Bulletin Autumn 1976

Q. How do you see IASP differing from the various exchange programmes currently operating at the University? A. While building on the firm foundatio n already laid by existing programmes, IASP will be more "comprehensive." As I have just mentioned, hopefully the participants will be drawn from Asia and Europe as well as America, thus further promoting the cultural interchange o n campus. Second, not only will the participants be more varied in terms of national origin, but also in terms of academic level. In th e past, the majority of foreign students have been at the undergraduate level. While this will probably continue to be the case, we hope that greater numbers of graduate students and of advanced scholars engaged in teaching or research will join the programme. And finally, IASP will integrate and coordinate all affairs dealing with international students with the purpose of enriching their experience. For instance, IASP will make possible the offering of more courses on China and Asia in English open to all but primarily for the benefit of foreign students. Q. What are the chief purposes of foreign students coming here to study Asian and Chinese culture? What attracts visiting scholar s to come for research? A. Two main purposes seem to be most common among undergraduates. One is to broaden their education by learning about and living in another culture. These students usuall y have not studied any Chinese language in the past, but probably have had some introductory courses on Chinese or Asian history, philosophy, religion, etc. In general they are more likely to come for a term than a full year. However, there have also been a good number of students who have more than a passing interest in China, and have decided tha t they will probably want to pursue a career related in some way to China or Asia. Frequently they have already begun Chinese and in rare cases can already use the language easily enough to take courses in it. These students come t o deepen their knowledge of China, conscious that they are laying th e ground work for a serious commitment t o this field of study. Visiting scholars of course are living that commitment. They come to Hong Kong in most cases to study some aspect of contemporary China, since the University and Hong Kong can offer unparalleled human and literary resources, plus an agreeable atmosphere , for that study. Others come to investigate urban or rural life in Hong Kong, and again the University can provide a near-ideal base for such projects. In short, I think students and scholars come and will continue to come here fo r the opportunity to study Chinese and China in a Chinese setting, although their particular concerns will vary with interest and degree of specialization. Q. As Yale-China representative here, you must have met many exchange students with their various problems. What, in your experience, are the major difficulties encountered by the foreign students studying in a Chinese milieu? A. One problem which has been a major spur to the development of IASP has been a limited selection of courses in English. Students are of course interested in learning about China and Asia and so want such courses, an d in practical terms they must often fulfill requirements at their home institutions. For both of these reasons, through IASP the University can increase the number of courses on China and Asia in English to satisfy the needs of the students. Of course, one might mention the "difficulty" of learning Chinese. Almost all foreign students do study Chinese, mostly Mandarin, and there are few who don't groan over mastering the tones or understanding the proper stroke order for a particular character. Despite this difficulty, many of the students learn quite a bit of Chinese! Other "difficulties" I would classify as those that are part of living in a foreign culture. The food is different (often better, but still unfamiliar), hostel rules are more restrictive , friendships are formed and developed in different ways - all of these have caused problems, but recognizing cultural differences and learning to cope with them is a central reason for travelling abroad.