The map represents the share of government-sponsored students compared to the total number of students sent by each province. Based on 遊美同學錄. Made with QGIS. 

The map shows that although they sent fewer students, less privileged, rural provinces such as Gansu, Guizhou, Guangxi, Henan were actually the main beneficiaries of public funding, whereas wealthy, urban coastal provinces (e.g., Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu) were largely self-reliant.