Returnees’ Influences on China: A Business Perspective (1850s to 1940s)

Since the first Chinese student, Yung Wing, studied abroad in 1847, large waves of Chinese have followed his lead, aiming to study advanced technology and ideologies, with the mission to save their backward country. This paper discusses the benefits and changes of this overseas experience for the students, and reviews the important role played by the returnees in the nation’s industrialization between 1850s and 1940s. By analyzing the cases of a number of representative returnees in various industries, we summarize their features and the contributions they have made to the advancement of modern business in China, such as the application of new technologies to boost productivity, the focus on R&D and the training of employees, and the implementation of modern management systems.