Engagement with China from inside and out: Kindness and academic dialogue

This special collection draws upon themes discussed at the annual China and Higher Education conference series started at the University of Manchester. One recurring theme concerns the experiences of academics in Chinese institutions, particularly international and returnee academics in China and the related recruitment and management policies. The articles in this issue all relate to this theme, as well as wider processes of cooperation between China and ‘external’ partners or ‘outsiders’. In this light we also propose more attention to the notion of ‘kindness’ to describe both the theory and practice of these engagements.