Over the past few decades, China has been engaged in development projects and soft power initiatives in many regions of the world. In some cases, the perceptions are distinctly positive. The negative perceptions are at times accompanied by protests and other forms of dissent. Several quantitative and qualitative studies have been done in this regard in Greater Central Asia (GCA), but comparisons across GCA countries are rare. This paper fills the void. Survey analysis, desktop research of materials of various languages and qualitative interviews were used. In particularly, we present a unique set of primary survey data conducted among university students in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Our findings are generally in line with public opinion research's findings in other parts of the world where China's surging influence is felt by locals. While locals see the positive contribution from China to their societies, there are also various level of awareness of China's influence in different spheres. If China continues to interact more through the bazaars and road constructions, it will embed itself deeper into the local Central Asian imaginations. The future elites of GCA might not necessarily see the rising influence of China in the framework of "great game" competition between Russia and China. Rather, China's relations with GCA is just back to a kind of "new normal" which both regions had enjoyed back in the 19 th century.

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