Spatio-temporal evolution pattern and driving factors of overseas Chinese studies institutions

With the rapid economic and social development of China, many countries around the world have ushered in a boom in the construction of overseas Chinese studies institutions, which is worth analyzing from the perspective of geography. Based on 378 overseas Chinese studies institutions data, the organizational structure, spatio-temporal pattern and driving mechanisms of overseas Chinese studies institutions are explored. This study finds that: ① Overseas Chinese studies institutions mainly rely on the construction of universities, and are mostly set up as independent institutions or divided into larger research areas such as East Asia, Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region, presenting a trend of simultaneous research in humanities and social sciences. ② The number of overseas Chinese studies institutions shows a "toothbrush-shaped" growth, which can be divided into three stages: initial exploration, vigorous development, adjustment and optimization, and the purpose in each stage is different, focusing on historical China to contemporary China. ③ The global spatial pattern of overseas Chinese studies institutions is extremely unbalanced, showing the pattern of "pan-north, dual-core, and multi-point", mainly driven by the internationalization level of higher education and economic and trade factors. Seeking economic and trade cooperation or drawing on economic development experience has become the third main motivation for the establishment of overseas Chinese studies institutions in addition to political and academic purposes. Finally, the problems existing in this study and the future directions are summarized and prospected.