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For this institution the average expenditure of each student in 1930 was two hundred and sixty dollars. Another feature of this college is the importance which is attached to the examinations, intermediate and final. In most institutions the student merely collects a certain number of credits, passes an internal examination and then qualifies. This does not satisfy Dr. Wei who aims at high intellectual standards for his college and is determined to secure them.
In contrast with this modest institution, modest that is in so far as numbers and range of curriculum are concerned though not in quality of work, there is the new Wuhan University. It would be difficult to imagine a more picturesque site for a university than that occupied by the buildings of this institution. There is a lake about ten miles long and probably one and a half to two miles across and surrounding this are several low hills which comma 1 splendid views of the open country. The university buildings are constructed on the summit of these hills and form a striking landmark symbolising as they do in their architectural design, the union of the occident and the orient. Already there are 700 students occupying the hostels, though the accommodation has not been available for more than one year. This zest for great numbers is partly due to the need for students' fees, for it is one of the failings of those who promote modern universities to assume that, when buildings are erected, the university is established. Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars have already been spent on these very substantial buildings and another building, the women's hostel by the edge of the lake, was in course of erection, but the staff had been receiving only forty per cent of their salary for the past four months, and yet a distinguished Chinese scholar, Mr. Han Lih-wu speaks of this university in the following terms. "The fact is that the air of learning surrounding Wu Han is appreciably purer and more noticeable than it is anywhere else in China. There are fewer professors who have part time work outside. There are fewer students who pay more attention to politics, play and society than they do to their studies. There are almost no student strikes, professors walks out and other painful innovations of the educational world in China." As Sir Reginald Johnson says in his comment, "One must regret the 'almost'"
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In Chungking we found the nucleus of a provincial university which was accommodated in what had been an old temple. There is a strong movement in China which aims at converting all temples Buddhist, Confucianist and Taoist, into schools colleges and lecture halls. Many already have been adapted in this way. General Liu Hsiang of Chungking has given fifty thousand dollars towards the cost of a more modern and appropriate building for the University work and it was nearing completion when we passed through. Now that war has broken out between him and his relative Liu Wen Wei there is not much likelihood of further funds being available. This will mean another university building without adequate endowment, equipment, or staff. There was nothing of outstanding interest in this institution which was really just trying to establish itself as a university but one interesting fact emerged when the head of the department of education was discussing Chinese studies. He said that they had gone back to the old fashioned method of learning the classics for the new methods had been tried and had failed. The person responsible for this order was the head of the university, a returned American student, but as far as we could gather it was unique in this respect though everywhere the study of the Chinese Classics constituted a problem of the first order.
In Chengtu we were in close touch with the staff of the West China Union University, which is situated in spacious and very lovely grounds on the outskirts of the city. This institution, which owes its existence to the combined efforts of several missionary societies, exerts the greatest possible influence, from the point of view of Western culture in Szechuan.
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