Overseas Chinese Students
Nearly 9,800 overseas Chinese students from all corners of the world had been enrolled and cared for by Free China by November 1958, according to C. M. Chen, chairman of the Overseas Affairs Commission.
These Chinese youngsters represented only part of a total of 12,960 students who applied, Chen reported at the Asian regional conference of some 60 American education and communications media officials in Taipei in late April. Some of the applicants could not come due to visa difficulties.
The increasing number of overseas Chinese students coming to Taiwan contrasts sharply with the dwindling group of Chinese youngsters going to the Communist-controlled mainland. In 1951, the year when overseas Chinese education was first started in Taiwan, only 60 students came from abroad to pursue academic studies here, Chen recalled.
The project was jointly sponsored by the Overseas Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Asia Foundation and ICA, when many overseas Chinese youths, lured by Communist propaganda, were crossing the borders into Communist China. After Free China launched the project, the tide turned. By 1954, more than 1,000 overseas Chinese students had come to Taiwan, and the number kept climbing up.
Most of the students come from Southeast Asia, but quite a few have come from Europe, Africa and America. According to Chen, Chinese students from Hongkong and Macao topped the list with 35.6%, followed by 18% from South Vietnam, 11.5% from Singapore and Malaya, 11.2% from Indonesia, 7.4% from South Korea, and 5.5% from Thailand.
Of some 5,000 college students, a solid 30% are studying engineering, 18% education, 12% literature, 11% law and politics, 8% medicine, 7.5% science, 5% commerce, 4% agriculture, and 0.5% maritime courses. About 4% of them are taking refresher courses preparing them for a full college education.
Chen discredited the fear that the academic standing of the overseas Chinese students was poor. Citing figures, he said the standard has actually been improving. Of the 278 college students in 1952, only three attained to A grade (above 80 points). In 1954, 123 out of 2,000 students achieved this standard, about 6%. In 1957, 920 out of 6,000 students, or 15%, made A grades.
Taking the 215 overseas Chinese college graduates in 1957 as an example, Chen said their average mark steadily rose from 68.83 in 1954 to 70.09 in 1955, 73.10 in 1956 and 74.54 in 1957. The students also distinguished themselves in Chinese and English essay contests and English oratorical contests. Some of them represented China at international students conferences.
In the period from 1954 to 1957 the Chinese government, with the sympathetic assistance of ICA, granted living allowances to 6,723 overseas students, paid medical bills for 955 youngsters, and defrayed traveling expenses for 2,.383 students.
From 1953 to 1958, a total of 1,046 overseas Chinese students received their diplomas from universities and colleges in Free China. Many of them have returned to their resident countries abroad to work for the local communities. Of these graduates, 325 majored in engineering, 300 in education, 102 in commerce, 101 in law and politics, 72 in literature, 70 in agriculture, 27 in pure science, 26 in medical science, 15 in maritime courses, and 8 in other courses.
In the next three years, Chen estimated, 650 students will graduate in 1959, 920 in 1960, and around 1,000 in 1961.
The success of this overseas Chinese education project, Chen said, depends upon the cooperation and understanding of the governments of the United States and Southeast Asian countries. The purpose of this project, he said, is not only to combat the spread of Communist influence among the Chinese youngsters i'n Southeast Asia but also to provide the overseas Chinese youth with an opportunity to acquire advanced learning in democratic China so that they will become better and more useful citizens in the countries of their residence.
U. S. A.
Joys and Predicaments
About this time every year, thousands of college graduates in Taiwan crane their necks and gaze across the Pacific to see if they have a chance of going to the United States for further education.
The life of the Chinese students already in the States, as candidly presented by the English language China News in its April 12 issue, will be revealing to many an aspirant.
Here is the story:
"Life of the Chinese students in the United States presents a medley of flamboyant hope and haunting despair.
"Some of the Chinese scholars, like Nobel prize winners Dr. Lee Tsung-dao and Dr. Yang Cheng-ning, have scored brilliant achievements of worldwide recognition.
"Others are sweating in restaurants as dish-washers in order to enable them to carry on their advanced studies.
"Still others, unable to secure a job and yet having nowhere to go, are drifting from one college to another just to keep their student status and make their continued stay in America tenable.
