Professor Rui Yang, University of Hong Kong
This paper can be downloaded from: http://www.wun.ac.uk/ideasanduniversities/seminars.html
Enter the dragon? China’s higher education returns to the world community: the case of the Peking University personnel reforms
April 6, 2009 by ideasanduniversities
Professor Yang,
Thank you so much for your talk today. Very interesting!
One issue that did not come up was the nature of the learning relationship. You gave some very interesting comments and insights regarding relationships between scholars, between scholars and institutions, and between institutions and society/government. You particularly touched on issues of hierarchy (i.e., in social relations people are often “master” or “slave”).
If Chinese higher education is to seek a goal of intellectual openness, social critique, etc… how is the relationship between student and teacher (or student and institution) impacting the future of that goal?
You spoke of the link between scientific thought and notions of moral rightness. Similarly, Ian referenced the medieval intellect that linked truth with morality. However, both of these ideas seem to rest on a foundation of correct or “right” and incorrect or “wrong” answers and ideas. In many a scientific mind, things are simply true or false — right or wrong.
But the modern western university has produced a contemporary environment in which the student is much more than his medieval counterpart, who received, ingested, and mastered established truth and knowledge. Today, the learner is far more of an equal to his/her teacher than in earlier periods.
You argue that equality is lacking in scholarly relationships right now in China. Is there any hope for the kind of equality that feeds a more fruitful student-teacher relationship?
Once again, thank you very much for your presentation.
-ed connery
(UW Madison)
Dear Rui,
Thank you very much indeed for a wonderfully stimulating and informative paper, and for responding so skilfully to all our questions.
Reflecting on the paper after the discussion, I wanted to ask a bit more about the distinctively Chinese values and ways of thinking to which you alluded. To what extent are they ‘taught’ as a formal part of the curriculum? To what extent are they acquired through living in Chinese society?
Towards the end of the discussion we started to look more closely at the history of both the western and Chinese educational traditions. I pointed to a tension between market-driven education and moral education in the twelfth century in the west. If I understood you correctly, you indicated a similar tension in ancient Chinese education. Do you think that if scholars further unraveled these tensions in both traditions, the two traditions might start to seem to have more in common? And might this serve a purpose in helping to develop the mutual respect and understanding of which you spoke so eloquently?
Thank you once again for a brilliant paper.
Very best wishes,
Ian