Research On Physical Education Masters In Republic Of China(1912-1937)

One nation must be in decay and even die out if it forgets its own history. As we know,no deep historical introspection, no real innovation. Any age in the history needs to be enlightened by national classical culture as well as any subject will promote its value by seeking and analyzing its historical celebrities. Republic of China is an important era in which Chinese physical education started to transform from traditional one to modern one. It is also an era with large number of masters in various fields. Physical Education in China had developed diverse ideas and theories since it grown out of nothing. The ideas of the masters is with simple words but deep meaning, which reflects their outstanding insights and academic spirits, lay a academic foundation as well as demonstrates the light of time spirit. The developed experience of physical education masters in republic of China had endowed us with much experience and lessons, from which we can take history as a mirror.The paper, based on the background of Republic of China(1912-1937),chooses 60 physical education masters as research objects who had been published on the highest level physical education theory research newspaper “diligent PE monthly”. Methods including documentary review, history research, statistics analysis, logistics and comparison was used in the paper. And it had analyzed the physical education masters’ group structure, ideas and law of development so as to make a conclusion on the common characteristics.By analyzing the characteristics of physical education masters, we can see that they are mainly from southeast china, and had the common experiences of overseas study, graduation from famous university in home and abroad, high educated qualification and proper age structure. Although the number of female masters is less than male masters, female masters had laid a foundation for female sports in china.Physical education masters including Dengke Cheng,Yunrui Wu, John Ma and Huilan Zhang, Zhenting,Wang had been selected as the representative masters to be used to analyze their ideas and practices. They are the outstanding representatives at that time, who had been and still be praised by future generation. The aim to study the personal case of physical education master is to find out their similarities and differences, which will demonstrate the different academic style and practices.According to the research, the main characteristics of physical education master includes, great ambition and suffering consciousness; lofty personality and innovative physical education thoughts; deep national spirit and native feelings; broad subject background and international insights; broad social acceptance and social effects as well as taking the leading role in physical education practice and strategy.1911 Revolution happened in the period of republic of China, and the country went through internal disorder and foreign invasions. However, large number of physical education master had appeared in that period. The reasons are as follows: education revolution in late Qing dynasty and early republic of china; influences of western physical education thoughts; easy academic atmosphere; the necessity to establish the subject of physical education; physical education needs from reality.The major contributions of physical education masters include, stimulus national confidence and dignity; popularize the health awareness; promote the spread of western physical education in China; lay a theory foundation of sports science; improve the sports modernization; promote the sports talents cultivation; improve the development of female sport in China.Though the number of physical education masters are not that many, they had greatly contributed to the nation and the development of physical education in modern China as well as leave precious experience for us. The experience is followed as, “professionalism” is the prerequisite for the development of physical education masters; the old saying “if beauty represents itself with diversity and integrity, the world will be blessed with harmony and unity” is the main trend of prosperity in physical education research; “learning and merge” is the basic attitude when learning from western physical education; “intelligence must be upheld by morals” will always be the truth for learning physical education; “practices” is the important way to put physical education theory into action.Although the development of physical education masters in republic of China had been restricted by the special history background, their characteristics had provided us with rich theories and practices. The merits like insights, lofty personalities, rich knowledge, unique thoughts and practices have always been praised by people. More importantly, the physical education tradition in republic of China can still bring us deep enlightenment and positive effects for the development of physical education as well as the cultivation of sports talents in China.