Will China ever have its own Harvard?

By Thorsten Pattberg

BEIJING ― It is no secret that the Chinese have a crush on crimson red. Naturally, elite universities attract intelligence just as top sports teams attract physical strength. And ivory towers are admitting outstanding Chinese applicants on a scale unprecedented in history. Harvard has become a de facto Chinese outpost.

It is not alone. The University of California, Berkeley, is brimming with Chinese prodigies, as are Yale University in the United States and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Top universities all over the world are engaging in China-related research and cultural diplomacy. Good for China's elites, but there is a dark side to it: the brain drain.

The latest controversy concerns a $15 million donation to Harvard by a billionaire couple, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, to establish a scholarship. It wasn't all that newsworthy because large Chinese donations to Harvard are somewhat common. But the Soho China Scholarship sparked outrage in the Chinese social media ― or was it a well-orchestrated publicity campaign?

As businesspeople, Mr. Pan and Ms. Zhang surely expect some form of return on their "investment," apart from gratitude and the right to name the scholarship. Are they hoping to get one of their own into Harvard? A family member, a friend, many friends? Many Chinese commentators would have few problems with that, as caring for one's family and friends is an inherent feature of China's Confucian tradition. Most critics would probably do the same if only they had the financial means. Their main concern, however, is this: Why not invest in China's educational system?

On average, Chinese students ― together with other East Asians such as Singaporeans, Japanese and South Koreans ― have superior skills in mathematics, reading and science. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development confirmed this with its Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA: Students from Shanghai, Macao, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) lead the world. Why can't their universities?

Beijing is pushing hard to reverse the brain drain ― and, by extension, the outflow of "Mao." (Mao Zedong graces the 100-yuan bill.) Tsinghua University, for example, has attracted a $300 million donation from Stephen Schwarzman's Blackstone Group as part of an initiative to train "future world leaders." In 2010 Peking University hired Tu Weiming, a former Harvard professor and director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute who cultivates a vast amount of adulation, loyalty and "guanxi." Not wanting to fall behind Tsinghua, Peking University is establishing its own "future world leaders" program: the Yenching Academy.

China needs ― it deserves ― its own Harvard. And its own Yale, Princeton, and all the rest. Such a future is entirely conceivable because Chinese students possess momentum, and a competitive advantage that spurs them into succeeding wherever they may be in the world. But as long as the elites in China don't believe in their civilization and would rather invest their wealth in education elsewhere, nothing short of a miracle is needed to wake a billion people from their deep slumber.

The writer is a German philosopher and cultural critic. He is the author of "The East-West Dichotomy," "Shengren," "Inside Peking University," and numerous articles on Chinese-Western relations. He can be reached at: pattberg@pku.edu.cn.

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