The seed idea of the Center originated from Dr. Yong Zhao’s personal educational experiences in both China and the United States and his frequent professional travels across the Pacific Ocean, which led him to notice the “trading tricks” phenomenon in education reform in the East and West. That is, it appears while the Eastern reformers are abandoning their traditional practices and strategies for those in the West, the Western reformers seem to be giving up their tradition for what the East is trying to throw away.

Concerned about the potential danger of such reforms, Dr. Zhao brought the idea of an “East Meets West” conference for educational reform to the leaders of the US Department of Education and Chinese Ministry of Education in August, 2003 at the US-China E-Language Project Meeting (http://elanguage.us). The leaders (including Mr. Zhang Xinsheng, Chinese Vice Minister of Education, Dr. Susan Sclafani, Counselor to US Education Secretary Rod Paige, Dr. Allan Ginsburg and Ms. Adriana de Kanter, both officials of the US Department of Education) quickly endorsed the basic idea and started to work on such a conference. Eventually, thanks to the insights and efforts of these and others in the Ministry of Education and Department of Education, a refined conceptual framework for a conference was developed.

It was decided that the conference will be sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as a meeting of researchers and education leaders in preparation for the 2004 APEC Education Ministerial Meeting in Chile. The resulting conference ("Striking Balance: APEC Education Reform Summit" http://ednetsummit.org) was held in Beijing, China in January, 2004. The conference was eventually organized by the Chilean Ministry of Education, the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the US Department of Education and participated by representatives from 19 APEC member economies, with financial support from the Hewlett Foundation and Sun Wah Education Foundation.

It was in the process of securing the sponsorship of Sun Wah Education Foundation that the idea of such a Center emerged. During a late night conversation between Dr. Yong Zhao and Mr. Gilbert Choy of Sun Wah Education Foundation in a hotel café in Hong Kong sometime in October, 2003, the idea came up after many cups of coffee. The idea was then brought to Mr. Jonathan Choi, chairman of Sun Wah group, the parent company of Sun Wah Education Foundation the next day. After a two hour discussion and lunch, Mr. Choi gave his enthusiastic support for the idea and encouraged Dr. Zhao and Mr. Gilbert Choy to work out a proposal.

A proposal was developed with encouragement and support of Dr. Carole Ames, Dean of the College of Education and submitted to Dr. Lou Anna Simon, Provost of Michigan State University. The idea met with great enthusiasm and support from the leadership of Michigan State University.

Mr. Jonathan Choi announced his commitment to supporting the creation of the Center at the APEC Summit in Beijing in January, 2004. Thereafter Mr. Gilbert Choy traded two weeks of great Hong Kong weather during Chinese New Year for the snow in Michigan and worked out the details of the donation and the Center.  Mr. Jonathan Choi then flew to Michigan right after the Chinese New Year and the rest is history.

Why the Center or How Mr. Choi Was Convinced?

1. Mr. Choi's speech at the APEC Summit in Beijing
2. Dr. Zhao's concept paper
3. Center Proposal
4. Press Release of the Center