Liberal Arts and the Legacy of China’s Christian Universities

Group Submission Type: Book Launch

Description of Session

This book brings together English translations of thirteen research papers on perspectives from current scholars of history, sociology, education and architecture in China. These papers have investigated various dimensions of the legacy of rich intercultural understanding in approaches to the liberal arts with deep Asian roots in China’s historic Christian Universities. Historical examples of glocalization as the interplay between the local and the global continues to inspire higher education reform in China even in the 21st century.
China’s former Christian universities fostered a particularly notable Liberal Arts Education (LAE) in the Chinese context. Besides embracing some ideals in common with LAE developed in the West, their LAE curriculum had an emphasis on readings in the classics, history, philosophy, religion, ethics and literature which conveyed traditional Chinese values. The Christian Universities also shared a strong commitment to moral formation, community service and global citizenship education. This was an approach to education that focused on the whole person, where academic knowledge, skills, and character were equally valued.
Unique contribution of the book: 1) This book opens up to global readers the views of senior Chinese scholars who have brought about a resurgence of the study of China’s Christian universities since Deng Xiaoping’s “Reform and Opening Policy” in China in the 1980s. 2) The study of China’s Christian universities elaborates on Western responses to Asian challenges in 19th and early 20th century China which enrich conceptions of education, modernization and globalization. For example, the concept of “glocalization” emphasizes the significance of the interplay between globalization and localization processes, not only in the past but also in today’s world. 3) This book re-tells the legacy of China’s Christian Universities, claiming that the study of these institutions has not only provided a platform for East-West cultural dialogue which brought mutual enrichment to both cultures, but has also helped develop new forms of liberal arts education, such as “National Studies (guoxue yanjiu)” and “Humanistic Quality Education” in both 20th and 21st century China.
Primary audience for the book: 1) Researchers and teachers in comparative international education, higher education, and China studies, especially those who focus on the study of higher education in modern China. This book attempts to explore the efforts made by Chinese scholars in their study of the history of China’s Christian universities. 2) Scholars, university administrators, and government policymakers especially those who are interested in studying education from global, historical, social, and cultural perspectives. The Christian response to Asian challenges in 19th and early 20th century China could enrich our understanding of education, modernization and globalization in today’s world. 3) Researchers, graduate students, and even the general public who are interested in liberal arts education and China. The book re-tells the legacy of China’s Christian universities, claiming that not only did they provide a platform for inter-cultural dialogue, but also they helped to develop a new form of liberal arts education that has lessons for the wider world.

Sub Unit

• Pre-Conference Workshops, Book launches, and Visual Art Exhibits / Book Launch

Chair

• Ruth Emilie Scott Hayhoe, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto

Book Launch Presenters

• Leping Mou, University of Glasgow

• Ruth Emilie Scott Hayhoe, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto

Discussants

• Weiyan Xiong, Education University of Hong Kong

• Bingqing Shen, OISE - University of Toronto