TheChineseEducationalMissionwastheearliesteffortateducationalmodernizationinChina.AspartoftheSelf-StrengtheningMovement,theQinggovernmentsent120youngboystoNewEnglandtoliveandstudyforadecade,beforeabruptlysummoningthemhometoChinain1881.Thereturnedstudentshelpedstaffnumerousothermodernizationprojects;somerosetotopadministrativeandpoliticalpostsintheQinggovernment.Thisbook,baseduponextensiveresearchinUSarchivesandnewspapers,shedsnewlightonthestudentsduringtheirnine-yearstayintheUnitedStates,anditcomparestheirliveswiththoseoftheJapanesestudentsinNewEnglandataboutthesametime. ThisdetailedstudyofoneofthemostimportantprojectsinChina’sSelf-StrengtheningMovementwillappealtohistoriansofmodernChinaaswellastocomparativehistoriansofChinaandJapan.ThebookalsocontraststheexperiencesoftheChineseEducationalMissionstudentswiththoseofotherChineseintheUnitedStatesduringaperiodofanti-Chinesesentiment,whichwastoculminateintheenactmentofChineseExclusionin1882.Itsconclusionthattheanti-Chinesemovementmayhavebeenasmuchclass-basedasrace-basedwillprovidemuchfoodforthoughttoscholarsofAsianAmericanstudies.
EDUCATIONAL CHINESE STATES MISSION STEPPING WORLD
