Shocked by the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War,the Chinese realized the necessity to acquire the modern western civilization and concluded that learning from Japan is the best shortcut,which spurred an unprecedentedoverseas-studymovementto Japan.Hunan province,although an inland agricultural province,was among the provinces that sent the most overseas students to Japan.This paper bases on the facts documented in Hunan Fellow Countryman Record,studied the headcount of the overseas students from Hunan,the attended Japanese institutes,the distribution of specialty areas,and the overseas-study policy andfunding facts of the Hunan provincial government.Andin view of that,the paper outlined the characteristics of the aforesaidoverseas-studymovement,and revealed the role of Hunan students played in this movement,which occurred during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of Chinaperiod.The subject under study is valuable to the research of overseasstudyand education history of Hunan province and China.It can also serve as a reflection of today’s overseas-study rush in China.