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This paper suggests that attention to Chinese philanthropy is not, however, as limited as often suggested because this topic has often been “embedded,” or hidden, in other subject areas that resulted in their exclusion from bibliographies under the keywords philanthropy or charity. The main example of this “embedding” can be seen in studies of missionary history, which often included significant exposition of the philanthropic work of missionaries in China despite not being categorized under the “philanthropy” subject heading. A complete understanding of Western studies of Chinese philanthropy cannot ignore the contributions of these studies. This paper also argues that the dominance of missionaries in Western perceptions of philanthropy in China for a long time hindered, or even distorted, the growth of the history of Chinese philanthropy as a specialized area of research. It was only with the development of other trends in Western studies of Chinese history, beginning with an emphasis on “China-centered history,” that eventually helped to correct the distortions in Western perceptions about Chinese philanthropy. These development ultimately contributed growing attention to this subject that finally promises to bring more strength and better balance to the study of Chinese philanthropy in the West.
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