A Study On Women's Education In Shandong In The Period Of The Republic Of China (1912-1937)

The independent establishment of women's education is the historical product of a special period. Especially in the years from 1912 to 1937, women's education developed very rapidly, among which women's education in Shandong has always been at the forefront of the whole country.Modern education in Shandong started in the form of female mission schools. In 1861, American missionaries set up the first missionary school for women in Dengzhou, which was the beginning not only of modern education but also of women's education in Shandong. Since then, missionary schools for women began to flourish in the whole province. People's traditional concepts and way of life underwent unprecedented impact. Women in Shandong stepped out of home to receive education which was the first step of women's liberation.For more than 2000 years, the self-identity standards and the values of the Chinese women have been deeply influenced by Confucianism. The belief by Confucius that "an ignorant woman is a joy forever" kept women far from school education. Shandong, as the birthplace of Confucianism, was the area where traditional conceptions exerted an especially deep influence on women. However, with missionary education for women as its predecessors, it was gradually accepted that women could receive education. In the late Qing Dynasty, schools specializing in women's education sprang up, which laid a solid foundation for the orderly progressing of women's education in the period of the Republic of China.Early in the period of the Republic of China, local governments attached more importance to women's education. As a result, women's education in Shandong began to blossom. Subsequently, elementary education, normal education and vocational education for women emerged one after another and functioned coordinately. Especially women's elementary education developed at a rather high speed. The appearance of mixed primary schools influenced the traditional conceptions to a certain extent, which further promoted the popularization of women's education.It was "The Shandong Problem" that gave rise to "the May 4th Movement", and in that movement women students were brave enough to stand out and fought side by side with their counterparts. Inspired by a sense of responsibility for our nation, Chinese women, especially those from Shandong Province accelerated their liberation steps. With the vigorous development of "the May 4th Movement" in Shandong, more and more women students took part in the movement. Meanwhile, public awareness was greatly improved, with women's liberation and people's awareness of equality between men and women greatly popularized. The years following the movement witnessed great progress in women's education in Shandong in terms of scale and number. Elementary education maintained sustainable development and the establishment of secondary schools for women was a historical breakthrough. Though many women students received education in vocational schools, vocational education was still despised.Entrusted by the central government, He Siyuan was appointed director of Shandong Provincial Department of Education after the establishment of Nanjing Government. During the 14 years in office, he insisted on implementing favorable policies on women's education, which promoted the continuous development of women's education. The percentage of women receiving elementary and secondary education increased a lot. More and more people began to support equal education between men and women. The policy of compulsory education adopted by the government made women's access to education possible, which greatly promoted elementary education for women. Apart from the independent establishment of women's schools, many common schools became mixed ones. In addition, some normal schools and vocational schools also opened their doors to women.To conclude, women's education in Shandong developed rapidly in this period. However, we should not optimize the whole situation, because there was still a long way from the genuine education equality between men and women. The development of mixed schools proceeded slowly. There was a big gap compared to men's education of the same period. Women's education mainly focused on elementary education, and there were comparatively fewer secondary schools for women. In the period of the Republic of China, the following negative factors influenced the development of women's education in Shandong: First, the binding of patriarchal ethics; second, the lack of adequate funds; third, the shortage of teachers; fourth, limited fields in which women could pursue a career. All these factors interacted with each other which hindered the development of women's education in Shandong. Especially the disturbance of traditions and the bindings of patriarchal ethics dragged the progress of women's education in Shandong.The study and analysis of women's education in Shandong in the period from 1912 to 1937 provides us a miniature of the development of women's education in china. On the initial stage of women's education, a lot of people made many beneficial attempts in the active exploration of the objectives of women's education in Shandong. Their exploration spirit and the great efforts they made in popularizing women's education are example for today's education. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, the integration of women's education and men's education is inseparable to the exploration of women's education in this period. The retrospection of and familiarity with women's education in this period also offer historical enlightenment and valuable insights to today's educationalists.