Jingji Xue: History of the Introduction of Western Economic Ideas Into China, 1850-1950

466 Pages·2007·8.44 MB·English

by  Paul B. Trescott

JINGJI XUE

Jingji Xue
The History of the Introduction of Western
Economic Ideas into China, 1850-1950
Paul B. Trescott
The Chinese University Press
Jingji Xue: The History of the Introduction of
Western Economic Ideas into China, 1850-1950
By Paul B. Trescott
© The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
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system, without permission in writing from
The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
ISBN 978-962-996-242-5
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
SHA TIN. N T.. HONG KONG
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Contents
Preface vii
List of Plates xi
List of Tables xix
Abbreviations xxiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Preliminaries: Missionaries and Westernizing Chinese 23
3 Sun Yat-sen 45
4 Graduate Study of Economics by Chinese in the United States 61
5 Chinese Who Studied Economics in Britain and 79
Continental Europe before 1950
6 Chinese Economics Graduate Students Overseas: 101
Careers, Backgrounds, Research Areas
7 Economics in China’s Christian Colleges: Overview 121
8 Economics at Yanjing University (Peking) 147
9 John Lossing Buck and Agricultural Economics at 167
Nanjing University
10 Economics in Chinese Universities: Overview 185
11 Economics at Nankai University 209
12 Beida: Western Economics at Peking University 223
13 Qinghua College and Qinghua University 243
14 The Role of Western Economics in Economic Research in 259
China 1900-1950: Techniques, Ideas, and Personnel
15 Epilogue and Overview 291
Notes 317
References 371
Glossary 407
Index 419

Preface
This book originated in 1983-84 when I served as Fulbright professor in the
World Economy section at Peking University. “Jingji xue” is the Chinese term
for Economics. Toward the end of my stay, we learned that Wang Jianye and
Yan Zhijie would be coming to the United States under Fulbright sponsorship.
To facilitate a rendezvous, we agreed to prepare a paper for the meetings of the
History of Economics Society. My expectation was that my two colleagues
would do all the heavy lifting while I would come along at the end, adjust the
grammar and adjectives, and become a co-author. They did in fact prepare a
large and scholarly draft, parts of which are embodied in the present document.
In working through it, however, I was soon utterly captivated by the topic and
unable to resist trying to find out more about it. My goal was simple—identify
the Chinese who studied Economics in the West and find out what happened
to them on their return to China. Both of the original collaborators have
continued to provide assistance and encouragement. So also my Beida
supervisors Hong Junyan and Chen Daisun, colleagues Fang Wei and Lai
Rongyuen, and students Wang Yijiang, Ma Guonan, and Tran Xiaohua.
Our Fulbright year was a life-changing experience, in large measure
because my wife Kitty also became very engaged with China. She studied
the language, and succeeded in developing friendships with a virtual army
of Chinese students and colleagues who have provided the indispensable
language skills which I do not possess. She also accompanied me on
innumerable visits to libraries and archives, always ready to search and
photocopy resources. This project has taken us all over the world and has
been (mostly) a wonderful adventure.
This project has generated an enormous data base identifying individual
Chinese economists, students, and faculty. Each student and faculty member
is represented by at least one sheet of paper; the essential data are summarized
in computer files. These resources are available for researchers. Copies of
much of the paper rile have been deposited with the Shanghai University of
Finance and Economics.
viii Preface
After Beida, the project benefited greatly from my opportunity to teach
in the Ford Foundation special training program at People’s University in
1992. This brought the extraordinary assistance of Xiao Zhijie in ransacking
archives and libraries. His meticulous translations of course lists and faculty
rosters have been at my fingertips daily. Renda colleagues Wang Chuanlun
and Gao Hongye patiently answered questions and helped arrange
interviews.
Before we left in 1983, Jean Fan introduced me to Wang Jizu, who in
turn hosted us at Nankai University on several occasions and arranged
interviews with many of their senior faculty.
While the project has been mainly self-financed, important assistance
has come from the Luce Foundation (thanks to Arthur Waldron), the
Rockefeller Archive, and Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (thanks to Lee
Wenfu). Our Fulbright visit to Poland in 1996 gave us a base from which
to pursue research in England, France, Germany, and Austria. Through the
hospitality of Franklin Chaomin Li, we were able to visit the Shanghai
University of Finance and Economics for helpful seminars and archival
visits.
Our Beida colleague, the late Charles Wy vill, led us to Harold Shadick,
who in turn aided my Yanjing connection, particularly with Hilda Tayler
Brown and her sister Gladys Tayler Yang. Beida colleague Lu Chungtai
provided valuable material on the elusive Furen University. Our HES
discussant Jim Chang shared his experiences at wartime Nanda and in
JCRR. Harry Price shared recollections of Yanjing and the Kemmerer
Commission.
I was aided in researching Nanjing’s CAF by interviews with Stanley
Warren, Ardron Lewis (who kindly gave me his copy of the silver report),
Wang Yinyuen, and Wang Xixian. My SIU colleague Bill Herr, a Cornell
PhD in Agricultural Economics, gave a helpful review of Chapter 9.
At Taiwan’s Tsinghua University, Professor Lai Cheng-chung has been
a full collaborator in work involving Liang Qichao and Yan Fu, and also
aided in choreographing our visits to Taiwan. Sun Chung-hsing sent me
away with not only a copy of his helpful dissertation but a ream of precious
photocopies. Chapter 14 reflects his input. Chiang Yung-chien shared his
dissertation and source materials.
In Carbondale I ruthlessly exploited Chinese students, guests, and
friends: Wu Naichun, Zhou Shudong. Chen Zaiping, Liu Yixin, Lin Suren,
Ma Lingjie, Wang Xingyu, Yin Hong, Hu Hualing, Chen Zhihong, Wang
Zhimin, Peng Zhifang, Zhang Zhongyang, and Zhong Litao. Yu Xiaoyang
Preface ix
linked us with Lu Xiaoyan at the National Library in Beijing. I was grateful
for correspondence with Ruth Hayhoe, Ramon Myers, Arif Dirlik, Dwight
Perkins, Wei Wou, Alfred K. Ho, Chuhei Suguyama, Anthony Koo, and
Mabel Li Chang.
Southern Illinois University provided support in many ways: sabbatical
leave, library resources, congenial teaching assignments, and the cheerful
assistance of Nancy Mallett and Sandy McRoy in the preparation of endless
successive drafts.
The many libraries and archives are acknowledged in the text or
reference list, but special thanks go to Martha Smalley and the staff of the
library of Yale Divinity School.
Editors of scholarly publications have been gracious enough to publish
some fragments of this research, and have granted permission to reproduce
these. These include The American Journal of Economics and Sociology,
Annals of Cooperative and Public Economics, History of Political Economy,
Journal of Economic Issues, Taiwan Journal of Political Economy, Journal
of the History of Economic Thought, International Journal of Social
Economics, and University Press of America.
The leadership of US-China Peoples Friendship Association have been
a constant source of encouragement and a willing audience, notably Barbara
Harrison, Barbara Cobb, Bob Sanborn, and Jon Saari.
Special thanks also to Esther Tsang and Lisa Tang, my editors at The
Chinese University Press. They have been consistently upbeat and indulged
many of my grandiose fantasies for this project.