Southeast Asian Studies in China

5. Overview of Teaching Programmes and Curriculum Development on Southeast Asia in China

Overview of Teaching Programmes and Curriculum Development 75 5 5 Overview of Teaching Programmes and Curriculum Development on Southeast Asia in China Zhang Xizhen This conference focusing on Southeast Asian Studies in China provides us with a very good opportunity to review the historical evolution and status of China’s Southeast Asian Studies with many representatives from almost every institution in China concerned with Southeast Asian Studies. Talking about Southeast Asian Studies in Chinese teaching programmes and subject construction on Southeast Asian Studies are an important part of it. This chapter, therefore, recalls the development of the teaching programme and curriculum development on Southeast Asian Studies in China, summarizes the achievements and progress made in the past two decades, and meanwhile analyses the remaining problems and challenges we face. To prepare for this chapter and gather detailed data and information, I organized a nationwide symposium at the School of International Studies, Peking University, from 3–4 December 2005. Twenty-five representatives from twelve universities, such as Peking University, Diplomacy University, ０５ ＳＥＡＳｔｕｄｉｅｓ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ Ｃｈ ５ 10/20/06, 10:03 AM 75 76 Zhang Xizhen University of Foreign Studies, Xiamen University, Zhongshan University, Jinan University, Yunnan University, etc., reviewed the development of teaching programmes and curriculum development on Southeast Asian Studies, analysed its status and exchanged teaching experience. Most representatives thought that great progress has been made in teaching programmes during the last two decades, which was the “golden age” for Southeast Asian Studies in China. However, they argued that the current scale of Southeast Asia teaching programmes and curriculum development is unable to meet the development needs of Sino-Southeast Asia relations, and match the position of China’s large nation status. China needs to make greater effort to promote its Southeast Asia teaching programmes and academic research and to nurture more Southeast Asia talents. A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINA’s SOUTHEAST ASIAN TEACHING PROGRAMMES Chinese are the earliest people beyond Southeast Asia who knew well this region. Since the Qin dynasty (221–205 B.C.), Chinese have been migrating to this area in search of their livelihood on the unacquainted land. During China’s long ancient history, almost every dynasty sent its ambassadors to ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia, and these ambassadors left various diaries, documents and other writings about the kingdoms where they stayed as legacy for studying this area. A second group of Chinese who made contributions to the understanding of this region were travellers who were usually intellectuals. When they came and stayed with their fathers or relatives who were usually merchants or diplomats abroad, they wrote some articles, diaries, travel notes and memoirs. A third group of Chinese who had experience in Southeast Asia were Buddhist monks who went to India through this area by sea, to study Buddhism. Some of them wrote a lot about what they saw when they stayed or spent some years there. Today these valuable records have become important sources for the present Southeast Asian Studies. Although there is very rich ancient literature on Southeast Asia, it became real academic research very late in China. Modern academic studies on Southeast Asia can be traced back to the early twentieth century. In 1906, Jinan University was founded (first in Nanjing, then it moved to Shanghai, and finally to Guangzhou) mainly for the young generation of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. In the university, some courses on overseas Chinese were taught and the earliest books on the region were published. Professor Li Changfu (
 ) who taught courses on Chinese settlement and histories of countries in Southeast Asia at the university published a book entitled ０５ ＳＥＡＳｔｕｄｉｅｓ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ Ｃｈ ５ 10/20/06, 10:03 AM 76 Overview of Teaching Programmes and Curriculum Development 77 History of Chinese Settlement Abroad in 1937, then Histories of Countries in Nan Yang in 1938. the Bureau of Nan Yang Cultural Affairs (
 !"
) was established at Jinan University in Shanghai and published scholarly journals on Southeast Asia: The Nanyang Studies and the Nanyang Information. In Peking University Professor Feng Chengjun
 !"who taught history of Sino-Nanyang communication, also published a book entitled History of Sino-Nanyang Communication in 1937. Almost at the same time, a small group of overseas Chinese intellectuals in Singapore established the China Nanyang (South Seas) Society, which has continued to publish the Journal of the Nanyang Society and monographs until 1982. During the Anti-Japan War, a group of overseas Chinese scholars returned to China and did research at the Institute of...