Is Yuanpei College a legacy of Cai Yuanpei? : a historical comparative study on higher education reform in China

Abstract

Based on the history of Chinese higher education and a historical comparative study, the research has drawn the outline of China’s higher education reform throughout its development while discovering a relatively weak historical continuity through the comparison between the two reforms at Peking University, namely the historic reform initiated by renowned educator Cai Yuanpei during 1917-1927 and the contemporary case of Yuanpei College. Guided by the question ‘Is Yuanpei College a legacy of Cai Yuanpei?’, the study examined both cases from different angles such as reform objectives, theoretical foundation, principles and the main strategies applied. Major factors that contributed to the success and constraints in both reforms are revealed and, at the end of the comparison, a conclusion was made that Yuanpei College, though named after the university’s former President Cai, is not a direct legacy of Cai Yuanpei due to various reasons related to history and the environment of reform. A set of suggestions are given by the research to deal with the problems that China has encountered during its reforms in areas such as the educational-societal relation, the stress on core values, the indigenization of international experiences and the crucial role of traditional Chinese culture in forming the Chinese model of a university that has a great potential to make unique contributions to the world. To succeed in higher education reforms, core values and a long-term vision is required from the policy makers. Finally, the research stressed on the significance of adopting a historical and cultural perspective when China determines her future directions in higher education reforms.