Tasmania. Canberra. Next Stop: Hangzhou
For Alexander Munro, a fourth-year student from Tasmania, studying Chinese has been part of his story since Year 7. “I was planning to continue in Tasmania and maybe even become a teacher of Chinese,” he says. But when he came to ANU to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE), his interests began to expand.
“I initially chose PPE because it sounded interesting, but I found myself enjoying my Asian Studies courses the most,” he explains. “The lecturers here are passionate, friendly, and real — the kind of people who make you want to learn more.” He also received an Australian Excellence Scholarship, which made ANU an easy choice.
Among his favourite courses are Chinese Philosophy with Dr Esther Klein, Literary Chinese with Dr Mark Strange, and Contemporary Chinese History with Dr Matthew Galway. “What fascinates me is the connection between Chinese philosophy and modern political philosophy — how ideas like Confucianism and Legalism continue to influence leadership today,” he says. “I find the difference in thinking interesting — not bizarre, just different. It’s about understanding another perspective and seeing how it can be adapted into Western ways of thinking. That’s real cultural exchange.”
Now preparing for his Year in Asia at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Alexander hopes to visit every province in China and dive deeper into both the language and the culture. “I love the structure of Chinese grammar — it’s simple and logical. The hard part is remembering all the tones and characters. But as I like to say, any language has annoying difficulties, and if it doesn’t, it invents one!”
He’s already had a taste of studying in China last year through the CAP Shanghai language program ‘Learning Languages Locally’, which he describes as “the best possible experience for improving your Chinese.” This time, via Year in Asia, he hopes to explore even further — from Confucius’s hometown to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, and maybe even learn Hangzhounese or Cantonese.
Beyond the classroom, Alexander’s love for China, connection and strategy extends to his hobbies. He’s an active member of the ANU Board Games Society, which hosts mahjong tournaments as part of their Magic and Mahjong Monday series of events. He is also the Co-Founder of the Clocktower Society, a board-gaming club inspired by the Australian social game Blood on the Clocktower. “I just really love board games,” he laughs. “They bring people together — it’s a kind of cultural exchange of its own.”
As he prepares to leave for Hangzhou in February 2026, Alexander reflects on how far he’s come — and what lies ahead. “China isn’t as different or dangerous as people think,” he says. “It’s probably safer than Australia in many ways. It’s not about how different it is — it’s about how much you can learn from those differences.”
We can’t wait to follow Alexander on his Asian adventure! Do you have a dream destination or cultural experience in mind? Explore your own possibilities through the Year in Asia program.
