Crossing the Iron Curtain: Western Students in Mao's China (1949-1976)

During the Cold War, an invisible "iron curtain" divided the Western world from Maoist China. What motives lay behind the façade of educational exchange? This book explores the experiences of Western students in China from 1949 to 1976, revealing how education became a strategic tool of people's diplomacy.
Through an analysis of the PRC's educational policies, tailored curricula, and student memoirs, it reconstructs the landscape of studying in Maoist China. It reveals how China attempted to shape Western students' understanding of and attitudes toward China through an education that served proletarian politics, blended social practices with productive labor, and a management that differentiated between insiders and outsiders. It also investigates how these strategies shaped Western students' perceptions and influenced their reflections on their experiences.
This study provides a fresh perspective on Sino-Western exchanges, showing how state-driven diplomacy intertwined with personal, unofficial interactions through education. These connections enriched the state-centric narrative of Cold War diplomacy, serving as reference for scholars of public diplomacy, international relations, and intercultural exchange.