This conference focusing on Southeast Asian Studies in China provides us with a very good opportunity to review the historical evolution and status of China's Southeast Asian Studies with many representatives from almost every institution in China concerned with Southeast Asian Studies. Talking about Southeast Asian Studies in Chinese teaching programmes and subject construction on Southeast Asian Studies are an important part of it. This chapter, therefore, recalls the development of the teaching programme and curriculum development on Southeast Asian Studies in China, summarizes the achievements and progress made in the past two decades, and meanwhile analyses the remaining problems and challenges we face.

To prepare for this chapter and gather detailed data and information, I organized a nationwide symposium at the School of International Studies, Peking University, from 3–4 December 2005. Twenty-five representatives from twelve universities, such as Peking University, Diplomacy University, University of Foreign Studies, Xiamen University, Zhongshan University, Jinan University, Yunnan University, etc., reviewed the development of teaching programmes and curriculum development on Southeast Asian Studies, analysed its status and exchanged teaching experience. Most representatives thought that great progress has been made in teaching programmes during the last two decades, which was the “golden age” for Southeast Asian Studies in China. However, they argued that the current scale of Southeast Asia teaching programmes and curriculum development is unable to meet the development needs of Sino-Southeast Asia relations, and match the position of China's large nation status. China needs to make greater effort to promote its Southeast Asia teaching programmes and academic research and to nurture more Southeast Asia talents.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINA's SOUTHEAST ASIAN TEACHING PROGRAMMES

Chinese are the earliest people beyond Southeast Asia who knew well this region. Since the Qin dynasty (221–205 B.C.), Chinese have been migrating to this area in search of their livelihood on the unacquainted land. During China's long ancient history, almost every dynasty sent its ambassadors to ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia, and these ambassadors left various diaries, documents and other writings about the kingdoms where they stayed as legacy for studying this area. A second group of Chinese who made contributions to the understanding of this region were travellers who were usually intellectuals.