After pursuing undergraduate study in China, ethnic Chinese Southeast Asian students did not become “more Chinese”: neither felt more intensely about being Chinese nor more emotionally connected to China. Some of them only gained higher Chinese proficiency and a better understanding of China, which did not translate into a stronger sense of being Chinese. Meanwhile, some of them realized that they were so different from the Chinese in China more than expected. Thus, they felt even more distant from China. Particularly for those who were confused about their identity before studying in China as they had perceived themselves to be “so Chinese” in their countries, studying in China eliminated that confusion. As ethnic identity is most relevant and essential to Malaysian Chinese life, they were more sensitive and developed more critical thoughts on Chinese identity after studying in China. They appeared more comfortable displaying their Chinese identity in China than their counterparts from Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Nevertheless, they also paid attention to marking the distance between themselves and the Chinese in China, sometimes by using the term Huayi. Eventually, they increasingly appreciated the uniqueness of Malaysian Chinese identity, such as multilingualism and higher cultural sensitivity, rather than the fact that they were related to China through bloodline and shared some similarities with Chinese in China.