150 Years of Chinese Students in America Initiative
Chinese students of elite colleges in the US, circa 1911
Background and Objective
•Since the formation of the Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) in 1872 which brought over the first 120 Chinese students to New England, Chinese students have been coming to America to further their education and made significant contributions in the US or back home in Asia after graduation.
•The objective of this initiative is to preserve and promote the legacy of these Chinese students through a series of activities.
Project Scope
•New England focus – both high schools (e.g. Andover/NMH etc.) and colleges (e.g. Harvard/MIT/BU/BC/Tufts/Wellesley/Amherst/Dartmouth etc.)
•Time period: 1872 to 1970s covering the first three waves of Chinese students in America
•Website – content from various online and offline resources, digital archives of schools and historic fraternities such as PL and FF etc. Pictures and articles contributed by former students or their descendants.
•Oral History Interviews
•Lectures and Conference Events
•Site Visits/Exhibitions
•Publications (Chronicle articles, potentially book)
Timeline and Next Steps
2021
•Formation of Advisory Board comprised of academics, CEM descendants and other interested parties
•Website Soft Launch
2022
•Tunney Lee Lecture
•Oral history interviews (preference given to individuals over 80 years old) •Conference event and exhibit
•Visit to Hartford CT
How You Can Help?
•Financial Support
•Contribute Articles/Pictures if you or your relatives/friends are amongst the first three waves of Chinese students in America
•Request for Oral History Interviews
Contributors
Steering Committee: York Lo (Chair) Stephanie Fan, Brianna Allen
Advisory Board (by alphabetical order of surnames)
•Roger Lee (Shanghai) – great great grandson of CEM student B.C. Wan and amateur historian
•Edward Rhoads (Texas) – UT Austin History Professor and author of “Stepping Forward Into the World”
•Julian Suez (New York) – great-grandson of CEM student Tso Ki-foo and longtime PL member
•Deliang Tang (New York) – historian for PL and Professor at Columbia •Emma Teng (Boston) – MIT History Professor and developer of “China Comes to MIT” website
•Joseph Ting (Hong Kong) – former director of HK Museum of History and organizer of “Chinese Students” exhibition
•Wing-Kai To (Boston) – former CHSNE board member and Professor, Bridgewater State University
•Yung Ying-yue (Tokyo) – Professor Emeritus, Asia University, Trustee, Asia Institute of Business Strategy, granddaughter of CEM student Yung Sing-kew •Jeanette Zee (Shanghai) – niece of Wellington Koo and amateur historian
