Transmitting the Ideal of Enlightenment: Chinese Universities Since the Late Nineteenth Century

(Paperback)

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Transmitting the Ideal of Enlightenment is a collection of articles that shed light on different aspects of university education in China since the late nineteenth century and address how far the ideal of modern university education, which has gradually been developed in the West since the age of European Enlightenment, was adopted or creatively transformed by Chinese universities. In addition to examining the influence of Western universities' visions, curricula, institutions and experiences on Chinese higher education, this volume attempts to show the degree of success achieved by Chinese universities in delivering the goals of personal emancipation, broad-based education, freedom of teaching and learning, academic professionalism, etc. that their Western counterparts had endeavored to attain in the last centuries.

Reviews

Education has been the foundation of the East Asian economic miracle. At present, China's universities produce more engineering graduates per annum than the United States. However, important elements of the Chinese idea of higher education came from the West. A team of Chinese scholars has now produced an interesting volume examining Chinese universities since the late nineteenth century. It should be of interest not only to experts in modern Chinese history, but indeed to all who appreciate the role of education in the value system and development of China in the modern era. This scholarly book is based on solid research into both Chinese and Western source materials, and represents a considerable contribution to the study of the history of educationin China.. -- Joseph Y.S. Cheng, chair professor, Contemporary China Research Project, City University of Hong Kong
Transmitting the Ideals of the Enlightenment: Chinese Universities since the Late Nineteenth Century is a timely work. In an era when universities are questioning their priorities and dealing with such concepts as cost effectiveness and economy of scale, the eight papers of this book take a look backward at the development and goals of Chinese universities during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Scholars and academic administrators alike will benefit from reading these thoughtful and stimulating essays. -- Jessie G. Lutz, emeritus professor of history, Rutgers University, New Jersey

Education has been the foundation of the East Asian economic miracle. At present, China's universities produce more engineering graduates per annum than the United States. However, important elements of the Chinese idea of higher education came from the West. A team of Chinese scholars has now produced an interesting volume examining Chinese universities since the late nineteenth century. It should be of interest not only to experts in modern Chinese history, but indeed to all who appreciate the role of education in the value system and development of China in the modern era.

This scholarly book is based on solid research into both Chinese and Western source materials, and represents a considerable contribution to the study of the history of education in China.

-- Joseph Y.S. Cheng, chair professor, Contemporary China Research Project, City University of Hong Kong
Overall, one would have to say the collection... introduces new data, and it is both interesting and informative. * Journal of Asian History *

Author Bio

Ricardo K. S. Mak received his Ph.D. in history and political science from the University of Regensburg, and is professor of history at the Hong Kong Baptist University.