Revival of “internationalization” in mainland Chinese universities with Christian roots? Historical and empirical inquiries in overseas experienced talent recruitment

Given that the recruitment of overseas returnees has become a strategic approach to facilitate the internationalization of higher education (HE) in mainland China, this paper adopts historical and empirical approaches to explore this phenomenon. By examining two Chinese universities with pre-1949 Christian roots, it intends to identify successful historical experiences with recruiting talent and current challenges and problems with this strategy concerning HE internationalization. Data were collected through historical files, policy documents, interviews, and observations. The research found that the role of the current wave of talented overseas returnees has not been fully operative in HE development for institutional and macrolevel reasons, such as utilitarianism and an unhealthy academic culture, which dominate academic communities at the local level and beyond.