Letters from Young Chinese Students in America (1872-1881) Timothy T. Kao Chinese Students Memorial Society In 1854, Yung Wing graduated from Yale as the first Chinese graduate from an American university. Under his hard working, China opened the Chinese Educational Commission in Hartford, Connecticut in 1872. From 1872 to 1875, a total of 120 students were sent to America for western studies. They ranged from ten to sixteen, with an average age of twelve and half. The historical event not only opened the door for Chinese overseas study, but also played a very important role in China's early modernization. The CEC students were supposed to stay in America for a fifteen-year training period. But, what with Chinese Confucian conservatism and American anti-Chinese moods, together with some other incidents, the CEC was terminated earlier than scheduled. All the students were abruptly called back in 1881. On the recall, except two students who had just graduated from Yale University, the others were forced to leave their studies unfinished, including sixty in colleges, and the rest still in high schools. However, after returning to China, the majority of them performed very outstanding in many field, for example, Jeme Tien Yow, a famous railroad expert; Tong Shao-yi, the first Premier of the Republic of China and also the founder of the Fu Dan University; Liang Pe-yuk, successfully negotiated the return of the Boxer Rebellion Indemnity from American government; Tong Kok-an, the first president of Tsing Hua University; Tsai Shou Ki, the early president of Tian-jin University, etc. They contributed what they learned in America to their homeland and received very distinguished achievement. They became pioneers and models of those students studying in America afterwards. To study the life and times of young Chinese students in America, one of the best resources is to examine their books and letters, which they have left to us. There are only four books were written by the students of the CEC, but there are more than forty letters, written in English that were discovered in this country. These letters shed the light of the early teenager life in America, and their life after their return to China. This paper is going to discuss some excerpts of letters from young Chinese students including, Jeme Tien-yow (Yale, 1881), Yung Hoy, Sik Yak-foo, Chin Kin-kwai, Wong Kai-kah, and Owyan King (Yale, 1881).Two letters by Robert Brown and Mary L. Bartlett, both were from American host families, will be mentioned briefly. The letters were written from 1873 to 1939, and they were sent to their American teachers, host families, classmates, and girlfriends. They expressed how strong they missed America. They mentioned their love of their own families, and their worries about Chinese political situations before and after the 1911 Republican Revolution.