Patterns of Internationalising Higher Education and the Flows of Education Resources during the Late Qing Dynasty of China

Abstract

During late Qing, neocolonialism was a serious phenomenon situated in the higher education, forcing universities to globalise and adopt foreign education patterns. Furthermore, there are also some outward flows of education resources, although there were more tints of inward flows of education resources. This paper aims to address two research questions: What are the patterns of internationalization in higher education institutions during the Late Qing Dynasty? To what extent, the higher education resources flow inbound and outbound during the Late Qing Dynasty? Based on the telephone interview with six professors of education history in China, it is found that as impacted by Western colonialism, Chinese universities showed a strong signal of globalisation in the late Qing. Meanwhile, some traditional teaching patterns and textbooks with Chinese characteristics were also used to stir the learning enthusiasm of local students.  In the late Qing, inward/inbound flows of education resources were more evidenced than outward/outbound flows. This could be exemplified by some major sources of the textbooks used at universities. Specifically, the first source was the western teachers, who bought textbooks from the mother countries. The second source was many Chinese ambassadors to France and Britain, who sent back to China the original western textbooks. It is hoped that future study will focus on the patterns of internationalizing higher education and flows of education resources during Modern China.