Renowned as one of the most distinguished universities in the world, Peking University (PKU or, colloquially, "Beida") has been at the forefront of higher education in China since its inception. Its roots arguably date to the origin of Chinese higher education. Hao Ping traces the intricate evolution of the university, beginning with the preceding institutions that contributed to its establishment, and stretching from the first Opium War of 1839 through the first of several eye-opening defeats for the then-isolated Middle Kingdom to the Xinhai Revolution and the early days of the Republic of China. Hao Ping chronicles the contentious debates between reform-minded leaders who championed Western models of learning and conservatives who favored the traditional schooling and examination system, providing readers with details about the workings of the imperial court as well as the individual officials and scholars involved in Chinese educational reform. This authoritative history of the founding of Peking University defends the university's claim to be the first modern university in China and offers insight into the formation of higher education as it exists in China today.

Peking University and the Origins of Higher Education in China Appropriately renowned as one of the most distinguished universities in the world, Peking University (PKU) has since its inception been at the forefront of higher education in China. In fact, its roots arguably date to the origin of Chinese higher education. This book-written by historian, erstwhile administrator at Peking University, and current vice minister of education in China, Hao Ping-traces the intricate evolution of the university, beginning with the preceding institutions that contributed to its establishment and stretched from the fi rst Opium War of 1839 through the fi rst of several eye-opening defeats for the then-isolated Middle Kingdom to the Xinhai Revolution and the early days of the Republic of China. Hao Ping chronicles the contentious debates between reform-minded leaders who championed Western models of learning and Conservatives who favored the traditional schooling and examination system, providing readers with fascinating details about the workings of the imperial court as well as the very individual offi cials and scholars involved in Chinese educational reform. This authoritative history of the founding of Peking University defends its claim to be the fi rst modern university in China and offers insight into the origins of higher education as it exists in China today. Born in the People's Republic of China's Shandong Province, vice minister Hao Ping received his masters from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his PhD from Peking University's School of International Relations. He has been both a professor and academic administrator and has held such offi ces as the vice president of Beijing University and president of Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is currently the vice minister of education and the author of several books, including Sun Yat-s en's Revolution and the United States and An Unfortunate Ending: John

辛亥革命前的北京大学，被称为京师大学堂。京师大学堂的成立标志着绵延一千多年的科举制的彻底崩溃及新式教育制度的诞生。北京大学既是新文化运动的发源地、五四运动的中心，也是民主、科学思想及马列主义在中国最早的的传播地。这样一所与中国近代史有着密切联系的大学，其创办原因何在；它与太学、国子监是什么关系；京师大学堂到底有没有前身；中国第一所官方开办的新式学堂京师同文馆为何被并入京师大学堂；本书从上述问题出发，以大量史实详细论证了北京大学的创办是晚清维新派与保守派多年斗争的结果，并进一步回答了该大学创办初期其他几个引人深思的问题：慈禧太后在残酷镇压了戊戌变法后，为什么废除了几乎所有的变法措施，却单单保留了拥有改革精神的京师大学堂；为什么该学堂有三个不同的建校章程，且均与光绪皇帝和慈禧太后有关；它的出现何以代表了“中国现代教育的开端”。

Renowned as one of the most distinguished universities in the world, Peking University (PKU or, colloquially, "Beida") has been at the forefront of higher education in China since its inception. Its roots arguably date to the origin of Chinese higher education. Hao Ping traces the intricate evolution of the university, beginning with the preceding institutions that contributed to its establishment, and stretching from the first Opium War of 1839 through the first of several eye-opening defeats for the then-isolated Middle Kingdom to the Xinhai Revolution and the early days of the Republic of China. Hao Ping chronicles the contentious debates between reform-minded leaders who championed Western models of learning and conservatives who favored the traditional schooling and examination system, providing readers with details about the workings of the imperial court as well as the individual officials and scholars involved in Chinese educational reform. This authoritative history of the founding of Peking University defends the university’s claim to be the first modern university in China and offers insight into the formation of higher education as it exists in China today.

This new book tells the story of the rise and fall of Fu Ren University (1925-1952) and provides an analysis of a key Catholic higher education institution in China.

Contentious debates over the benefits—or drawbacks—of a liberal education are as old as America itself. From Benjamin Franklin to the Internet pundits, critics of higher education have attacked its irrelevance and elitism—often calling for more vocational instruction. Thomas Jefferson, by contrast, believed that nurturing a student’s capacity for lifelong learning was useful for science and commerce while also being essential for democracy. In this provocative contribution to the disputes, university president Michael S. Roth focuses on important moments and seminal thinkers in America’s long-running argument over vocational vs. liberal education. Conflicting streams of thought flow through American intellectual history: W. E. B. DuBois’s humanistic principles of pedagogy for newly emancipated slaves developed in opposition to Booker T. Washington’s educational utilitarianism, for example. Jane Addams’s emphasis on the cultivation of empathy and John Dewey’s calls for education as civic engagement were rejected as impractical by those who aimed to train students for particular economic tasks. Roth explores these arguments (and more), considers the state of higher education today, and concludes with a stirring plea for the kind of education that has, since the founding of the nation, cultivated individual freedom, promulgated civic virtue, and instilled hope for the future.