On Cai Yuanpei’s Thoughts About Aesthetical Education And Its Modern Implication

In the21st century with aesthetics as the theme of the current times, it makes significant and practical sense to retrospect and prospect the development of aesthetical education, especially in the face of gradually dramatic personality crisis following the situation of diversified values and increasing momentum of educational reform on quality education. As a great beginning to the realization of modern aesthetical education from China’s traditional thoughts about aesthetical education, Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education is a systematic and complete scientific achievement, and it has successfully integrated the theory about aesthetical education with practical aesthetical education. Based on the common personality-oriented issue, this paper’s in-depth study on Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education plays a profound and realistic role as a guider in resolving current plight curbing healthy development of aesthetical education and crisis of personality.Aware of problems on personality and aesthetical education, this thesis aims not only to uncover the characteristics and realistic practicability of Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education, but also to work out theories and possible practices about aesthetical education which can be the foundation for handling the present problems as well as forseeing and looking ahead the future development of aesthetical education. Theoretically supported by the essence of aesthetical education and its relations with personality mentioned in Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education, this study indicates the essential status and historical responsibility aesthetical education has committed in accordance with the renewed situation with emerging characters of the times. And more importantly, it inherits and carries forward Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education.There are totally five parts in this thesis as follows:In part one, it has a try to comprehensively text relative studies on Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education and represents its basis and significance for study. In part two, mainly at two aspects of theoretical cradle and birth background, it casts light on the particular status of Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education different from his contemporary progressive personages’ ones. In part three, on the base of self-discipline and heteronomy from aesthetical education, it defines the concrete implication of personality and figures out the irreplaceable role aesthetical education has always played in cultivating personality. In addition, it has a close reference to the core content of Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education to demonstrate the characteristic role in the educational cause and the cultivation of personality played by Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education. In part four, it attaches stress on the reflection on Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education. On the condition that the thought system faces up to changes in modern society and accepts them, this paper argues its adaptability to the development of quality education and problem-resolving capacity for dealing with present problems encountered during the development of aesthetical education. In the final part, it reiterates the importance of Cai Yuanpei’s thoughts about aesthetical education and points out the breakthrough the writer has made as well as the inadequacy potentially existing in the thesis.