Modern Literature And University System In China

The thesis focuses on the relationship between Chinese modern literature and modern universities. Comparing the difference between modern university and traditional college in ancient China, I study the relationship between liberal arts system, literature study and literature creation. Geographically, I mainly concern Beijing area, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and Qingdao University (Shandong University). In terms of time, I mainly concern 1917—1937, occasionally the periods before 1917 and after 1937 are involved. Because of knowledge—creating in modern university and literature communication are closely related to publishers, I study the interaction between New-Literature, new academic and the publishers (taking The Commercial Press and Ya-Dong Publishing House for examples).On the one hand, the emergence of modern university in China resulted from Cai Yuanpei and others’efforts in studying modern Research Universities, including the idea of studying profound knowledge, aiming at cultivating experts. On the other hand, Chinese universities are often influenced by the tradition of ancient Chinese colleges. Traditional personality education combines with modem tutorial system, which is beneficial for atmosphere of "creating cultural life".The replacement of teachers is often related with not only manipulation but also the transformation of academic atmosphere and education system. The main changing tendencies of teachers in modern university are from learned worthies to special experts, from traditional literati to returned overseas students. Among the returned students, the tendency is Anglo-American School replacing France—Japan school. From late Qing dynasty to 1930s, the main stream schools in the liberal arts system in Peking University are Thongcheng school, Taiyan school, France—Japan school, Anglo-American School one after another, which is concerned with not only the argument between the modem and the traditional, but the inner division of the modern scholars.The change of academic atmosphere and its effects on system of education influenced creation and study of New-Literature. On the political level, the Ministry of Education of Northern Warlords Government has demanded the vernacular should be used in the teaching of the first and second grades from the fall in 1920. On the educational level, Hu Shi, Zhu Ziqing, Wen Yiduo and others added courses of New-Literature in the traditional academic structure. But the studying methods.on literature of Hu Shi actually are from the traditional methods of textual criticism, which resulted in the ignorance of creation and feelings on literature in universities.So, creation on New-Literature was not encouraged in university, it was mainly created in the salons, associations, which are mainly composed of the teachers and students in universities. At the beginning of New-Literature movement, Peking University was combined with the magazine "New Youth". In 1930s, Several famous Literary Salon hosted by Wen Yiduo, Zhu Guangqian, and Lin Huiyin contributed a lot to New Moon School and Beijing-school literature. Other activities such as the regular gathering of literature supplement of Ta Kung Pao writers, organized by the editors Shen Congwen and Xiao Qian. Such gatherings had connected writers inside and outside the campus. Writers in Different age and major could also communicate with each other through this channel, which played an important role in synthesizing the traditional and modern characteristic, Chinese and the west characteristic.The publishers play important roles in the creations and communications of modern literature and knowledge. The reason of the supports of New-Literature defeating the opponents is partly because they made full use of modern publishers.