Research Of Uyghur’s Education In Kashger Region In Qing Dynasty

Islamic scholastic education is an important part of Islamic cultural system, andan important link for the Islamic culture to pass down from generation to generation.Many other aspects of Islamic culture, such as doctrine, liturgy, moral values, etc., aredependent on the Islamic tradition of scholastic education. Since Uyghurs convertedto Islam during Karahan dynasty, the initial development of modern education fromthe late Qing dynasty to the early Republic of China is unknown, so the Islamicscholastic education had been acting as a dominant position in Xinjiang Uyghurethnic education.Islamic scholastic education can be divided into two phases:“Maktab” and“Madrasah.”“Maktab” was primary scripture school, generally located in themosque. At that time, hundreds of mosques were located in major cities, such asKashgar, and surrounding, forming a scene of “Where there are Uyhgurs there aremosques, and there must be scripture schools with the mosques.”“Madrasah” wassecondary scriptures school. Such schools were usually attached to or located near alarge mosque in the town, most of which were in cities and towns like Kashgar, Kuqa,Khotan, Yarkand.“Madrasah” was large in scale, well-equipped, had boarding houses,and could receive foreign students. While those schools were engaged in religiouseducation, they also had the nature and skills of secular education, given the Uyghurcommunity had no other forms of education at the time. It can be said that scholasticeducation was actually a form of Uyghur ethnic education.After the establishment of the province of Xinjiang by unified Qing dynasty, aseries of policies on the economy, culture and education were implemented inXinjiang. Apart from adjusting certain aspects, there was not much difference in thenature of the policy towards Islam before and after the establishment of the province.Under such a policy, scholastic education remained in its original way in Xinjiang,particularly in the southern Xinjiang. However, although the scholastic education emerged and developed in Karahan dynasty and reached its peak during YarkandKhanate, but after all it was a religious education, therefore its limitations of tendingto religion and ignoring worldly knowledge led it to decline. In the late Qing dynasty,the modern Uyghur national bourgeoisie began to sprout in Kashgar, Aksu and otherregions. Those national bourgeoisie engaged in business, traveling throughout CentralAsia, Russia, Europe and other places. Their way of thinking and behavior changedtremendously due to the advanced science and technology. They began to realize thatoutdated educational system and ideology were shackles to social progress. Thereforethey started reforming scripture schools in an active and innovative approach despitethe opposition from conservative religious forces. They introduce advanced Westernteaching methods, and established schools with new teaching mode and new teachingcontent. It can be said that the period of late Qing dynasty was the embryonic stage ofXinjiang’s modern education. Although the coverage of the modern education in thatperiod of was limited, its emergence brought new vitality to the stagnant Tarim Basinand laid the foundation for modern Uyghur education.