Yale-China Association

Founded in 1901, the Yale-China association has contributed to education in China for over a century. It is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing understanding and knowledge between China and America. The organization's activities in Hong Kong began in 1954 when Yale-China formally affiliated itself with New Asia College, which was founded by Chinese intellectuals determined to preserve traditional Chinese learning and values. Two years later, the practice of sending two recent graduates of Yale College to teach English in Hong Kong began, and has continued ever since. When the Chinese University of Hong Kong was incorporated in 1963, Yale-China further contributed to the formation of the university by securing funds to construct numerous buildings on campus – including the university health clinic, the Yali Guest House, Friendship Lodge, and a student dormitory at New Asia College – as well as establishing the Yale-in-China Chinese Language Centre and the International Asian Studies Program.

In addition to its program in Hong Kong, Yale-China has similar teaching fellowships in Changsha, Guangzhou, and Anhui. It has also expanded its educational and cultural work to encompass a variety of fields, including American Studies, public health, medicine, music, and law. Finally, the organization has scholarship programs for disadvantaged students at several institutions of higher learning in China.

For more information about Yale-China, please visit http://www.yalechina.org/home.php.

Role of Yale Tutors in the English Department

With more than fifty years commitment to education at CUHK, the role of the Yale-China tutors has changed a great deal as the program and the university evolved. What has remained constant throughout Yale-China's tenure in Hong Kong, however, is a firm commitment to excellence in teaching and a constant desire to improve on what was done before. Currently, the Yale tutors, in conjunction with a member of the English Department faculty, instruct CENG, or Communications for English Majors. These classes consist of three foundational courses in writing, critical thinking, oral English, and business skills every student intending to major in the department must take. Second-year tutors also teach and lead the U.K. study tour, a general survey on British literature culminating in a partially subsidized tour of the United Kingdom. Finally, in addition to their commitment to the English Department, the Yale tutors also work to strengthen the relationship between Yale-China and New Asia College by teaching two General Education classes on American history and culture and assisting the weekly Social English Workshop, where New Asia students can gather for a meal and a chance to practice their English.