ABSTRACT
The historical evolution of universities in China over the last few decades presents us with an interesting landscape, wherein, the political actors and state policies on higher education have played a dominant role. There have been recurrent transformations in politics, policies and society as much as in shaping HEIs since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, particularly after 1978. The two important phases have been the era of massification of higher education and a march toward attaining a stage of research, innovation and world-class universities. The concern for international comparisons and internationalization and globalization of HEIs came into sharp focus. With the rise of China in the economic and political spheres, the rise of Chinese universities and HEIs became an issue for the leadership. The whole concern of how HEIs could compete at a global level and develop world-class universities became a vital policy issue. These policies have not only infused liberal budgets to improve the infrastructure of a select group of universities but recurrently implemented a series of measures to promote research intensity and quality of teaching and attracting talents from all over the world.
