CO129-538-1 Hong Kong University 31-12-1931 - 6-8-1932 — Page 236

41

343

a sounder knowledge and appreciation of her art, and a more penetrating sympathy with the political and other difficulties which are confronting her during the present transition stage

in her history. Another point often emphasised was that chairs

the of 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 uni-

versity, whereas chairs devoted to the study of such subjects.

as Chinese art, economics, history and sociology, or to research

work in connection with the application of modern science and

technology to Chinese problems of agriculture, forestry, seri-

culture and others of like nature, would not only interest con-

siderable numbers of English students but would also be likely

to attract a constantly-increasing of advanced students from

BEFREE China itself.

number

Although we, the members of the delegation, con-

cur in the views of the Chinese that the funds at the disposal

of the Universities China Committee could be more usefully em-

teaching ployed than in the endowment of chairs for the SHSHYHE Of

the Chinese language and literature in Great Britain, we con-

part of ceived it to be 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

proposal 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,

it was added

and that if the Board of Trustees decided to respond to this

recommendation "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 Government definitely undertook, in the Exchange