T'UNG-WEN KUAN

Pinyin Tongwen Guan (Interpreters College), first institution in China for the study of Western thought and society. The T'ung-wen kuan was originally established in 1862 to teach Western languages and thereby free Chinese diplomats from reliance on foreign interpreters. In 1866 the study of astronomy and mathematics was added to the curriculum, and gradually the school curriculum began to resemble that of a small liberal arts college. The enrollment, initially 30, increased to 100 in 1869 and to 163 in 1879, but, with several notable exceptions, the quality of the students remained low. The school helped disseminate Western knowledge in China. Many of the professors and students made translations of Western writings, and in 1873 a primitive sort of university press was established, which printed works in the fields of international law, political science, chemistry, physics, and natural philosophy. In 1902 the T'ung-wen kuan was absorbed by the Imperial University.