A Study On The Special Education In Sichuan Province During The Period Of The Republic Of China

Chinese special education has a long history of several thousand years. However, it is regrettable that it had failed to develop into modern special education. Some Chinese and western missionaries had introduced the western modern special education thoughts into China since the modern age. The missionaries were first to carry it into practice, and then the Chinese followed them. They inaugurated the Chinese modern special education together.The Republic of China is an important stage of Chinese modern special education's initial development. In the early 20th century, Sichuan, located in the western China, began to advocate special education. By means of numerous archives, newspapers and periodicals, this paper explores the process from embryo to initial development, and reveals the general development of the Republic of China's Sichuan special education and the complex social, political and economic factors which promoted or constrained its development. Particularly, under the disadvantageous conditions, such as the turbulence situation and shortage of capital, with the help of the government and other circles, Sichuan special educational circles represented by Luo Shufang overcame mountains of difficulties and laid the foundation for Sichuan special education, and made it occupy an important position in China by 30 years' efforts; and the multielemental school-running-patterns had been formed. Under such patterns, public and private schools coexisted in...