(Source: CGTN)

More Chinese students are choosing to return to their homeland for work after pursuing their education abroad. That's according to official data released this week.

By the end of 2016, the cumulative total of returned students hit 2.65 million. In 2016 alone, more than 432,500 came back, a record high.

In the past four years, the ratio of students choosing to return has increased by about 10 percentage points, from some 70 percent in 2012 to over 80 percent in 2016.

The government has also offered substantial support, setting up 347 start-up hubs for them, which are home to over 27 thousand companies. 

But returning students still face some challenges in areas such as settlement, education for children, business financing, and cultural barriers.