Qing Dynasty Shanxi Educational Research

This paper mainly discusses the education problem of Jin-merchants in the Qing Dynasties, and it belongs to the category of social and Qing Dynasty history. As the most famous businessmen group in Qing Dynasty and modern times, their education problem has been controversial. Because in Shanxi people had a life-style of giving up studying and engaging in commercial, and a tradition of Engaging in commercial after studying hard. In fact Jin-merchants didn't ignore the education, but their education ideas and purpose changed. We should pay attention to this problem. In the process of development and expansion, Jin-merchants pay large investment to education as businessmen of other areas. This kind of behavior had a major impact on their business and local basis education. Around education problem, this paper describes the education situation of Shanxi businessmen in detail, and thus reflects the Qing Dynasty education status throughout the businessman group.This paper is divided into six parts.The first part is the introduction, it introduces the research situation of education about Jin-merchants. The Scholars have had many research results about Jin-merchants, and have had deep research about merchants group's education. But there isn't much research around Jin-merchants'education, and the research is not very specific and detailed, either. So it's necessary to study around specific objects and specific affairs.The second part discusses the reasons why Jin-merchants valued education. This part briefly introduces the rise and development track of Jin-merchants, and mainly discusses the reasons why the Jin-merchants valued education but despised imperial examination. This part analyzed some past previous research The analysis results showed that there are many reasons causing the opinions of Jin-merchants, such as The development of commodity economy in the Qing dynasty, the whole political environment, the historical culture, Jin-merchants'own purpose and so on.The third part discusses Jin-merchants how to Support education. It can be divided into formal school education and social education. The formal school education included the old-style private school at their home, family school, academy and the new-type schools in the end of the Qing Dynasty. The social education carried out through ancestral temple sacrifices. Family discipline and so on. Jin-merchants' action of donating money to supporting learning Showed a lot of features. For example, diversity,regional and so on.The forth part is about the content and features of Jin-merchants'education. Besides the traditional Confucianism education, Western knowledge was introduced in education of Jin-merchant as an emerging thing in the late Qing Dynasty, and it has to say it is a big improvement. Apart from school education, professional education is more important for Jin-merchants. Professional education contains vocational skills education and professional ethics education. They played important roles in training of Jin-merchants. More important, they partly decided whether the Jin-merchants could develop, so the merchant family value professional education very much.The fifth part statements the meaning, influence and limitations of investing and supporting education about Jin-merchants. The positive significance included many aspects. It was beneficial for Jin-merchants family to develop and continue, and it was helpful to develop local foundation education, too. Especially it is helpful to change the traditional culture. But with the development of society, some contents and ideas was behind the age. Some backward education philosophy limited the development of traders, and ultimately killed the Jin-merchants. It is a question for us to Regret and reflect.