Global Networking, Local Schooling

This article explores Yunnanese non-state Chinese education along the Thai-Burmese border and its inextricable connections with development aid from Taiwan and beyond. It argues that the Chinese School serves as an agent and the hub of soliciting and redistributing development aid and other resources, thereby suggesting local schooling as global networking. Voluminous fundraising events and networking activities with visitors, who bring donations, volunteers and further networks, form an indispensable part of the campus’ everyday lives. They not only provide necessary income for the Chinese School’s daily operations but they benefit the village community. Rather than being a passive recipient, the Chinese School proactively reaches out to the patrons, soliciting resources for the school and the village community. In this sense, Chinese education is not only for cultural reproduction and social cohesion but also links these Yunnanese overseas to the global arenas beyond the mountains.