CO129-538-1 Hong Kong University 31-12-1931 - 6-8-1932 — Page 155

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CHINA REPORT

her during the present transition stage in her history. Another point often emphasised was that chairs of the Chinese language, however desirable on general grounds, would be of no direct value to Chinese students visiting or living in England, who could not be expected to seek instruction in their own language from a foreign teacher in a foreign university, whereas if money were made available to promote the study of such subjects as Chinese art, economics, history an

of sociology, or to research work in connection with the application modern science and technology to Chinese problems of agriculture, forestry, sericulture and others of like nature, not only would many English students be interested, but a constantly-increasing number of advanced students from China itself might be attracted.

Although we, the members of the delegation, concur in the views of the Chinese that the funds at the disposal of the Universities' China Committee could be more usefully employed than in the endow- ment of chairs for the teaching of the Chinese language and literature in Great Britain, we conceived it to be part of our duty to draw the attention of various members of the Board of Trustees and other Chinese to the following facts :-(1) That the existing endowments for the promotion of Chinese studies in Great Britain were miserably inadequate; and (2) that in the Willingdon Report of 1926 the pro- posal was put forward that proper provision should be made out of indemnity funds for the advancement of Chinese studies at the School of Oriental Studies in the University of London, and it was added that if the Board of Trustees decided to respond to this recommenda- tion "it should also seriously consider the necessity of adequately providing for professorships at Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester, together with Chinese assistants and the proper support of their Chinese libraries ". Inasmuch as Dr. C. T. Wang on behalf of his Govern- ment definitely undertook, in the Exchange of Notes of September, 1930, to deal with the indemnity funds "in harmony with the general views set forth" in the Willingdon Report, and promised to invite the attention of the Board of Trustees to the recommendations contained in that Report, we felt justified in expressing the hope that as soon as the Board of Trustees found itself in possession of adequate funds it would proceed forthwith to give effect to some at least of the Willingdon recommendations, including that relating to the endowment We therefore now suggest of Chinese studies in the United Kingdom. that when the status and authority of the Board of Trustees are more clearly defined than they are at present, and when there is reason to "in believe that its financial resources are sufficient to enable it to act harmony with the general views set forth" in the Willingdon Report,

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RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE DELEGATION

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the Universities' China Committee should take immediate steps to invite the attention of the Board to the views expressed in that Report in regard to the promotion of Chinese studies in England.

Although none of the Chinese whom we consulted was in favour of endowing chairs of the Chinese language in the United Kingdom out of the funds controlled by the Committee, we found no objection to the utilisation of a portion of those funds in the subsidising of a lectureship or chair of Chinese Art and Archeology in the University of London. We understand that the present position of affairs relating to that post is that the Universities3 China Committee agreed some months ago to make an emergency grant of £500 in respect of the academic year 1931-2, on the ground that without such a grant the lectureship was likely to lapse. It is true that the lectureship does not involve the teaching of the Chinese language and literature except indirectly and in some of their archaic forms, but in supporting the existing facilities for the study of Chinese art and archæology in London the Universities' China Committee is at least justified in " named claiming that it is carrying out the last of the five "purposes

That purpose

in the above-mentioned First Schedule to the Act.

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was generally to encourage closer intellectual co-operation and to promote cultural relations between China and the United Kingdom".

We may perhaps be permitted to take this opportunity of recording our belief that an adequate case has been made out for the conversion of the lectureship in Chinese Art and Archeology into a professorship. We therefore suggest for the consideration of the Committee that the continuance of the grant of £500 after the current academic year might be made conditional on such a conversion being carried out, and on the authorities of the School of Oriental Studies or of London University providing an equal sum from its own or other resources so that the emoluments of the post may be raised to £1,000. This is merely a suggestion which is put forward for what it is worth, as we fully understand that the question is not one on which our delegation was asked to advise.

There are other ways besides those already mentioned in which the Universities' China Committee may perform valuable services in connection with the encouragement of Chinese studies in England. The following extract from the memorandum presented to the delega- tion by Mr. T. L. Yuan, from which we have already quoted, gives an example of how valuable work in this direction may be accomplished at no great cost :—

"The large collection of Tun Huang manuscripts in the British Museum is very varied in nature, and contains much

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