A Study On The Compilation Of Rural Middle School Textbooks In Jiangsu Province Since The Reform And Opening - Up

In China, people had no conception of’local history textbook’before the last decades of Qing Dynasty. The communication of ethnical and local history was largely conducted in the fashion of pedigree books and local chronicles. Since the introduction of ’local history textbook’conception at the last years of Qing Dynasty, scholars have attempted to localize the conception by compiling textbooks specially tailored for students, which are comprised of local historical facts. After the implementation of Reformation and Opening Policy, China’s culture started to pluralize. If we want to maintain the ethnical and regional cultural characteristics, and pass on local culture to coming generations, we need to compile suitable local history textbooks.The local history textbooks for middle school of Jiangsu Province are mostly organized and compiled by local education bureaus. With the ideals of emphasizing contemporary demands, matching regional characteristics, and attending to students’need in mind, compilers made their textbooks outstanding. On the basis of presenting the meaning and selection of local history textbooks, the essay tries to summarize how the compilation of Jiangsu Province’s textbooks was conducted, and research on the compiling mechanics of these textbooks.These textbooks focus on the traditional plays and operas that exemplify local characteristics, the rising and development of Jiangsu’s commerce and industry in modern era, the historical impact made by this province’s key persona in their respective fields in the intense transformation, and the enormous impact of the Great Canal on the development of Jiangsu’s economy and culture. This series of textbooks are compiled either in the form of’arrangement in chronic order’or’arrangement by topics’. They satisfied the reading demand of students, cultivated their sense of chronological order, enriched their knowledge of historical facts, and enhanced their ability to think independently and pragmatically. These local history textbooks highlight the value of promoting nationalism in the progress of globalization, emphasizing local culture in unification, and accentuating educational development in modernization.Local history textbooks not only narrate historical facts, they also have the function of passing on culture, cultural communication, and cultural innovation. Jiangsu has always valued the significance of education, and their textbook compilation has a high quality that is first-rate in China, which can provide valuable lessons for other provinces and cities. Certainly they have space for improvements. The essay also provides some suggestions on the revision of local history books in Jiangsu Province.