The Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar award (), is the highest academic award issued to an individual in

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It is also known as the Cheung Kong Scholar and the Yangtze River Scholar award.

History

The initial funding for this program was provided by the Hong Kong-based

Li Ka Shing Foundation The Li Ka Shing Foundation () is a Hong Kong-based charitable organization founded in 1980 by Hong Kong entrepreneur Li Ka-shing. The Third Son Li Ka-shing considers the Li Ka Shing Foundation to be his "third son" and has pledged to donate o ...

(李嘉诚基金会), with the goal of elevating research at Chinese universities to the highest levels internationally. The program began in August 1998. The program has enabled Chinese universities to provide international recognition to leading academics, but has led to difficulties for less prestigious universities in China. Individuals who receive the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar award have become targets for recruitment by competing Chinese universities so frequently that the Ministry of Education issued a notice in 2013 barring universities from hiring away Changjiang professors, and another 2017 discouraging Chinese universities from recruiting away top faculty from one another.

Selection

The Changjiang Scholars Program mainly recognizes China's domestic top scholars, who receive the prestigious title of Changjiang Distinguished Professor at their own Chinese universities and are provided with some research resources to enhance the recipients' research programs. This is in contrast to the

Thousand Talents Plan The Thousand Talents Plan or Thousand Talents Program (TTP) (), or Overseas High-Level Talent Recruitment Programs () is a program by the central government of China to recruit experts in science and technology from abroad, principally but not ex ...

, which recruits top experts from overseas and is administered separately and directly by the central government. Although the award is rarely granted to foreign scientists, a few renowned international scholars are chosen each year. These internationally renowned scholars include Nobel Prize Laureates and members of US National Academy of Engineering. They are typically honored with a guest or visiting professorship at a major university, with the prestigious title of Changjiang Scholar. These world-class visiting professorships help significantly raise their host universities' international visibility. Although these professorships can be affiliated with any university in China, they are awarded disproportionately to individuals affiliated with the most prestigious (

C9 League The C9 League () is an alliance of nine universities in China, initiated by the Government of China, Chinese Central Government to promote the development and reputation of higher education in China in 2009. Collectively, universities in the C9 ...

) universities.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=The Office of the Ministry of Education Insists on Correct Guidance in Promoting the Reasonable and Orderly Flow of High-level Talents in Colleges and Universities (教育部办公厅关于坚持正确导向促进高校高层次人才合理有序流动的通知) , last= Chinese Ministry of Education , url= https://www.brookings.edu/research/chinas-national-talent-plan-key-measures-and-objectives/ , website=Chinese Ministry of Education , date= 25 Jan 2017 , accessdate=22 April 2018 {{cite web , last= Jia , first= Hepeng , url=https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/china-sets-ground-rules-for-local-talent-quest , date= 28 Jun 2017 , title= China sets ground rules for local talent quest , website= Springer Nature {{cite journal , last1= Li, first1= Feng, last2= Miao, first2=Yajun , last3=Yang , first3=Chenchen , date=2015 , title=How do alumni faculty behave in research collaboration? An analysis of Chang Jiang Scholars in China , journal=Research Policy , volume=44 , issue= 2, pages=438–450 , doi=10.1016/j.respol.2014.09.002, name-list-style=vanc {{cite web , title = Ronald Allen receives China's highest academic honor , url = http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/04/allen.html , publisher =

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, date = 17 April 2007 , accessdate = 3 May 2015 {{cite web , title = Anthropology Professor Named Changjiang Scholar , url = http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/2/23/herzelf-named-chiangjiang-scholar/ , publisher =

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

, date = 23 Feb 2015 , accessdate = 3 May 2015 {{cite web , last = Miller , first = Beth , title = Genin receives highest academic honor from Chinese government , url = https://source.wustl.edu/2015/06/genin-receives-highest-academic-honor-from-chinese-government/ , publisher = The Source , date = 29 June 2015 , accessdate = 7 October 2016 {{cite web , title = The Ministry of Education announces the Yangtze River scholars for 2013 and 2014 (教育部关于公布2013、2014年度长江学者) , url = http://www.moe.edu.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/s8132/201502/xxgk_183693.html , publisher = Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , date = 19 January 2015 , accessdate = 3 May 2015 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170103041925/http://www.moe.edu.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/s8132/201502/xxgk_183693.html , archive-date = 2017-01-03 , url-status = dead {{cite web , last = Dong (董) , first = Hongliang (洪亮) , title = 16 years of Yangtze River Scholar awards ("长江学者奖励计划"十六年:出人才出成果出机制) , url = http://edu.people.com.cn/n/2014/0606/c1006-25110831.html , publisher =

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...

, date = 6 June 2014 , accessdate = 3 May 2015 {{cite web , title = Tsinghua University: 10 years of the Yangtze River Scholars program (清华："长江学者奖励计划"10年) , url = http://www.chisa.edu.cn/szxrzz/qikan/2009no3/200903/t20090318_83756.html , publisher = China Scholars Abroad Magazine , date = 18 March 2009 , accessdate = 3 May 2015 {{cite web , title = Ministry of Education Yangtze River Scholar award scheme (教育部长江学者奖励计划) , url = http://www.1000plan.org/qrjh/channel/5 , publisher = 1000plan.org , accessdate = 3 May 2015 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150425204032/http://www.1000plan.org/qrjh/channel/5 , archive-date = 25 April 2015 , url-status = dead {{cite web , title = Tertiary sector career opportunities for returnees and foreign experts , url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/22/content_418322.htm , publisher =

China Daily ''China Daily'' () is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China. T ...

, date = 2 Feb 2015 , accessdate = 31 May 2015 {{cite web , title = MAINLAND'S HIGHER EDUCATION REFORMED, ACADEMIC LEADERS NURTURED AS "CHEUNG KONG SCHOLARS PROGRAMME" CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY , url = http://www.lksf.org/20081205-2/ , publisher =

, date = 5 Dec 2008 , accessdate = 31 May 2015 {{cite web , title = Yangtze River Scholars Programme, 长江学者计划 , url = http://erawatch.jrc.ec.europa.eu/erawatch/opencms/information/country_pages/cn/supportmeasure/support_mig_0007 , publisher =

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, accessdate = 31 May 2015 , archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141128115404/http%3A//erawatch.jrc.ec.europa.eu/erawatch/opencms/information/country_pages/cn/supportmeasure/support_mig_0007# , archive-date = 2014-11-28 , url-status = dead

External links

Official Site
Education in China Higher education in China Academic awards in China