Abroad And Home:Research On The Development Of Modern British Malaya Overseas Chinese Education (1840-1941)

Before the end of the British colonial era, a large number of Chinese from Fujian province moved to British Malaya. The early British colonial government adopts a laissez-faire attitude towards overseas Chinese education due to ignoring its importance. In the mid-19th century, overseas Chinese had set up a series of Chinese educational institutions by themselves in British Malaya, including old-style private schools, community-run schools charging no tuition and academy of classic learning, etc., which was almost the transplantation and imitation of Chinese domestic old-style education according to its form and content.The rising of Chinese domestic nationalism and the development of modern education, greatly promoted the British Malaya oversea Chinese education to transformation and continuous development, broadening the scale of overseas Chinese education, increasing the number of Chinese schools and students; extending its educational level gradient from primary to secondary education; gradually improving its modern education, achieving the all-round development in overseas Chinese women’s education, having the increasingly diversity in types of British Malaya overseas Chinese education including the continuous development in its teacher education as well as its vocational education.With the huge advancement in Chinese schools in British Malaysia, British colonial authorities began to give up the former laissez-faire attitude and deliberately restrict and control the rapid development of overseas Chinese schools, which made British Malaya overseas Chinese community unite and set off a massive opposition movement against it. To get more political and financial capital from overseas Chines, the Qing government had concerned for the oversea Chinese education in British Malaya, such as dispatching inspections and praising schools. During the period of the republic of China, the government almost follow the way of the late Qing Dynasty in the management of, in addition to the establishment of institution in charge of the overseas Chinese education, the field investigation and research on overseas education, and the formulation of the relevant legislation in overseas Chinese education, which gradually made Chinese authority’s administration in overseas Chinese education into the track. Besides, the modern Chinese consulars, overseas Chinese leaders, rich businessmen, intellectuals, gang community and massive common people also drove the continuous development of overseas Chinese education in British Malaya.The overseas Chinese education in British Malaya actually was the extension from the education system in China, which made changes and progressmemt depending on Chinese education system. Its school systems originated from China, and most teachers were from Chinese mainland. Specifically, the teaching materials and courses imitated Chinese mainland’s patterns as well. For the curriculum in overseas Chinese schools, Chinses history and culture was the main body, also gradually giving consideration to the overseas Chinese residence’s living situation for their actual requirements, such as emphasizing English, natural science, and practical technology. In addition, the textbooks were mostly from China and then there existed two major characteristics in promoting Chinese national patriotic consciousness and paying more attention to the national culture identity. Moreover, the oversea Chinese schools were community-oriented operation in British Malaya, whose carriers to were mainly the clan organizations and the geo-based organizations. The essence of the mode of the community operation in oversea Chinese shools was the interaction among overseas Chinese community organizations, Chinese schools and Chinese businessmen, which caused the coexistence of tension and resultant force for the development of overseas Chinese schools.Same as overseas Chinese School in British Malaya has Chinese kernel for following domestic education, it is clearly visible to find its outstanding effects on the education in Fujian province for lots of overseas Chines returned to their hometown to set up educational institutions.Actually, the construction of modern oversea Chinese education system in Fujian province was mostly due to overseas Chinese generous donation. For the schools founded by oversea Chinese whether abroad or home, their funds sources mainly included the overseas Chinese or family members’donations, the individual or group donations, tuition and school operating revenue, alumni donations, and partly form the domestic and abroad government subsidies. In light of the content and form of financing source, its funding subjects and regions were widespread, the form of overseas Chinese donations was diversity, and the social financing was pluralism. Closely associated with the source of funding, the management system of overseas Chinese schools primarily based on the relationship between founder or funder and the school, the main management model has two kinds including the principals responsibility system under the leadership of the board of directors and only principals responsibility system. Macro perspective, British Malaya create a agreeable school-donated atmosphere in the hometowns of overseas Chinese, spreading the new ideas, and improving the education situation in Fujian province. Microscopic point of view, overseas Chinese experience in British Malaya was helpful for the distinct modern characteristics of the schools they set up or funded in their hometowns in China.Modern overseas Chinese living in abroad, experiencing the humiliation but having relatively broad horizons, in which educational function wash given a fresh new meaning, so they had increasingly deep understanding of education. Essentially, oversea Chinese active donation in Chinese edcuation was not only a manifestation of patriotism as a member of Chinese, but also a specific expression of cultural awareness through their practice in maintainance and inheritance of Chinese traditional culture. In modern times, Tan Kah Kee and Lim Boon Keng and other overseas Chinese funding schools for decades at abroad and home, and gradually form a far-sighted view of education and distinctive educational philosophy. The reasons for overseas Chinese careing for education their hometown were that the strong sense of belonging for homeland, the responsibility of Chinese nation, the sense of mission for Chinese cultural heritage, as well as the clan consciousness, which were their inner power to set up oversea Chinese education at abroad and home.