"The students who came to the United States in the early twentieth century to become modern Chinese by studying at American universities played pivotal roles in Chinese intellectual, economic, and diplomatic life upon their return to China. These former students exemplified key aspects of Chinese "modernity," introducing new social customs, new kinds of interpersonal relationships, new ways of associating in groups, and a new way of life in general.".

"The collapse of the traditional examination system and the need to earn a living outside the bureaucracy meant that this generation of Chinese - although not the first to break with traditional ways of thinking - was the first to live differently.

Working from student publications, memoirs, and other writings found in this country and in China, the author describes Chinese students' multifaceted experience of life in a foreign, modern environment, including student associations, professional activities, racial discrimination, new forms of recreation and cultural expression, and, in the case of women students, the unique challenges of being female in two changing societies."--BOOK JACKET.