Asia | The strange death of liberal arts

Why many young Asians are no longer studying history

One city-state is bucking the regional trend

Photograph: Alamy

With cannons on campus, its own Qing-dynasty wall and the first Dutch fort in Taiwan nearby, National Cheng Kung University seems an appealing place for a budding historian. However, after a first round of applications, no students had accepted places in the history department for next year. It is a shock for the university, ranked third in Taiwan. But it is part of a broader trend.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The strange death of liberal arts”

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