More universities grow interested in modern China

The Bodleian Library received its first Chinese book in 1604, though it was 80 years before anyone arrived who could read it. Now many of the Bodleian’s China books have a new home – in the library of the new £21 million (US$34 million) University of Oxford China Centre at St Hugh’s College, which opened on 8 September. The new building, largely paid for by Hong Kong tycoon Dickson Poon, is part of a much-needed revival, reports The Economist.

Now several universities – including Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Cambridge – are producing more research on modern China, even as the number offering degrees in European cultures declines. SOAS, University of London recently established a new China Institute.

A recent survey found that 78% of universities now offer Chinese-language teaching. Between 2010 and 2013 the number of students applying for Chinese studies as a single honours degree increased by 8%: the number applying for French and German degrees fell by 23% and 24% respectively in the same period.
Full report on The Economist site