Influence Of Overseas Hainanese On The Educational Advancement Of Wenchang

Located in Hainan Province,Wenchang county is renowned as the homeland of overseas Hainanese which they have made great contributions.This paper,largely based on the historical records related to overseas Hainanese(mainly of Wenchang origin).It analyzes the reasons why their ancestors were so devoted to education.It takes the establishment and development of Wenchang Middle School as an example;it also describes the development of other schools in Wenchang and explores the influence of overseas Hainanese predecessors on education matters in their homeland.This paper mainly elaborates two questions,one being the culture of respecting the teachers and their teachings and the willingness to donate in enhancing the educational standard of Wenchang;the other being why there is a lack of enthusiasm from the overseas Hainanese new generation in the advancement of educational matters in Wenchang and to find a solution to overcome this trend.They came to the following conclusion:overseas Hainanese were very enthusiastic about education.They contributed a lot of money towards the educational development in Wenchang and gradually uplifted the educational standard of Wenchang.This main driving force thus hailed Wenchang as the "Home of Culture"(文化之乡)in Hainan Province.However,in the new historical period,the mind sets of the homeland and the overseas Hainanese have undergone new changes.The enthusiasm of the overseas Hainanese granting donations to their homeland has diminished.The purpose of studying this topic is to explore how to seek a reasonable response under the new historical circumstances to address this trend and to promote the development of Wenchang education to another higher level.The content of this article comprises of four parts.The first part introduces the Hainanese from Hainan Province,Wenchang.It mainly introduces why and how the Hainanese went abroad,their encounters in foreign countries and the changes in their status.The second part introduces the Hainanese ancestors and their contributions to the education advancement in Wenchang after they have successfully established in overseas.Taking the development of Wenchang Middle School in Hainan Province,Wenchang,as a case study,this article expounds the important role of Hainanese ancestors in the development of the culture and education in their homeland.The third part explores the other reasons behind the Hainanese ancestors’ enthusiasm in the development of education.In the fourth part,we highlighted the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm from the new generation in wanting to fund the educational development in Wenchang and offers ways to overcome this trend to bring about yet another enhancement in Wenchang education.