ABSTRACT
One of the primary efforts in a historical study lies in the discovery of the initiating forces that shape and contribute to later developments. The context of time is the 19th century, when China was forced open by the Western Powers, including the United States, for trade, missionary preaching, and diplomacy. From 1644 to 1911 China was ruled by the Manchus, known as the Ch’ing dynasty. China’s intercourse with the Western world began well before the Ch’ing dynasty. The experience of Chinese Laborers in America is a most tragic chapter in the history of Sino-American relations. Chinese laborers made a great contribution to the growth of the Far West. Schools and colleges sponsored by American missionaries made a great contribution to the modernization of education in China. The indemnity from the Boxer Rebellion when generously returned to China by the American government made it possible for a tremendous number of Chinese students to be educated in the United States.
