A Study On Historical Education Reform And Thoughts In The Late Qing Dynasty (1902—1912)

Historical education can be traced back to the generation of human beings and it can be said the origin of other kinds of education.The birth,growth and evolution of historical education bear indispensable relationship to the development of Chinese society.Historical education has undergone gradual changes from clan education in primitive society and ritual,musical and patriarchal education in slave society to obscurantist education in feudal society.Not until the rise of capitalist society,the invasion of western powers and the baptism of western civilization,does Historical education in China begin its linkage with the modernized world.The reform movement of 1898,a bourgeois-democratic revolution,breaks the barriers of traditional feudal thoughts;the new deal in the late Qing Dynasty renders the feudalist society at the verge of collapse;the revolution of 1911 overturns it with democracy and republicanism.Historical education reflects social reform and its direction form the perspective of the quality of the nation,exploration of law of social development and the guidance of historical education on social practice.Thanks to thousands years' development,historical education in ancient China grows into a perfect education system.This kind of education depends on the social and economic development and the ideology of the ruling class.Historical education arises in primitive society;rites and music are at the core of historical education in Xia,Shang and Zhou dynasties;Historical education has developed into classics education with Confucianism at the center.Historical education of school and society relies on the growth of traditional historiography and it in return enriches the content and forms of historical education.After the start of imperial civil examination system,historical education becomes the dependency of scholars to enter into official career.Traditional historical education develops and changes after mid-Qing dynasty.Because of the invasion of capitalism and the introduction of western civilization,the Qing Dynasty began to carry out educational reform.The Westernization Movement sets up new-style schools;the reform movement of 1898 brings in western arguments on educational evolutionism;the new deal in the late Qing Dynasty implements reforms.In the last ten years of late Qing Dynasty,during which the old and the new historical education thoughtscome into collision,the historical education thoughts put forward then cover a wide range and have a far-reaching significance,such as ideas being loyal to the monarchy and patriotic to the country,advocating Confucianism and giving weight to tradition,upholding fairness and being sensible,defending the country and upholding military force,and advancing real benefit.Historical education is reflected in government decree,history textbooks,local textbooks,journals,newspapers and some other aspects and it intends to explore and grasp the trend of social development but historical education cannot get rid of feudal ideology.The thoughts and positions put forth in the last ten years of late Qing Dynasty show a great value of the time,and its national consciousness reflects the growth of society,complies with the needs of social changes and national development and accords with the needs of general civilians to seek the elementary and new knowledge.We can draw lessons from the primal reform and thoughts on historical education in modern times to thoroughly carry out global education and reflect on historical education on our nation.