My Life in China and America · Chapter
XIX: End of the Educational Mission explained
The final installment of students arrives in 1875 under new commissioner Ou Ngoh Liang, appointed by Viceroy Li Hung Chang.
What happens
The final installment of students arrives in 1875 under new commissioner Ou Ngoh Liang, appointed by Viceroy Li Hung Chang. Yung Wing is appointed joint minister to Washington but declines, preferring to stay as Commissioner of Education. Chin Lan Pin returns as minister, and Woo Tsze Tung becomes commissioner, leading to false accusations and the eventual recall of all students in 1881 despite protests from American educators.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Climax.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
Yung Wing’s emotional peak is the collision between his personal honor—the joint ministership to Washington—an…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Education as a Tool for National Reform
Yung Wing's dedication to the educational mission as a means to modernize China.
- Corruption and Personal Integrity
Woo Tsze Tung's false accusations and Yung Wing's principled stance against them.
- Political Reform and Revolution
The political maneuvering and opposition that led to the mission's dissolution.
- The West as Model and Mentor
American educators' protest against the recall, emphasizing the value of Western education.
Characters to notice
- Yung Wing
Commissioner of Education, appointed joint minister to Washington but prefers to stay with the mission.
- Chin Lan Pin
Appointed joint minister to Washington, later returns as minister plenipotentiary.
- Ou Ngoh Liang
New commissioner, quiet disposition, resigned in 1876.
- Woo Tsze Tung
Installed as commissioner in 1876, spread malicious misrepresentations about the students.
- Li Hung Chang
Viceroy who appointed new commissioners and called attention to Woo's accusations.
- Tsang Kwoh Fan
Projected and fathered the educational mission, referenced as 'Tsang the Upright'.
- Yeh Shu Tung
Old Chinese teacher, served in Cuba, appointed secretary to the Chinese Legation.
Key passages
“It would be like separating the father from his children.”
Yung Wing felt that leaving the mission would be like abandoning his own children.
Expresses his deep commitment to the students.
“The breaking up of the Chinese Educational Commission and the recall of the young students in 1881, was not brought about without a strenuous effort on the part of some thoughtful men...”
The dissolution of the mission was opposed by influential Americans who protested the recall.
Highlights the external support for the mission.
