According to the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings 2009, Singapore has two universities ranked in the global top 100. The National University of Singapore (NUS) is ranked 30th in the world. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is ranked 73rd in the world. Its National Institute of Education (NIE) is Singapore’s only teacher-training institute.
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Dissatisfied with traditional martial arts styles, Chinese actor Bruce Lee created his own: Jeet Kune Do. It combines the best techniques from Wing Chun Kung Fu, American boxing, French fencing, and grabbling to create a highly efficient and practical style. Lee is considered the most influential martial artist of the 20th century.
More than 60 years before Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus landed in North America, Chinese admiral Zheng He had already completed seven great voyages, sailing into the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf. This was made possible by cutting-edge technology used by the Chinese to build Zheng’s junks, which were four times larger than Christopher Columbus’ largest ship.
The Art of War, widely accepted as a masterpiece on military strategy, was written by Chinese general Sun Tzu around 500 BC. Sun Tzu’s creative strategies have influenced many notable figures, including the first emperor of a unified China Qin Shihuang, Japanese samurai Oda Nobunaga, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, U.S. general Douglas MacArthur, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong, and Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh. In addition to its popularity among military theorists and political leaders, The Art of War has also been embraced by business managers.
China is off to a good start. It now has the largest higher education system in the world. Five of its universities are in the world’s top 100. University enrollment has more than tripled since 2000. More university degrees are awarded in China than in the U.S. and India combined. Over the past decade, annual awards of doctoral degrees in China have risen sevenfold. China recently surpassed the U.K. to become the world’s second-largest producer of academic research papers—and is on course to surpass the U.S. by 2020.
Graduating from a SKY university often leads to a prestigious job with a high salary—especially if the graduate is in the field of education. Opinion polls show that South Koreans view teachers as high-status professionals who make greater contributions to society than any other profession. I recently visited the SKY universities to learn why South Koreans feel this way. “In Korea, we have a Confucian tradition of respecting teachers,” said Lim Cheolil, associate professor of education at Seoul National University.
In 2008, the U.S. had 37 universities in the top 100 and 58 in the top 200. In 2009, that dropped to 32 and 54, respectively, although 12 of the top 16 universities in the world are still in the U.S. Between 2008 and 2009, Japan went from 10 universities in the top 200 to 11, Hong Kong went from 4 to 5, South Korea went from 3 to 4, and mainland China maintained its position with 6. Having visited nearly half of these Asian universities and having seen their extensive expenditure on research facilities, I am not surprised when I read about Asian nations making enormous investments in their universities. Asian nations are investing to produce massive numbers of innovative people who can contribute significantly to economic growth.
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While the stereotype holds that Asians are not innovative, China has a rich history of innovation.
While the stereotype holds that Asians are not innovative, China has a rich history of innovation.
While the stereotype holds that Asians are not innovative, China has a rich history of innovation.
Martin Jacques’ new book, When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, is causing controversy. Is it possible that China will “rule the world” in the not-so-distant future? Perhaps, but only if it’s able to successfully transform from an industrial-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, and then transform even further to an innovation-based economy.
Within South Korea, the three most prestigious universities are Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Collectively, they are referred to by the acronym SKY.
Since 2004, the world’s top 200 universities have been ranked annually by the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. Recently, Asian universities have been making significant gains on the U.S., long considered to have the world’s best universities.
Bill Costello visits the 63 Building SkyArt exhibition in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits the Hammering Man sculpture in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits the statue of King Sejong the Great in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits the Cheonggye Stream in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits the N Seoul Tower.
Bill Costello visits the War Memorial & Museum in Seoul.
Bill Costello interviews Lim Cheolil, associate professor of education at Seoul National University.
Bill Costello visits Seoul National University.
Bill Costello visits Korea University in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits Yonsei University in Seoul.
Bill Costello visits Dorasan Station near the DMZ.
Bill Costello views N. Korea from the DMZ.