| The dissertation explores the experience of a group of Chinese immigrants, students of the 1930s/40s, in both China and the United States. Due to the Americanization of China's higher education before the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, they were well prepared for studying in the United States. Unexpectedly, however, the founding of Communist China and the development of the Cold War prevented many of them from returning. While desiring to be successful in America, they also showed staunch patriotism to China, being concerned with postwar reconstruction and four modernizations. The combination of Chinese heritage and American cultural elements helped them smooth the process of adjustment. While many of those returnees suffered during all kinds of political campaigns in China, a few became members of a CCP-controlled elite. |
