The Chinese Student Association: From speed dating to weekly sports

As one of UNSW's largest societies, the Chinese Student Association has a little something for everyone.

Published on the 15 April 2026

A group of UNSW students posing with a CSA sign

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What exactly is the UNSW Chinese Student Association?

It goes without saying that UNSW has a large international student cohort, many of whom are from China and living overseas for the first time. For a lot of them, it’s a big step into the unknown, literally and figuratively.

This is where the Chinese Student Association (CSA) comes in.

One of the largest student communities at UNSW, the CSA is an all-encompassing club where international Chinese students can meet like-minded people, socialise and find a sense of belonging. For those who aren’t international Chinese students and just want to hang out, they are also more than welcome to join.

“We predominantly service Chinese international students, or [any] students who are interested in Chinese culture, they can join our events,” explains Ada Choi, President of the CSA.

When asked about how big the CSA membership base is, Ada takes a moment to think. “I think we had around 5,000 members last year. We are a non-profit, so all of our events and memberships are free. It’s very accessible to all students on campus.”

5,000 members for a university society? That's quite a lot.

As one would expect with such a large membership base, there's a lot of organising required.

"We have about 200 subcommittees this year and we hosted more than 200 events last year," says Ada. "Last year we had 300 subcommittees, but a lot of students graduated so we're at 200 for the beginning of term."

Expect that 200 or so number to grow throughout the year though, as Ada says it's pretty typical for the CSA to get new members throughout the year. "Usually each term we have a couple of thousand [new members] because we hold [so many] events."

"Last October [2025], at Town Hall, we had a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration that attracted more than 2,500 international students to celebrate the night with us."

A community to hang out with and find your people

With thousands of members and hundreds of subcommittees and events every year, it goes without saying that the CSA has something for everyone. But Ada says that new members who join are typically surprised by the sheer variety of events that are held every term.

"We have a very big portfolio. You can basically find anything that [you're interested in].

"We had around 235 events [in 2025]. If you do the math, with all the weekly sports and everything, I say [the CSA] has around five to seven events every week [of term].

"We collaborate with the Student Engagement Team [at Arc] to deliver educational workshops like scam awareness and health information seminars," says Ada. "We also have sports events as well. Every single week during each term, we have weekly basketball, volleyball, and soccer games. We also do some e-sports with League of Legends."

Needless to say, the CSA events schedule is pretty packed, week in, week out. And that's not even including the special events that are not your standard weekly sports or casual catch-ups.

"Our [Term 1, 2026] welcome party was a romantic event where you mix and match your ladies and gentlemen," explains Ada. In other words, speed dating? Ada laughs, "Yeah, speed dating."

So what's the most popular event out of the many hundreds held by the CSA? Apparently, it's the club's own Food Hub event (not to be confused with Arc's Food Hub).

"Every week 10, we give out free food, snacks and drinks to students at the Quadrangle Lawn, that's when we have members signing up," Ada explains. "We collaborate with supermarkets and distributors where they actually share with us [food] that's about to expire and just give out to students for free."

It's an incredibly popular and environmentally-friendly initiative that not only helps with wastage, but also draws hundreds of students. According to Ada, the Term 3 2025 Food Hub event drew "around 700 people," which is very impressive on any conceivable measure.

Even with the many thousands of members, Ada says that the CSA still carries a pleasant family vibe among the community.

"We really care for each other. [Members] look after each other and they make lifelong friendships," says Ada. "Because we have so many events, anyone who joins can almost definitely make friends."

Plenty of fun with some professional development on the side

The impressive community building and events organisation achieved by the CSA hasn't gone unnoticed. For the 2025 Arc Club of the Year Awards, the club picked up the 'Shivraj Ganasan Memorial Award', 'Ourstanding Club Portfolio' and 'Outstanding Large Event' awards.

It's not just fun, food and hangouts, though. While there are plenty of social events, the CSA also has several events each term that focus on the professional and career development of its members.

""We have peer mentoring every week in the first four weeks [of each term]. Usually, towards the end of term, we have a professional networking event."

For Ada, it's important for the CSA to not only provide a safe and vibrant community for its members while at university, but it's equally important to get them prepared for when graduation time arrives.

With the social events side of things running nicely, there are big plans to further build on the professional development aspect of the CSA.

"I'm chairing the Postgraduate Council at UNSW, so my plan in October [in 2026] is to host an international student careers fair at Town Hall," says Ada. "This will be in collaboration with the University of Sydney's official Postgraduate Council, Supra."

So, why an international student careers fair?

"A lot of students came forward to me and asked if there are any opportunities where they can introduce themselves to employers," explains Ada. "A lot of people and companies do not hire international students, so we just want to find a space where people feel safe to reach out to employers and talk to them."

"It's quite bizarre because people come here to study and then when they graduate, they can't find a job. So, I just want to work towards trying to connect students, not only Chinese international students, but also every international student, to potential employers."

What members say about the CSA

To get a fuller picture of what the CSA experience is like, we also asked some members to share some quick thoughts with Student News.

