CO129-538-1 Hong Kong University 31-12-1931 - 6-8-1932 — Page 161

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CHINA REPORT

in London last year, but his student-life abroad was spent in America. Among British residents in Peiping who might with advantage be invited to join the sub-committee are Mr. A. H. George (Commercial Secretary at the British Legation) and Professor Bevan.

In

There is not likely to be much difficulty in securing the services of suitable correspondents in the different educational centres. the Shanghai district, Dr. Sydney K. Wei, formerly of the Ministry of Education, who has shown great interest in the whole scheme, might be willing to act in this capacity, and the names of Z. C. Chen (formerly a student at the Royal School of Mines) and Dr. Hsing-lo Hsu (a prominent banker) have been frequently brought forward. Mr. G. E. Hubbard, of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Cor- poration in Shanghai, would be willing to help, and the name of Dr. Chatley has also been suggested. In Shanghai there is a British Returned Students' Union, the members of which have already shown considerable interest in our work, and it is suggested that they might be invited to elect a representative on the sub-committee. Some of the members of the Union are frequent visitors to Peiping and would probably be able to attend meetings there. The following copy of a letter received from the President of the Union since our return to England will be found of interest :—

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"British Returned Students' Union,

Dear Professor Roxby,

4, Hongkong Road,

Shanghai, China,

November 27th, 1931,

'My committee and our friends were very glad to have the opportunity of meeting you and Sir Reginald Johnston and Professor Adams on the 20th inst. at our association, when you told us briefly that the object of your Committee was to improve the cultural relationship between our countries. We specially appreciated your plans to enable our students in Great Britain to come into contact with the best of the British education.

"When you unfolded to us the project of extending your activities with the grant from the Boxer Indemnity Fund by means of exchange professors and research scholarships to study in both countries, we could not help feeling that a new era was opening before us.

<<

As requested your message was relayed, so to speak, to our members at a meeting held on Thursday, the 26th inst. During

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the discussion which followed it was emphasised that, while this world had grown small on account of the modern improvements in communication, and that economically internationalism had already superseded nationalism to a great extent, we were culturally still living very much as individual units, which fact alone could If only account for more ills of the world than any other cause. there was closer cultural contact and less economic jostling every one would be much happier.

"The following resolution was put to the meeting and passed:

"It is hereby resolved that this Association is to offer its hearty co-operation to the Universities' China Committee in an endeavour to bring about closer cultural contact between our countries, and that the Committee is authorised to discuss with the said Universities' China Committee the ways and means to that end and to offer the services of this Association within its scope and capacity, and that the Committee is to report to the members the outcome of their deliberations at a future meeting.'

"I am therefore happy to forward you this resolution, and shall be obliged if you will give me an outline of what your Com- mittee proposes immediately to carry out in China, so that my Committee may consider in what way we can best co-operate with you.

Yours faithfully,

President."

Our proposed sub-committee would doubtless elect its own chairman, but the names most frequently put forward in connection with such an office are those of Dr. L. K. Tao and Dr. V. K. Ting. We suggest that vacancies be filled by co-optation, subject to the approval of the Committee in England.

In view of the multifarious and onerous duties which would devolve upon the sub-committee, we are of opinion that it should employ a paid secretary (full-time, if experience shows this to be neces- sary) who would be a Chinese and preferably a speaker of Pekingese or some allied form of kuo-yu. The selection of a suitable man should be left to the sub-committee, but he ought to possess a good knowledge of written and spoken English, as an essential part of his duties will be to conduct the correspondence of the sub-committee with the Universities' China Committee in England.

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