Since 1970s, China has been undergoing a new period of economic growth, cultural prosperity and social harmony, which has attracted a great number of foreign students. The academic performance, social behavior and personal development of foreign students is linked to their flourishing, a comprehensive concept of well-being that embodies emotional status, and psychological and social functioning. In order to enhance foreign students’ satisfaction and adaptation, this study examines their flourishing by applying thematic analysis to data obtained in semi-structured interviews. In line with ecological system theory, we investigate the potential protective factors for foreign students’ flourishing from micro-meso perspective. The findings: (1) are useful for understanding foreign students’ well-being status by illustrating the opportunities and challenges for them; and (2) provide the empirical evidence to improve foreign students’ flourishing.