Ellier Ou — "I wanted to meet more people, be involved in more social activities, and also challenge myself to develop stronger teamwork skills. It felt like a meaningful way to grow both socially and personally during university."
Serena (CSA Treasurer) — "I really wanted to find a sense of belonging after being away from home. I was also hoping to meet people I really click with and build some amazing connections. I thought it would just be a normal society, but it’s honestly more like a family. Everyone supports each other, and it’s given me a real sense of comfort, especially being away from home."
Esther — "I think I was looking for something that felt like home. When you’re deep in spreadsheets and case studies, it’s easy to forget there’s a whole community around you. CSA was the first place on campus where I walked in and thought, 'okay, these are my people.' There’s a shared language here, not just Mandarin, but a shared understanding of what it means to navigate university as a Chinese student."
Yuge Liu — "I wanted my university life to be more meaningful. This society is made up of international students from the same country who all want to grow and achieve something, and that really gives me a strong sense of belonging."
Ellier Ou — "Events may look smooth and fun from the outside, but a lot of thought and coordination go into making them happen. At the same time, what makes the society special is that even while working seriously, people are still genuinely supportive of each other."
Yuxman Ma — "I don’t think people fully see how strong and capable the team behind CSA is. I feel really lucky to be surrounded by people who are not only clear-minded but also highly efficient when it comes to execution."
Serena (CSA Treasurer) — "I think people often assume we just run events and have fun, but there are lots of effort behind the scenes. We have events almost every week, and our team have weekly meeting to reflect the result and improve the progress. Everyone puts in a lot of time and heart into this society."
Esther — "People assume CSA is just a social club for Chinese students to hang out with each other. But what they miss is the depth of what we actually build here. The events, the subcommittees, the collaborations. It’s a fully functioning organisation run entirely by students. The professional skills I’ve developed here are just as real as anything I’ve learned in a lecture hall."
Ellier Ou — "It's made my university experience feel much more connected and fulfilling. Because of my degree, I always have classes at Paddington campus, so joining the society gave me the chance to meet a large group of friends from many different disciplines. It helped me feel much more involved in university life beyond my own campus and studies."
Yuxman Ma — "Being part of this society has truly made my university life more meaningful and colourful. I’ve built friendships that go far beyond just working together, they’ve become like family to me. They’re the people I travel with, the first ones I turn to when things get tough, and the ones I can share everything with. I feel really lucky to be able to grow, both personally and professionally, with such an amazing group of people."
Esther — "It gave my degree a context. Business Analysis teaches me how systems work. CSA taught me how people work. And honestly, understanding people is the skill that’s going to matter most in my career. I came into university quite reserved, quite in my own head. CSA pushed me out of that, not by forcing me, but by showing me that the version of myself I was holding back was actually worth showing.
Yuxman Ma — "How much I’ve grown in terms of leadership. I used to always see myself as more of a team member rather than a leader. In fact, I was once asked in an interview whether I preferred being a leader or a participant, and I chose participant without hesitation. But in CSA, I was given the opportunity to step into a leadership role, and I was really lucky to have a great mentor who guided me on how to think and act as a reliable and trustworthy leader."
Serena (CSA Treasurer) — "How much my communication skills would improve. Through working with different people and helping organise events, I’ve become a lot more confident in expressing myself. Also, the society offers quite a lot of career-related opportunities, which has helped me explore my future direction."
Esther — "Leadership, genuinely. I never saw myself as a leader. I always thought leaders were these naturally magnetic, loud, take-charge people. But through CSA, I learned that leadership is about clarity. Knowing what you stand for, communicating it well, and making the people around you feel seen."
Yuge Liu — "Two things. First, becoming a director wasn’t something I had clearly planned for, but it came from the trust of others. Second… I got a boyfriend, which I didn’t expect. 😂"
Ellier Ou — "One of the funniest moments was during one of our internal society bonding events. So many people were so extroverted, and during the 'punishment' round, they were dancing together. It was chaotic in the best way, and it really showed how energetic the group is."
Yuxman Ma — "Honestly, one of the funniest moments was probably one of our park bonding days. We all sat on the grass and just chilled together like a big picnic. At some point, it somehow turned into random games, people running around, and a lot of very questionable “competitive spirit. I think what made it funny wasn’t just what we were doing, but how everyone was just being themselves, no roles, no pressure, just hanging out. It was a really nice reminder that beyond all the events and responsibilities, we’re also just a group of friends enjoying time together."
Serena (CSA Treasurer) — "The funniest moment was probably during an event when I suddenly saw a live lizard right next to my feet… I’m so scared of reptiles, so I literally jumped and even ended up standing on the table. My scream drew everyone’s attention, and they all found it so funny that I got so scared over it. But still, someone helped get rid of it 😊."
Esther — "We were setting up for one of our bigger events, and literally everything that could go wrong went wrong. The venue changed last minute, half the team was stuck on the other side of campus, and somehow I ended up simultaneously directing people on WeChat, reorganising the floor plan, and stress-eating a bubble tea. But you know what? We pulled it off. And honestly, that chaos is one of my favourite memories, because I saw what this team is made of."
Yuge Liu — "Probably during our big team-building events. When people lose games and have to do punishments, it gets chaotic and hilarious."