"And there are quite a few mental cases among the Chinese students who are depressed at heart and could find no outlet for their homesickness and frustration.
"These cases cited above, though sometimes extreme, reflect in a way the joys and despairs of the estimated 5,000-6,000 Chinese students now scattered in the United States. About half of them went to America from the mainland before the fall of continental China into Communist hands. The others went from Taiwan.
"Four years ago, Chinese students topped the list of foreign students in America. Now, the first place has been relinquished to the Canadian students.
"Only the few lucky Chinese students have no worry on financing their studies in the States. Although there are still prodigal sons whose sole interest is 'having a good time' rather than any serious studies, the great majority of the scholars are conscientious and hardworking.
"Many have to snatch a few hours a day from their busy research work to pick up a side income.
"Perhaps because of their hard-pressed situation, most Chinese students are studying assiduously, distinguishing themselves in academic and research fields. For instance, many prominent institutions in America such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hold the Chinese scholars in high esteem.
Science Grads Popular
"Actually, there has been an increasing demand recently in American factories and research institutes for Chinese graduates from science and engineering colleges. A Chinese student with a Ph. D. or an M. A. in science will almost certainly get a position as soon as he finishes off the schools.
"Usually, the Chinese students do not complain about lower pay and harder work. They have one decisive advantage over their American colleagues: they are always ready to go without weekend if necessary. To them it makes little difference whether they spend the weekend in a laboratory or at a holiday resort.
"According to American immigration regulations, a foreign student may only stay in the States, for experimental work, one year after the termination of his studies. But in many cases, the American factories will apply to the American government on the students' behalf for their continued stay.
"However, students studying law, literature or other humanity subjects are far less privileged. For them, job opportunities are scarce and competitive. Only a few famous institutes have openings for highly qualified Chinese scholars for research work pertaining to Chinese culture, history and literature.
"It is therefore not uncommon to find a student with a Ph. D. of law taking graduate courses of literature, or music, or painting, or any other conceivable subjects. In all likelihood, he is doing it not of choice, but of circumstances in order to keep on staying in the States.
"This situation is particularly true of students from mainland China. To return to the Communist-controlled mainland would be rank lunacy, for the plight of those who were lured 'back home' by Communist lies is now well known to Chinese students in America. A number of students returned to the mainland in 1950 and 1951, but in recent years, very few took the trip to their doom.
Uncertain Future
"Yet these students know so little about Taiwan and are hardly ready to come to Free China. Their future is overshadowed by a pall of uncertainty and insecurity. They are homesick, yearning for their folk whom they cannot see. They have almost no prospects to speak of. Chances of marriage and settle-down are slim, as many of them are financially incapable of supporting a family.
"It is among this uneasy group that psychic cases are often reported. Some ended up in asylums. Others were taken care of by their friends. In a few cases, the students were deported to Taiwan.
"Another problem, vexing many a Chinese young man in America, is the difficulty of finding girl friends. Because there are far fewer girls than boys among the Chinese students, only those equipped with the best weapons—money included—could hope to win the hearts of their lady-loves.
"In a few cases, Chinese students who had acquired American citizenships took the long trips to Taiwan to find their mates. They got married quickly, and then the grooms hurried back to the States to apply for immigration permits for the brides.
"Marriages between Chinese students and American girls are few. Somehow, the Chinese students have failed to sally into the hard core of overseas Chinese girls who prefer young men of their own group.
"One official in Taipei once jocularly proposed 'exporting' girls from Taiwan to America. 'Mind you,' he said, 'this is a serious problem.' Chinese students in America would jump at this proposal. But how could it be done even if the proposal were taken seriously?
Ratio Is 1 to 10
"One puzzling fact is that few of the Chinese students have returned to Taiwan. Of some 2,000-2,500 students who have gone to the States from Taiwan since 1951, only some 200 have returned.
"The low pay here is a key reason. A science or engineering major can easily get an average pay of US$500 a month in the States. If his line is in the atomic field, his monthly salary usually can go up to US$800-US$1,000. Here in Taiwan, a full professor is paid about NT$1,500 a month, roughly US$40 at the official rate of exchange.
