A Research On The College Of Languages In The Imperial University Of Peking

In late Qing dynasty, the Imperial University of Peking, as the center of national education reform and development, guided the direction of education. The College of Languages, as one of the main body of the Imperial University of Peking, is the typical model of national education of foreign language and translation. During the process of setting and developing the College of Language, facts and contradictions appeared when regulations and educational course system were set up and problems came out when it ran. These facts, contradictions as well as problems should become the focus of our research on the Imperial University of Peking.Following the time venation, this thesis focuses on the College of Languages. Trying to clear the history of its development, the thesis studies its regulations and construction and operation of educational course system as well as the choices of career and outlet of the students. Besides, the thesis also studies the influences of the development of the College of Languages on every aspects of Qing dynasty.Focusing on these situations, the passage mainly study three questions:One is the tortuous process of the early Imperial University of Peking and the establishment of the College of Languages. Qing dynasty realized the importance of setting up professional foreign language translation education after the establishment, suspend, and reset of the Imperial University of Peking, which laid a good foundation for the establishment of the College of Languages.The second is the College of Language’s administrators, teachers and students’ obeying or violating the system in the operating process of management system and course system. Based on the principle of interaction between China and the West, the College of Language established a system characterized by the union of Chinese and Western culture in establishing its management system and course system. However, at a time of interaction and collision of Chinese and Western culture, conflicts and contradictions often happened between the students’thoughts and the actual operating of the College of Language, which is also an important characteristic of education reform in late Qing dynasty.The third is the identities and career choices of the students as well as their great influences on modern education and society. Influenced by both the graduation exam of the College of Language and conferring honors and ranks to students in the late period of Qing dynasty, the choices of students’ career diversified, which were divided into three types:a reward of being an official, further study and working out one’s own salvation. After graduation, the students played important roles in the late Qing dynasty, a majority of whom with visions contributed a lot to the politics, economy, culture and education in late Qing dynasty.Widely influenced by the thought of "Western Exploitation on Chinese System", the College of Languages set the courses following the principle of interaction between China and the West. It drew from the advanced western education system and, in the meantime, properly strengthen the position of Chinese system in the courses, which is the inheritance and breakthrough of the thought of "Western Exploitation on Chinese System". The establishment and development of the College of Language guided the direction of the development and reform of foreign language education from late Qing dynasty even to the Republic of China in many aspects like regulations, courses, and practice as well as education concept and so on. It played a demonstration role in the reform of education in late Qing dynasty. What’s more, the College of Languages helped more people to know foreign language and lessen the rejection of it and even changed the view that considered the foreign language as "western language""western culture" and "western system". Anyway, in terms of both the construction of knowledge and regulation system and practical experience, the College of Languages in the Imperial University of Peking became the typical model of national education of foreign language and translation in Qing dynasty and early Republic period.