Welcome to the
Chao Center for Asian Studies

As global citizens, we need to understand not only the national, regional and local cultures of Asia but also the way that these cultures interact with one another and with the rest of the world. Our approach to Asian Studies thus focuses primarily on transnational interactions and not simply on the histories and contemporary politics of nation-states. Using this "Asia without borders" approach, we can see more clearly, and analyze more effectively, the processes by which business relationships develop, global problems are addressed (or not addressed), ideas and technologies circulate, populations travel and cultures change. In short, the Chao Center seeks to promote a new model of Asian Studies—one that looks carefully and critically at the complex ways that people in Asian countries have been involved with one another and with the rest of the world, not only in the present, but also in the past.

Mission

The mission of Rice University's Chao Center for Asian Studies is to develop and promote path-breaking research, innovative teaching, stimulating student and faculty exchange programs and fruitful collaborative relationships with scholars from prominent universities and institutes, both East and West. Our goal is to provide an unsurpassed education for Rice undergraduates and graduate students—one that will inspire and prepare them to be responsible, well-informed and globally attuned leaders in a world increasingly influenced by political, economic, technological and cultural developments in Asia.