2009-11-18  

Chinese Culture Research Fellowship is established by the Ministry of Education of China (hereinafter referred to as MOE) to sponsor overseas scholars and specialists of Chinese culture to conduct short-term research and exchanges in China. China Scholarship Council (hereinafter referred to as CSC) is authorized to handle the enrollment and carry out the routine management of this scholarship program.
30 scholarships are available in 2009.  

Research Area and Ways
1. Applicants shall be engaged in researches in the fields of Chinese language, literature, history, philosophy, education, economics, ancient architecture, history of art, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.  

2. The applicants shall be supervised by a Chinese supervisor or cooperate with Chinese experts in the designated Chinese institutions of higher education to carry out their researches.  

Application
1. The applicants may directly apply to CSC for the Chinese Culture Research Fellowship or via the Chinese institutions of higher education, organizations or Chinese diplomatic missions in the applicants` home countries.  

2. The duration of the fellowship shall not exceed 5 months. The fellowship can be extended once, but for no more than 1 month.  

Eligibility
1. Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens, in good health and under the age of 55.
2. Applicants must have obtained doctoral degree or hold academic title of associate professor or higher.
3. Applicants must have regular jobs engaging or mainly engaging in Chinese culture researches and have relevant works or papers published.  

Details of Fellowship
-  Exemption of research fee, and accommodation fee;
-  Monthly research subsidy: CNY 3,000 Yuan;
-  Fee for outpatient medical service and Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Benefit Plan for International Students in China;
-  One-off subsidy for books and reference materials: CNY 750 Yuan
-  Reimbursement of actual travelling expenses incurred for academic researches based on the research plan with the approval of the supervisor or the cooperating professor: no more than CNY 1,000 Yuan.  

Note:
1) Fee for outpatient medical service refers to the outpatient expense in the institution`s hospital or the hospitals appointed by the institution. The students should pay for a certain percentage of expense in accordance with the institution`s relevant regulations.  

2) Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Benefit Plan for International Students in China is provided by MOE for the scholarship students in China against hospitalizing for serious diseases and accidental injuries. The institutions or the appointed medical assistance agency provide advancement service for insurance expenses, and claim for compensation with relevant payment receipts from the insurance company according to the stipulated insurance articles. The claim of individual student will not be accepted by the insurance company.  

Application Materials
The applicants must fill in and provide the following materials truly and correctly (in duplicate).
1. Application Form for Chinese Culture Research Fellowship (printed by CSC), filled in Chinese or in English. It can be downloaded from CSC website (www.csc.edu.cn).
2. Contents and abstracts of published works and theses, written in Chinese or English.
3. Research plan written in Chinese or in English (no less than 2000 words).
4. Letter of recommendation by the person in charge of the applicant`s working institution; documents in languages other than Chinese or English must be attached with notarized translations in Chinese or in English.
Applicants shall submit the above application materials to CSC 3 months prior to the time they plan to come to China.  

Approval and Notification
After receiving the application materials, CSC, within 45 days, will organize relevant institutions to process the application materials and shall send the Confirmation of Chinese Culture Research Fellowship, Admission Notice and Visa Application Form for Study in China (JW201) to the successful applicants directly or to the recommending institutions.  

Contact China Scholarship Council
Tel: 0086-10-66093925  66093918
E-mail: xmsun@csc.edu.cn　 lchen@csc.edu.cn
Fax: 0086-10-66093915
Web: http:// www.csc.edu.cn
Address: Level 13, Building A3, No.9 Chegongzhuang Avenue, Beijing 100044, P. R. China   

[source:Ministry of Education]