An Emerging Higher Education Paradigm? China’s endeavour to pursue neo-type research universities

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Since its modernisation process started in the late 19th century, China has struggled to develop a Chinese model of higher education by integrating Chinese traditions and Western experiences following the approach of zhong ti xi yong, preserving the Chinese essence while adopting Western means (Yang 2017). Not being far from this approach, Chinese higher education development and reforms in the recent three decades are underlined by the principle of higher education with Chinese characteristics advocated by the government (Li and Zhu 2019). Regardless of China’s tremendous efforts and various experiments, it has remained an unresolved puzzle on how to reconcile Chinese and Western elements in Chinese higher education (Cai and Yan 2020) and efforts in innovatively exploring possible solutions continue (Ma and Cai 2021). While the Western elements broadly refer to features of western higher education, the Chinese elements mainly concern Chinese traditional culture and centralised state control (Li 2019; Zha et al. 2016).
The most profound initiative for a paradigm change in Chinese higher education is the recent policy call for building neo-type research universities, which was officially launched by ‘Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of the People’s Republic of China’ issued in March 2021. The Outline’s Chapter 4: A Strategic Vision for Building Strength in Science and Technology states that ‘(we will) support the development of new forms of innovators such as research universities and R&D institutions’. This has not only driven the Chinese Ministry of Education and university leaders to develop reform strategies but also triggered hot discussions among higher education scholars on the following issues: Why has China engaged in developing neo-type research universities? What does a neo-type research university look like? How can the current universities be transformed into a neo-type?
In the Chinese literature, developing neo-type research universities are generally understood as a paradigm change of universities in response to radical transformations in society. However, the discussions are on an abstract level and in the Chinese discourse system, without referring to existing studies on new models of universities in the international literature. This is leading to a challenge the international community of higher education research: while Chinese universities are starting unprecedented reforms driven by the new national strategy, it is difficult for international researchers to comprehend and study the reforms due to a lack of efforts connecting the scholarly and policy discussions on new-type research universities in China to international studies on transformations of universities in a global context. Such a situation may also hamper China’s learning from international experience in carrying out its reforms.
Therefore, we propose this panel to look into China’s endeavour to pursue neo-type research universities from perspectives of quality assurance system, research management mechanisms, talent cultivation model, and liberal arts education curriculum.

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Chair

• MA Jinyuan, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(Guangzhou)

Individual Presentations

• Quality Assurance System in Neo-type Research Universities in China - Gaoming Zheng, Tongji University; Sanfa Cai, Tongji University

• Operational Mechanism and Efficiency of the PI Research Management in Neo-type Research Universities in China - MA Jinyuan, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(Guangzhou)

• From Model to Paradigm: The Reform of Talent Cultivation in China’s Neo-type Research Universities - Junhua Zhu, The university of Hong Kong; MA Jinyuan, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(Guangzhou)