U.S.-China Relations As a Cycle of ‘Rapturous Enchantment’ and ‘Deep Disappointment’

ChinaFile Presents

In 1872, China’s imperial government began sending teenage boys to the United States to study science and technology. After a series of “humiliating” military defeats at the hands of technologically superior foreign powers, China’s leaders realized they would need to learn from the West in order to catch up to it. The 120 boys were intended to study in San Francisco for 15 years.