37
they are furnished with full particulars regarding each can- didate's academic record, the work already done by him, and
the research project which he intends to take up in Great
Britain.
$1
339
We are in general agreement with Dr Tao's views
and think that the committee suggested by him should bethe
Universities China Committee itself or a sub-committee consisting
of some of its own members.
One of the fellowships might occasionally be
awarded to a British subject for purposes of study in China,
but only when a specially deserving or promising case is brought
to the notice of the Universities China Committee. There is
t present a British student at a Chinese university who is
making a special study of the economic aspects of the Taiping
Rebellion. It is exceptional cases of this kind that we have in
mind. In connection with this subject the following extract
from a memorandum sent to the delegation by Mr T.L.Yuan, Acting
Director of the National Library and a member of the Executive
Committee of the Palace Museum at Peiping, will be of interest.
In it he suggests that English editions of the catalogues of
art treasures in the Palace Museum (formerly the Forbidden City)
should be prepared by English scholars and art-critics who might
be invited to China for the purpose.
"When the Palace Museum has been open to the public
for so many years, it is no longer necessary to dwell upon the richness of its collection of bronzes jades, paintings, porcelains,etc. Although the Museum has been issuing illustrated catalogues and other publications giving reproductions of the art objects, the barrier of language has served to reduce their usefulness abroad. During the last decade, English scholars have contributed greatly to the study of Chinese art by the publication of care- fully prepared catalogues of Chinese bronzes, porce- lains, and paintings, the most distinguished being the magnificent Eumorfopoulos catalogues. It is felt that catalogues of the art treasures in the Palace Museum prepared on similar lines will eclipse all previous ones in importance. This is not to belittle the excellent catalogues we have now, but owing to the size and richness of the collections in the Forbidden City, catalogues of them can be made more representative of the history of Chinese art. The value of such catalogues to scholars will be incalculable. If the Committee
feel interested in the matter and can secure the services of such specialists as Messrs Binyon, Hob- son, and Yetts, the undersigned will undertake to arrange with the Palace Museum to give them every