Author ｜
Hok-yin Chan, Zhixiang Zhang
Abstract ｜
At the dawn of the Cold War, Hong Kong was a British colony in front of the “Bamboo Curtain.” Based on Hong Kong’s strategic importance and particular values in the Sino-American confrontation, American policymakers used Hong Kong to start a cultural cold war against Communist China in the 1950s and 1960s. Hong Kong scholars and students were arranged by the State Department or US NGOs to visit America to learn American values and democracy. In America, Hong Kong scholars and students met with American politicians, leaders of American student associations, organizers of social movements, and other prominent figures. In the name of educational exchange, American military and administrative personnel also went to Hong Kong and built networks with Hong Kong intellectual circles. Different from current studies, this paper will focus on three neglected issues. The first issue is American military and administrative personnel who were responsible for building links with Hong Kong higher education institutions. The second issue is American patterns of operating student activities on campus and off campus. The third issue is Hong Kong scholars’ and students’ exchange activities in America. American educational exchange programs had a deep influence on Hong Kong students in the 1950s and 1960s. American Exchange Programs aimed to reconstruct Asia. Hong Kong was transformed from Britain’s entrepôt to a member of the US-centric anti-communist bloc in Asia-Pacific. However, another trend of thought, “nationalism,” also influenced Hong Kong students in the same period. “Nationalism” let some Hong Kong students view American exchange programs as a new form of colonization, which exceeded American policymakers’ estimate. The interactions between different influences reflect the complicated context of Hong Kong as an international city. By analyzing the neglected matters, this paper will explore the history of private post-secondary colleges in Hong Kong and the complexity of Hong Kong society.
keywords ｜
Cold War Hong Kong, American Non-Governmental Organizations, Chinese post-secondary colleges, cultural cold war, exchange programs