| The transformation of Chinese civilization has been a great issue since the late Ching (1839–1911), and the role played by modern education in this process has continued to be the center of disputes. In search of a new road, the May Fourth intellectuals, most of whom became active after the second decade of the twentieth century, eagerly sought guidance from the West and finally developed several proposals for change in education. This dissertation, by using the messages brought by John Dewey's two-year visit (1919–1921) to China as points of reference, is an attempt to understand and evaluate the efforts of that generation.; Upon his arrival, Dewey immediately noticed the struggle to make over China into a modern state. His lectures linked education with democracy and pointed out the importance of the scientific method, experimental attitude, intellectual freedom, and evolutionary ways of change. With particular concerns over their own days, the May Fourth intellectuals took and digested Dewey's ideas quite differently. Dewey's most notable Chinese disciple, Hu Shih, led a cultural-intellectual reform by advocating creative intelligence and critical spirit. Another of Dewey's influential disciples, Tao Hsing-chih, applied his mentor's theory to popular education and finally invented new principles such as “life is education” and “society is school.” The British philosopher Bertrand Russell, who attracted a large audience during his visit to China, gave some advice similar to Dewey's, but strongly emphasized the necessity of preserving Chinese virtues. The renowned Confucian, Liang Shu-ming, strove to reveal the enduring ideals of Confucius and combined them with China's need for modernization. The communist leader, Mao Tse-tung, insisted upon using ideological transformation and class struggle to build a socialist kingdom. The nationalist leader, Sun Yat-sen, proposed a construction plan that included not only cultural revival but also economic, political, and social democracy.; This study adopts a dialectic approach to present all the ideas concerned and to analyze the virtues or defects of the major positions. The directions for the development of modern Chinese education are indicated, and the significance of Dewey's philosophy of education in building a new China is also discussed. |
