Research On Indigenization Of Universities In Modern China

The university was established in a modern sense by learning and borrowing Western university modes in modern China. Under the special historic conditions of seeking national prosperity and independence, university indigenization focused on the highlighting of university subjectivity and nationalism and the satisfying of the needs of social development, viz., Should the university established by China be "a university in China" or "a university of China" (Tu Youguang) ? A university of China should stick to and reflect Chinese culture: that is the essential distinction from the foreign universities. Such a university will surely give support to Chinese national prosperity and social development.Indigenization of universities in modern China should give priority to institutional indigenization. The diversity of university institutions was generally shaped and formed from the Regulations of Jing Shi College to 1922's New Syllabus. During this evolvement, a very significant characteristic drew a lot of attention: a constant shift in development module resulting from learning from, imitating, integrating Western university institutions. At the very beginning, a Japanese mode was borrowed, and then German and French ones. Thus the mixture of Japanese and European modes was formed. Finally, the focus shifted to an American mode. This shift vividly gave proof to the fact that university institutional indigenization is a gradual process of selection and of seeking a way to meet social development. University presidents played a very important role in the promoting of university institutional indigenization in this process. For example, a borrowing product from Japan as the regulations of Jing Shi College is, "Learning from ancestors and the foreign"( Zhang Baixi et al) made some adjustments to the Japanese mode. Cai Yuanpei emphasized the inheritance of traditional Chinese colleges and the establishing of a university of China though he considered the German universities the best. The shift to the American mode was not entirely blind. In fact, the experiment in Southeast University by Guo Bingwen et al provided that an important basis. They attached importance to Chinese national conditions, ensuring that indigenization met the needs of social development and the historic tendency.The foundation of university institutions was the university spirits. The cohabitation of Western university spirits and Chinese traditional university spirits supplied fertile soil to the indigenization of university spirits. The university presidents, a carrier of university spirits, established Christmas Platform, cultivated the university spirits with Chinese characteristics through inheriting, absorbing, and digesting in a half-century exploration process.University institutions and spirits have to be carried out through university practice. Four representing universities are selected as the study cases of university indigenization in modern China. The four universities share the law of "following Tao". "Tao" is suggested in a traditional Chinese classic "the Great Learning": The way of the great learning involves manifesting luminous virtue, renewing the people, and resting in the utmost good. Tu Youguang took this as a general law of Chinese university development, which was also implied by Mei Yiqi's belief that the university developed within the two concepts "manifesting virtue" and "renewing the people". Cai Yuanpei's "all-embracing; all-inclusive" principle cultivated "Tao" in university in modern China. "Embracing Tao" was the feature of indigenization of Beijing University. Nankai University, a native university of China, evolved from the primary school stage and the middle school stage. Zhang Boling's "Running a School by Domestication" showed he constantly adhered to "Tao" of Chinese universities. "Sticking to Tao" was the feature of indigenization of Nankai University. Tsinghua University, nicknamed a preparatory school to America, was once criticized worshiping foreign countries and currying favor with foreign powers. However, through the effort of Mei Yiqi, it adopted the education policy of "cultivating a person comprehensively" by Mei's transplanting and innovating. "Defending Tao" was the feature of its indigenization. Church schools drifted away from Chinese higher education system since the late Qing Dynasty because of the rule of "no need to be registered". However, Chen Yuan-led Fu Jen Catholic University focused on research and transmission of Chinese culture by transplanting and improving western cultures. He redressed the catholic tendency and intention of "desinification" and cultivated talents, which showed the return of Chinese university "Tao". "Returning to Tao"was the feature of indigenization of Fu Jen Catholic University.In sum, the historic experience of university indigenization in modern China can be concluded as the following from the perspective of university presidents. Firstly, "Scholars should aspire after and show interest in Tao" was the spirits of Chinese university, Presidents' beliefs of running a school coupled with university "Tao" was the important factors to motivate modern China university indigenization. Secondly, institutional construction was the groundwork ensuring sustained indigenization. Institutional construction contributed to the university development from a higher stage. Thirdly, spirit construction stayed at the core of university indigenization in modern China. The essence of university lay in the spirit of university which was the soul of university. Fourthly, cultural awareness was an important mission of university indigenization. University shared natural links with culture. Preserving and carrying forward national culture called for cultural awareness in a twisting historic process of development in modern China. Finally, Harmony but not Sameness is an indispensable global vision in university indigenization process. The mode of a university is never identical with any other mode in a world while no university could live independently of the wave of globalization. "Harmony but not Sameness" and "Co-exist in Harmony "are the ways to university indigenization.