Boxer Indemnity Scholarship

This article is about the American program. For the British program, see Boxer Indemnity Scholarship (United Kingdom).
Boxer Indemnity Scholarship
Traditional Chinese庚子賠款獎學金
Simplified Chinese庚子赔款奖学金
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGēngzǐ péikuǎn jiǎngxuéjīn
Wade–GilesKeng-tzu P'ei-k'uan Chiang-hsüeh-chin
US Congress Joint Resolution (S. R. 23) 1908 remission of a portion of the Chinese indemnity

The Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program was a scholarship program for Chinese students to be educated in the United States, funded by the Boxer Indemnities. On May 25, 1908, the U.S. Congress Senate and House of Representatives passed the Joint Resolution (S. R. 23)[1] to return to China the excess of Boxer Indemnity,[2] amounting to over $11.9 million ($403.5 million in 2023).[3] Despite fierce controversies over returning the excess payment, President Theodore Roosevelt's administration decided to establish the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program to educate Chinese students in the United States. President Roosevelt recognized this program as a chance for "American-directed reform in China" that could improve United States–China relations and raise America's standing in the world.[4] Instead of copying European imperialism and using military means to reap a short-term financial gain, Roosevelt established the program to ensure peace and trade in China in the "most satisfactory and subtle of all ways", while helping the United States gain respect and take a global leadership position.[5]

Since its inception, the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program has been called "the most important scheme for educating Chinese students in America and arguably the most consequential and successful in the entire foreign-study movement of twentieth century China."[4]

On July 16, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge approved "Executive Order 4268—Remission of Further Payments of Installments of the Chinese Indemnity" to implement the Congress's "Joint Resolution to provide for the remission of further payments of the annual installments of the Chinese indemnity" approved on May 21, 1924.[6][3]

The first group of Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program students in 1909. Future Republic of China president Zhou Ziqi is seated in the front center.
  1. ^ World Affairs. American Peace Society. 1960. p. 37.
  2. ^ "United States Relations with China: Boxer Uprising to Cold War (1900-1949)". 2001-2009.state.gov. The Office of Electronic Information. 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 3nXwf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Ye was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smith was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Executive Order 4268—Remission of Further Payments of Installments of the Chinese Indemnity". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 2023-09-28.