| Education, a topic discussed forever, constitutes the main part of our daily life. Modern China is undergoing transition in the field of institution, culture and life style. Society and education with constant changes often change peoples'lives and their fates. It is challenging and appealing for us to look into China's education issues from a unique perspective and its status quo in a tide of times.This study with attempt to enter into scenes of education through film embraces two prime perspectives:documentary and education. China's education, especially significant and meaningful events in transition and development of education within period of60years after China's Liberation, can be observed and reviewed through analysis on life, events and fragments of education preserved in educational documentary.Through lens and films taken from humanistic perspective, directly recording audio-visual images enable us to touch lives of both Chinese educators and the educated and also penetrate into their internal world. Each scene of China's education is thus restored by way of films and educational discourse evidenced and elaborated from each other. Issues related to China's education are described and traced from multi-angle and multi-level visions. Educational livelihood and everyday life of educational practice are concentrated. Special attention are given to educational life of ordinary people through narrative lying behind lens, containing scenes, figures, thoughts or practices of education. All such are not only supplementing historical studies but also inquiry of the educational purpose, institution past and present, offering samples and insights to the future of education. What's more important is to describe and present peoples'attitudes and understandings on education as well as influences on their lives brought by education in changing times.Therefore, restoring basic profile of China's education through documentary constitutes an ecological environment as a whole. Stories, spots, fragments and people showcased here are vivid, warm and historical marks of times, all such constitutes a unique history of education. Educational research based on visual images and films is also considered as a different and constant perspective to observe modern China's education. Such perspective, as an effective way of directly penetrating into the core issues of Chinese education, provide discourse that we can borrow to merit our educational research.Based on large quantity of original materials, back to historical tracks of early education films since1917and from analysis on the film department established by early Commercial Press to combing the development grain of Chinese movement on educational documentaries, all these shapes an original scene of China's educational profile in film. In retrospect of history from which we enter into, this study aims to explore how general profile of China's education interwoven by different educational scenes is showcased in discourse of documentary through educational films, images appeared after1949and descriptions of educational scenes with different ways? Thoughts in writing and structure of this study are introduced as follows:Chapter I:Content, including origin of research, literature review, research method and its basic framework are to be illustrated in detail respectively.Chapter II:Back to origin of early educational films and focus on the development grain of China's educational documentary before1949. This chapter aims to comb the early development of educational documentary before1949, reviewing pioneer works filmed by Commercial Press in particular and digging out educational documentaries with obscure meaning and history archives preserved for decades from the Association of Chinese Educational Cinema.Chapter III:Stepping into Film Archive with national ideology, this chapter concentrates on educational discourse in film after founding of PRC, from1949to1967and variety of educational policies in text format as well as images materials, especially fragments of China's education presented in materials of New Film. Great efforts were made to restore the scenes of education in a simple and clear way by aligning perspective of the film with that of education, alternative appearance of materials sourced from the official through overlapping the lens, a grand narrative of education and narration of the film in voluminous writings of the Xinwen jianbao (News Bulletin). Education is to be observed from the angles of politics and history, generating testimony function of education.Chapter IV:Making a mark on education in film within the period of Cultural Revolution after1966to restore and comb images and films in political ages. Based on educational discourse preserved in documentary films so far, this chapter aims to restore educational scenes in such gloomy historical context and interpret features in films of this period by interactive testimony supported by texts and films and thematic discussion so as to detect core value, issues and meanings of education lying behind lens.Chapter V:Discourse in documentaries produced by foreigners. This chapter is designed to study on meanings of educational films captured by foreigners, different from that conveyed by the Xinwen jianbao (News Bulletin). Through inquiry of filming practice by foreign directors and film samples as basis, differences in photographic memory embedded in China's education caused by different perspectives taken are compared and details of China with socialism lying behind lens are also detected.Chapter VI:Shift to voices of people in discourse of educational documentaries and focus on creation and development of education in films within institution after China's open-up policy adopted. Pieces of China's educational life in profile during the three decades of opening-up has been grasped through combinations of individual documentary, interactive testimony and analysis by discourse in lens. With the help of deep description by camera, educational scenes can be observed, enlarged and studied, making spirit and meaning of education present naturally.Chapter VII:Continuous discussion on voices of people in discourse of educational documentaries as mentioned in previous chapter, this chapter aims to focus on the individual film production beyond institution by interpretation of films pursuit for independency and comparing differences. The creation and spirit of independent documentary beyond institution are explored in depth and its production and value in film are also questioned. The basic profile of China's education in film at present is showcased based on analysis of works by directors.Conclusion. This section sums up that images and films must be included in the history of education. The reality of education is much likely to be approached by surveying China's educational scenes directly. The priority of current educational research is not only to save pictures and films of times but also to think about cultural and historical meanings lying behind films. Appearance and analysis of discourse in lens provide us with an innovative approach to probe into educational research with multi-disciplinary perspective.
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