Chinese education is based on Confucianism and aims to teach students the five key relationships as outlined in Confucian texts. Education consists mainly of memorizing these sacred texts and commentaries in order to live according to the natural path outlined. The goal is to master the literature and language such that students can pass state examinations to enter government positions. Schools focus on memorizing characters, canonical books, and developing essay writing skills, while examinations serve as the main controlling institution for the education system.
3. "What Heaven has conferred is
called nature; an accordance
with nature is called the path
of duty; the regulation of this
path is called instruction."
5. RELATION BETWEEN SOCIAL LIFE AND
EDUCATION
Because of this close relationship that education
bears to life, it possesses a distinctly moral
character.
Students are trained to have the ability to shape
his own conduct aright, and a knowledge that will
enable him to direct the conduct of others.
6. RELATION BETWEEN SOCIAL LIFE AND
EDUCATION
The aim of the Chinese system of government is
to prevent change, and hence they are often
represented as having no government.
Their education are based upon and all find an
expression in a religion—that of Confucianism.
8. CONFUCIANISM
In a remarkable manner Confucianism unites political
or social ethics with private morality.
All ethical teachings and all social obligations are
summed up in those of the “ five relationships“ that
are taught to every child in ten syllables, as an " A B C “
of conduct. These are the relation f sovereign and
subject, parent and child, husband and wife, brother
and brother, friend and friend.
10. SELECTION FROM CONFUCIANTEXT
The sovereign and king orders the chief minister
to send down his (lessons of) virtue to the millions
of the people.
The virtues of family life are those of filial duty,
fraternal love, friendship, and the like ; the
concrete embodiment of these and other virtues
can be judged in the light of the passage quoted.
11. SELECTION FROM CONFUCIANTEXT
They inculcate the solid virtues of an unchangeable
and unprogressive system of society, and of a people
destined to a materialistic and, of necessity, sordid
view of life.
Sufficient detail concerning the religion, ethics, and
sacred literature of this people has been given to
indicate the character and purpose of their education.
12. SELECTION FROM CONFUCIANTEXT
For the individual, education consists in the
mastery of this sacred literature in order that he
may live in accordance with the path of nature
marked out therein.
This mastery necessitates a perfect memorizing
of these sacred books and a knowledge of the
many commentaries upon them.
13. SELECTION FROM CONFUCIANTEXT
In order that the Confucian statement of the work of
education may be made socially complete, the government
adds one additional educational aim.
The conduct of government is given into the hands of those
who show the greatest mastery of the content of these
sacred books.
This is accomplished by a system of examinations in essay
writing.
14. " Measured by Chinese standards, the construction of a
perfect essay is one of the noblest achievements of which
the human mind is capable.The man who knows all that has
been preserved of the wisdom of the ancients, and who can
at a moment's notice dash off essays of a symmetrical
construction, lofty in sentiment, elevated in style, and
displaying a wide acquaintance not only with the theme, but
also with cognate subjects, such a man is fit not only to
stand before kings, but before the very Son of Heaven
himself."
16. THE FAMILY,THE BASAL INSTITUTION
While instruction is given in a special institution,
the school, the family in a peculiar way furnishes
the basis of their education.
The ethics of the Chinese is one of family duties
and activities ; the five great relationships are all
those of the family ; the content of their sacred
literature relates almost wholly to these
relationships.
18. CONTENT, ORGANIZATION, AND METHOD
OF CHINESE EDUCATION
It is a land of observance of tradition and of custom,
a land in which no change from the accepted way of
thinking, feeling, or doing is permitted, and in which
comparatively little really occurs.
Yet that education is most restricted in its content,
most formal in its method, and most stereotyped
and inflexible in its organization.
19. CONTENT
The purpose of the elementary stages of Chinese
education is to familiarize the boy it goes without
saying that the girl has no consideration whatever in
their literary or institutional education with the
language and with their sacred literature.
The character of this task can be appreciated by noting
the character of both language and literature.
20. CHARACTER OFTHE LANGUAGE
The characters of the Chinese language represent
ideas, not sounds : it is an ideographic, not a
phonetic language.
Like the arithmetical digits, these characters have
no vocables they have a meaning primarily for the
eye, not the ear.
22. STAGES OF SCHOOLING
The first period of instruction, that in the
elementary schools, is devoted to the memorizing
of the forms of an infinitude of diversely formed
characters through the mastery of a few
universally adopted texts, and the memorizing of
the nine canonical books.
The second stage is devoted to translation.
23. STAGES OF SCHOOLING
The third stage is devoted to the composition of
essays until the art is sufficiently acquired to
enable one to pass the examinations. This training
in composition writing entails a more intensive
study of form and content of their literature.
The two latter stages constitute their higher
education.
24. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
The institutional organization of Chinese
education is twofold: there is, first, a system of
schools, almost entirely of a private character and
devoted to the mastery of the language and sacred
literature and to the development of this power of
essay writing ; and, second, a system of
examinations, conducted by the state and serving
as the controlling part of their educational system.
25. THE EXAMINATION SYSTEM
The institutional organization of Chinese
education is twofold : there is, first, a system of
schools, almost entirely of a private character and
devoted to the mastery of the language and sacred
literature and to the development of this power of
essay writing ; and, second, a system of
examinations, conducted by the state and serving
as the controlling part of their educational system.
Editor's Notes
In order that the Confucian
statement of the work of education may be made socially
complete, the government adds one additional educational
aim. The conduct of government is given into the hands
of those who show the greatest mastery of the content
of these sacred books and an ability to imitate them in
thought, in formal construction, and in archaic style.
In order that the Confucian
statement of the work of education may be made socially
complete, the government adds one additional educational
aim. The conduct of government is given into the hands
of those who show the greatest mastery of the content
of these sacred books and an ability to imitate them in
thought, in formal construction, and in archaic style.
Measured by Chinese standards, the construction of a
perfect essay is one of the noblest achievements of which
the human mind is capable.
