Xin Xu

Rivka Gonen

From the ninth century on, there was an indigenous Jewish community in the city of Kaifeng in northeastern China. Separated by thousands of miles from the rest of the world, and largely cut off from contact with the main centers of Jewish life, the Kaifeng Jews developed a distinctive culture that was unquestionably Jewish, but progressively absorbed Chinese elements. Their greatest problem was not separation from other Jews so much as the openness and tolerance of Chinese society. Intermarriages occurred frequently, and Jews were fully accepted as merchants, government officials, and neighbors. Over time, they were so completely assimilated that few of their descendants carry any memory of Jewish ancestry and physically look much like other Chinese. The story of the Kaifeng Jews is dramatic and colorful, and offers many profound lessons. It will be indispensable to anyone interested in Jewish or Chinese history.

History, Culture, and Religion

The Jews of Kaifeng, China

Simon Marginson

East Asia is a most dynamic region and its fast developing higher education and research systems are gathering great momentum. East Asian higher education has common cultural roots in Chinese civilization, each country has been shaped in different ways by Western intervention, and all are building global strategies. Shared educational agendas combine with long political tensions and rising national identities. Hope and fear touch each other. What are the prospects for regional harmony-in-diversity? How do internationalization and indigenization interplay in higher education in this remarkable region, where so much of the future of humanity will be decided? Experts from Australia, China mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and Vietnam probe these dynamics, with original perspectives, robust evidence and brilliant writing. Changing Higher Education in East Asia deepens our understanding of internationalization and globalization agendas such as world-class universities and international students It takes readers further, exploring the role of higher education in furthering the global public and common good, world citizenship education, the internationalization of the humanities and social sciences, geopolitics and higher education development, cross-border academic mobility, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on regional student mobility, and future regionalization in East Asia.

Changing Higher Education in East Asia

Beverly Friend

A collection of legends and stories from the oral tradition of this group of Jews who migrated to China long ago offers a look at their history and unique identity.

Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng

"Higher education in East Asia is developing rapidly and attracting global attention. However, the region faces tensions during the internationalisation process. What is the regional character of East Asian higher education? What do these countries have in common and how are they different? How do internationalisation, indigenisation, westernisation, and globalisation interplay in this region? Bringing together experts from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and Vietnam, this book delves into these dynamics, offering original perspectives and robust evidence. It covers key issues around internationalisation and globalisation, such as the role of higher education in furthering the global public and common good, world-class universities, world citizenship education, the internationalisation of the humanities and social sciences, the governance of science, student and academic mobility, and the challenging question of how to advance regional cooperation"--

Xin Xu

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