The Research On Wang Tao's Educational Reform Thought And Practice

Wang Tao was an outstanding representative of New Learning in the late Qing Dynasty.He was a famous person who had played an important role among the thinkers in the early Enlightenment.Wang Tao lived in the period of rapid change in modern China in the second half of the nineteenth century.He could be the famous reformer of education who had a thorough knowledge of both western and traditional Chinese,who was good at the independent thinking,and full of national feelings,because of the factors of the traditional educational background,the unique living environment,the abundant oversea journeys,and his marginal identity.Wang Tao inherited and developed the tradition to treasure talented people in ancient China,and made up the new talent view with the targets of making the country rich and its:military force efficient.He analyzed the malpractice of traditional education,and also lashed out at imperial examination system that undermined the talent people.Wang Tao designed a suit of system of educational reform programme and made up a unique "union Chinese and western culture" educational reform thought.On the aspect of school education:he proposed to reform the imperial examination system gradually,carried out the compulsory education,established universally the new type school on the basic level,and women were subsumed into the traditional object;he set up a variety of training schools,and nurtured practical skills persons.On the aspect of social education:he translated a large number of modern science books,established the newspaper Circulation Daily which was the earliest daily paper conducted by Chinese.Wang Tao has written many works to promote new laws,and proposed to establish the public library and museum that influenced and drove lots of advanced Chinese to pay more attention to the reality,to learn western learning,and to be concerned about foreign affairs.It is especially commendable that during the 12 years of being the dean in Shanghai Polytechnic College,Wang Tao put educational reform ideas into practice actively,launched a series of reforms including enrollment system,teaching substance,teaching method and so on.This move overthrew the traditional education pattern,and made a precious exploration on the modernization of Chinese Education.Wang Tao's educational reform thought and practice are rich in pioneer significance,which has a profound impact on China's traditional education toward the modern era.He advocates introducing of Western knowledge comprehensively,and breakthrough the limit which is only to learn the western implements.Those are not only opened the door of modern Chinese education,but also helped to provide ideological and personnel preparation for the reform movement afterwards.His educational reform thought was at an important status in the evolution sequence of Chinese modern New Learning system.Meanwhile,it also has a positive role in promoting the modernization of Chinese society.Of course,Wang Tao's educational reform thought and practice were restricted by history inevitably,but it couldn't cover the fact that his thought has made a significant contribution to opening the new type of learning,arouse the common people,and promote the social progress.