"Besides, if the student does come back, he will virtually be saying good-bye to his advanced studies and research work. In this space age of science, he will be completely lost in two or three years if he does not keep abreast with the latest development. With the limited facilities in Taiwan, advanced research work such as he is accustomed to in the States is hardly possible. There is also the worry of being dislocated in the jobs even if there are placements for them on their return.
"In a sense, the talents of these Chinese students trained in the States are finding channels to improvement and fame open to them in the States. Viewed in a longer prospective, they may prove to be a priceless asset to China. As one official puts it, they will all come back to serve their mother country when there is far more room for utilizing their talents upon the recovery of the mainland."
INDIA
Forever Remembered
When 67-year-old Li Hai-ping passed away last March, many of the 20,000-0Id Chinese residents in India shed tears. White-haired Li, for 30 years a stalwart of the free Chinese community in India, will be long remembered as an educator, a benefactor and a leader. He never budged an inch when principle was at stake, and once preferred imprisonment to compromising his anti-Communist stand.
National Assemblyman Li was born in Kwangtung. In 1913 while a youngster of 21, he crossed the South China Seas to seek adventure in India and later settled down in Calcutta. He responded to the call of the late Dr. Sun Yat-sen and joined the Kuomintang in 1920. For 33 years he headed the Kuomintang branch in India as a standing committee member of its Indian headquarters, a post he held till his death. He was the only member elected to the Chinese National Assembly in 1948 from among the overseas Chinese in India.
Li was a devoted educator, running Calcutta's biggest Mei Kuang Chinese Middle School as its board chairman. He was a board member of India's only Chinese language newspaper, the India Daily New. His students now constitute the mainstay of the rising generation of the Chinese community in India. He was also a member of the Overseas Affairs Commission.
A man who climbed to success the hard way, Li was straightforward, strong-willed, and always ready to give a helping hand. The hardest ordeal in his life-long struggle come after the mainland fell to the Communists. India quickly recognized the Chinese Communist regime, and soon Li found himself under pressure from the Reds.
Unflinchingly, Li stood his ground. He worked doubly hard looking after free Chinese refugees fleeing to India, kept intact the morale of the free Chinese community, and sent his children to Taiwan for advanced education. He just ignored the threats and lures of the Communists.
In 1954, pressed by Peiping, the India government jailed him on the ground that he was an obstacle to the relations between Communist China and India. The Indian government offered to set him free immediately if he would only promise four things: (1) To quit anti-Communist activities; (2) To discontinue his association with anti-Communist organizations; (3) To stop communicating with Taiwan; and (4) To refrain from making speeches that would "harm" the relations between New Delhi and Peiping.
He would rather stay in jail. His uncompromising stand greatly encouraged the sapping morale of the free Chinese community in India. When he was set free a year later, he was given a hero's welcome.
The year-long imprisonment, however, proved too much for his age. He looked weak, haggard, but refused to rest. He passed away on March 23, 1959. But his deeds will live in the hearts of many compatriots.
FRANCE
Paris Exhibition
When the Paris international trade fair opened on May 1, the palace-style China hall, with its scarlet pillars, gilded beams, and glass roof tiles, almost stole the show. Thousands of European visitors crowded into the China hall on the opening day for a glimpse of the ancient Chinese architecture and modern industrial products from Taiwan.
The China hall, brightly lit by a string of Chinese palace lanterns, occupies a plot of 1,655 square feet. On the two sides hung two big national flags of the Republic of China. Arrayed in the exhibition hall are symbols of Taiwan's industrial development: an internal combustion engine, motors, precision tools, textiles, and chemicals.
In another corner the visitors have a view of Taiwan's handicrafts and farm products, notably rugs, straw mats, shells, bamboo crafts, sugar, tea, and canned food. Chinese paintings and calligraphic works hold the admiration of many a visitor.
Vividly telling the epic story of Taiwan's economic development are tens of color photos and transparent slides. Pamphlets in French depicting the island of Taiwan, its people and its prospects are available to the visitors.
Before the Paris international fair closes on May 18, it is expected that some 150,000 visitors will have promenaded through the China hall, averaging 8,000 a day. Many overseas Chinese have volunteered their service as guides.
After the Paris show, the exhibition will be shifted to Munich for another display from May 27 to June 7, 1959.