On 1040 form, is total income (line 22) the same as gross income? I'm a Chinese student enjoying tax treaty, should I include $5,000 exemption in gross income?

[levisncap89]

Line 22 - form 1040 is gross income, yes. From there, you apply your exclusions to derive AGI (line 37)

See this for clarification of your treaty question:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3220533-tax-exemption-under-china-us-treaty