Progress of Western Education in China and Siam

Progress of Western Education in China and Siam examines the efforts to introduce Western-style education in China and Siam (now Thailand) during the late 19th century. Compiled by the U.S. Department of Education it features reports from U.S. consuls and missionaries working in the two countries. The text highlights the various methods used to educate local populations including government initiatives private ventures and missionary schools. In China the government supported institutions like the Tung Wen Kwan which aimed to educate future interpreters and officials in foreign languages and Western knowledge. However the actual impact of these institutions was mixed with many students participating more for patronage and social advancement than for academic achievement. Missionary schools though more widely spread often focused on basic literacy and the teaching of Western values alongside religious instruction.