Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 5, 1905

Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State.

American Legation,
Peking, August 1, 1905.

No. 42.]

Sir: One of the principal drawbacks with which the Chinese students who have studied abroad have had to contend with on returning to their country has been that the time thus passed and the knowledge thus gained has been detrimental to them so far as entering the public service went. They had left their country after having only passed the lower examinations received by the Chinese Government for eligibility to the lowest ranks of the public service, and on returning after years passed abroad they found themselves obliged to take up their Chinese studies where they had left them and pass years preparing themselves for the high degrees, which alone could open the way to the higher and responsible positions in the civil service of this country.

A recent imperial edict, copy of which I inclose, has for the first time recognized the value of foreign education to Chinese officials by conferring on fourteen students recently returned from Japan metropolitan degrees and appointing them at once to positions of responsibility, to which until now they could not have attained for years to come for the reasons above given.

It is to be hoped that this course will be followed in the case of other promising young Chinese educated abroad, as it will stimulate a desire for foreign study and introduce into the official classes a much-needed element.

I have, etc.,

W. W. Rockhill.

[Inclosure.]

Imperial edict of July 14, 1905—Degrees for students who have been educated abroad.

The following students, who have been abroad and who were presented in audience this morning, are granted degrees and official positions as below:

Chin Pan-p’ing and T’ang Pao-o are hereby granted the degree of Chin Shih (doctor) and are assigned to duty as graduates of the Hanlin Academy.

Chang Ying-hsü, Chien Ch’eng-chih, Hu Tsung-ying, and Chi I-yün are granted the degree of Chin Shih (doctor) and will be attached to various boards and placed in charge of affairs according to the courses which they have pursued.

La Tsung-hü is granted the degree of Chü-jen and assigned to duty as archivest in the grand secretariat.

Wang Shou-shan, Lu Shih-fang, Wang Tsai-shan, Kaom Shu-ch’i, Shen K’un, and Lin Ch’i are granted the degree of Chü-jen and appointed district magistrates to be assigned to duty in the provinces to fill vacancies.