Yale and China

Yale’s relationship with China is deeper and longer than that of any other university in the United States. In 1854, Yung Wing (1828–1912), a native of Guangdong province, graduated from Yale, becoming the first person from China to earn a degree from an American college or university.

Today, the number of Chinese students and scholars at Yale has grown to over 600, representing, by far, the largest complement of any foreign country in residence at Yale. The study of Chinese language and culture has grown along with extensive library collections. Seventeen Yale departments/schools have established partnerships with forty-five Chinese universities, government agencies, or independent research institutions in sixteen cities. Yale faculty are engaged in more than 80 academic projects involving a broad array of research, educational, and training activities. Among these are the many China specialists associated with the Council on East Asian Studies in the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, but many other faculty from Law, Medicine, Forestry & Environmental Studies, Management, Architecture, and other professional schools are involved in collaborations in China.  A full review of current projects is available at the Yale and the World Web site.