4 - Achieving Modernity by Studying in the Philippines

Summary

“Achieving Modernity by Studying in the Philippines” shifts from educational tours to study abroad, exploring the experiences of Chinese students in the Philippines. It argues that Chinese parents and students increasingly viewed the Philippines as an attractive alternative to Japan and even the United States and Europe. Japanese military aggression soured Chinese desires to study in that country, and World War I and World War II effectively curtailed opportunities to study in Europe. The Philippines also had many advantages, like geographical proximity and English-language education, that made it a draw in its own right. However, the Philippines during this time was under American colonial occupation, so this chapter also addresses whether Chinese were interested in the Philippines as a unique model of modernity or a colonial derivative. It seeks to complicate the picture of agency under occupation by showing how Filipino agents along with American colonials funneled money toward education, forestry, infrastructure, public health, and other elements of a “modern” state. It stresses that Filipinos played a critical role in transforming the archipelago, and many Chinese observers accepted the Philippines as a unique and inspirational form when molding their own such model.