Cai Yuanpei

Upholding the stand of the people, Cai Yuanpei established the standard ofeducation by defining the aesthetic education as an "education transcends politics".The aesthetic education was thus made to have a character of transcendence. When hewas the Chief Minister of Education of the Republic of China (1912-1949), theaesthetic education was written as an independent item into the state's educationpolicy, and was carried as a law eventually. Therefore, the aesthetic education wasfirst established its legal status in the history of the modem Chinese education. Afterthat, he advocated aesthetic education almost all his life, earnestly practiced it, andcontributed significantly to it. He inherited the fruits of Chinese traditional aestheticeducation, absorbed some helpful nourishments of western aesthetic education and,integrated as well as innovated through scientific ways. So the Chinese traditionalaesthetic education thoughts became relatively systematic, and the status of theaesthetic education was established firmly from the aspect of logic thinking. Today,the aesthetic education is emphasized again by the Party and our state, and wasbrought into the state's education policy for the second time. The building anddevelopment of theory and practice of the modem aesthetic education should drawnutriments both from the traditional aesthetic education thoughts, and even from themodem aesthetic education thoughts. Cai Yuanpei's historical devotion to the modemChinese aesthetic education thoughts guides the development of our modem aestheticeducation thoughts. Namely, it should develop with the times, converge both Chineseand western ways, and create to some extent; in the meaning time, the development ofaesthetic education should adhere to the essential character of aesthetic education. Hisideas of valuing emotional education and stressing the students' initiative andcreativities provided helpful references for our quality-oriented education at thepresent.