Study On The Development Of Women's Education In The Northwest Frontier During The Republic Of China (1912-1949)

This paper attempts to restore to the northwest frontier education under the complex political environment during the period of the Republic of China. It investigated the prototype, formation and development of Women's education in this region according to the unique natural geographical characteristics as well as social environment in Northwest China. It summarized the specific characteristics of women's education depended on the analysis of the historical facts and research. The paper also explored the various factors restricting the development of women's educationin northwest frontier embodied in the period of the Republic of China. Finally, the paper described historical impact as well as the significanceon women's education of the Northwest frontier.The local strength of the Warlords entrenched in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang provinces is clearly an unavoidable link and breakthrough point in the process of studing the northwest frontier of women's education in the Republic of China. Ma Qi, Ma Bufang and ShengShicai as the representative of the warlords, they essentially ruled this region in a long period of time. Their activities has a very important effec to the development of society, politics, economy and education in northwest area.They had a very profound understanding of local social status, level of education and the relationship between national defense and development as they lived in the northwest. Whatever the reason, they gave our national education a strong support and laid a good foundation for the development of ethnic education in the northwest area.Women's education in northwest frontier developed slowly in the period of Republic of China. In this process, they showed some of their own characteristics: low starting point, low level and slow development of women's education in northwest frontier; regional difference was big, development was not balanced; social tradition and women's education notionare behinded times; Curriculum setting of women's education in northwest frontier has a housewifery tendency; School-Running funds has a strong dependence on local warlords. The backward social and economic development of the northwest frontier was the basic reason that restricted the development of women's education. Traditional gender concept and Lack of national teaching materials and female teachers objectively limited the development of women's education here.Reviewed the development course of women's education in the northwest frontier area, women's education has effectively alleviated the demand for teachers in such a special social and cultural background. they raised the leval of female employment and combated unemployment of women. In summary, women's education trained a new generation of intellectual women in northwest frontier. Women not only walked out from home into society but also took an active part in social activities. All of these accelerated the pace of women's liberation, it changed the social habits and showed a kind of new attitude towards life.