Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

In 2010, Centenary College ended its programs in China after “uncovering widespread plagiarism among its students” (New Jersey Local News, 2010). Further, it found that plagiarism was so pervasive that it had to “withhold degrees from all 400 of its students” (Id.) Yet, schools like SIAS International University, the first American-owned college in Central China, have continued to operate without regard to this issue for nearly twenty years. In part, this may be because plagiarism (or “piao-qie”) in China “isn’t systematically defined or vigorously condemned” (US-China Today, 2011). But, understanding the origins of this is fundamental to Western educators in China. Chief among the things necessary for one to understand is the prevalence of the Eight-Legged Essay (or “ba-gu-wen” 八股文), which took predominance around 1021 AD. Fundamentally, it is the nearly 1,000 year-old cause of a culture that adheres to the maxim of “why restate what has already been said well.”