Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Kuomintang as well as the Republic of China (1912–1949), recognized early the importance of Overseas Chinese support and went as far as to say that "Overseas Chinese are the Mother of the Revolution. The program was conceived by the Taiwan Government in part because the Kuomintang for many decades had recognized the historical importance of the Overseas Chinese community not only for its financing but also for its political support. Accordingly, participants were to attend lectures on cross-strait relations which others might perceive as propaganda. The alternate and original purpose for the Taiwan Government's subsidizing of the program was to shore up Overseas Chinese support for its cross-strait political policies, particularly those of the Kuomintang (KMT) party in regards to its tense relations with China. This however, is the popular perception of the program. Thus, participants take brief courses in language and arts, attend lectures, and take scenic tours of Taiwan.
The primary goal of the program was to acquaint, or re-acquaint, young people of Chinese descent living in other parts of the world with Chinese culture and language. According to the Chinese Canadian Archive, the original name of the program was the "Overseas Chinese Youth Language Training and Study Tour" and was initially promoted across North America through various local Chinese newspapers by Chinese North Americans with relations to the Kuomintang party. The Study Tour program was started in 1967 by the China Youth Corps. Photo Permission provided by the Chinese Canadian Archive. This would in later years be turned into the annual Study Tour Yearbook. Cover of the 1969 Roster Book of the Overseas Chinese Youth Language Training and Study Tour.
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