors who left HSE now work at top universities in America, Europe, and England, so they can help you get offers. Compared to China, HSE’s economics program might be in the top 50. The ICEF and Economic Science schools are excellent, but their research is very narrow, focusing on areas that aren’t popular now. They’re excellent in those areas, but very few people research them. I’ve attended conferences and checked PhD students’ work here, and their level isn’t very high, which suggests the training and requirements aren’t strong. Faculty publications also aren’t as strong as they could be.
In my first year, especially the first half-year in Russia, everything felt very different. It was my first time abroad. I noticed things like smoking, which is banned among students in China. I tried to be open-minded. If you live in one society your whole life, your mind becomes very single. You need to be open to understand what the world is like—it’s very diverse. I try to understand why people have certain habits or lifestyles. It’s very interesting, especially for sociology or anthropology researchers. This diversity helps me think about my research from new perspectives.
To be honest, I don’t like Russia very much. Everything is more expensive than in China - clothes, food, taxis, rent. In China, life is more convenient and cheaper. For example, a taxi in China costs 100–200 rubles, and rent is much lower, maybe 40,000 rubles depending on the city. In Russia, going from the university to a metro station takes a long time. In Beijing or Shanghai, there are over 30 subway lines, and stations are everywhere. In Russia, I never have that experience of convenient transport. I walk a lot here, which feels less efficient.
My study life revolves around research, especially for publishing in journals. I don’t have a fixed schedule—it depends on what I’m working on. If I’m writing a paper or preparing for a deadline, I might study 12 or 14 hours a day, focusing intensely. Other days, if I’m reading or thinking about ideas, it might be only 2 or 4 hours. It’s flexible, but I’m always thinking about my research, whether it’s for a conference or a journal submission. The goal is to produce work that can compete in top academic spaces, which takes a lot of time and effort.
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