More and more Mainlanders are coming to the territory as postgraduates in these few years. Take the Chinese University as an example, there is a 15 percent increase in the academic year 1994-94 than last year.
These Mainlanders have more or less the same duties as their Hong Kong counterparts: to study, to do research and to be graduate assistants - except for one extra assignment: handling the pressure comes from the difficulties in interpersonal communication and social life.
To Mr. Zhu Jian Xin in the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University, the relationship with his students is a bit "frustrating" .
Said he: "I know a little Cantonese and the students know a little Mandarin, but if I speak in English, they complain that I speak so quickly and they can't catch up."
Even if communication in English is workable, some Mainland postgraduate still find two Chinese communicating in English uncomfortable.
Continued Mr. Zhu: "More, their limited knowledge of the subject increases their difficulties in understanding my lessons.
"Hence, the highest attendance rate of my tutorial class is only 20 out of 50. Sometimes there are four or five only. And they usually do not come to ask questions when I am on duty."
The feeling of depressed and frustrated become even more obvious when Mr. Zhu compares these situations with the days when he was at Nanjing University - the attendance rate of his class was much higher then. .
"What is more, when I first came here, I looked old-fashioned and students have doubts about my ability that made me fell uneasy, but now I have proven my ability -- we just need some time," he continued.
But to Mr. Qiu Hong of the Department of Economics at the Chinese University, the problems were more than that.
"The content of my subject (economics) here is very different from that in the Mainland because of the different economic systems in the two places," said Mr. Qiu.
But his efforts are paid: his students appreciated his hard work.
Mr. Ferrix Lau Cheuk Yu said, "Students here have less respect for graduate assistants from the Mainland -- this problem always exists between Hong Kong people and Mainlanders.
"However, Mr. Qiu has been very diligent. Since he cannot help students in class like Hong Kong graduate assistants can, he can only pay more effort after class.
"He has been very nice and helpful and his Cantonese is quite fluent now."
But outside classrooms, the problems go on if not deteriorate.
"I have a sense of compression, as it is quite difficult for us to get into the communities of the Hong Kong people," said Mr. Cheng.
"As a result, postgraduates coming from the Mainland always form our own groups, which has little contact with others."
According to Mr. Cheng, as Baptist University does not offer dormitories, most Mainlanders share flats in Hung Hom and Jordan.
Having to deal with the heavy workload during daytime and go "home" at night, the Mainland postgraduates lack chances to communicate with local people at the university.
But some like Mr. Zhu would rather prefer moving out of the dormitory and paying a rent of $1,600 per month for a flat outside even if there is room in the dormitory.
Explained he: "The undergraduates in the dormitory are very energetic. They always invite us to join their activities, but we usually cannot since we have lots of work to do.
"As a result, they have some complaints, and they feel that we are isolating ourselves. Meanwhile, we often find it difficult to work in the noisy environment in the dormitory.
"Another thing is: Students here are used to discussing their homework on phone. Sometimes the public telephone may be occupied by one person for several hours, and it is very inconvenient."
Away from home and those beloved, it is not hard to imagine how these Mainlanders are struck by home sickness. And to those who are married and have children elsewhere like Mr. Zhu and Mr. Cheng, even more preservance is needed.
"The schoolmate who committed suicide last year had a wife in Canada, and we all knew he missed his wife very much," said Ms Ke.
"However, his heavy workload -- he used to be a top student in the famous Ching Huwah University and aimed straight for a master's degree after graduation -- and sense of responsibility made him work even during holidays, and his wife could not come to meet him either.
"So he probably felt very depressed."
Said Mr. Zhang: "Although we are all Chinese, due to the difference in the subculture and hence a lack of common interest, we do not actively communicate much with the Hong Kong postgraduates or students.
"Feeling as a traveller makes us inactive."