First, Western missionaries set up missionary schools in the trading ports to educate the people of China. One is a college established by China people themselves.
China's Four Books and Five Classics education was totally rejected by Western religions. It was a Shanghai Gezhi Academy jointly organized by Xu Shou of China and John Flair of England in the second year of Guangxu (1876). The so-called "Gezhi" is the abbreviation of "Wu Ge" and "Zhi Zhi". "The Book of Rites University" says: "Knowing is helpful, and then knowing is successful", which means observing and studying things, and knowing is to explore the inner truth of things in the process of knowing things. The "five studies" of exploring natural science in modern times, such as acoustics, optics, electricity, chemistry and re-learning (mechanics), are collectively called "the study of learning". Gezhi College stipulates that all missionary books are not allowed to enter the college, and courses such as Confucian classics and art posts to cope with the imperial examination are not included in the teaching content. John Flair personally compiled the syllabus of mining, electric power, surveying and mapping, engineering, steam turbine, manufacturing and other courses. There is also a museum attached to the college, which specializes in displaying the crafts and manufacturing of various countries for the world to visit. In addition, a laboratory is attached for experimental teaching. Shanghai Gezhi Academy is supervised by John Flair and headed by Xu Shou. After the death of Xu Shou, Wang Tao succeeded to the throne in the 11th year of Guangxu (1885). John Flair also established an examination method, and invited customs officials, ministers of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and other westernization officials, as well as prestigious progressive thinkers to make propositions. Li Hongzhang, Liu Kunyi, Sheng Xuanhuai, Xue Fucheng and Zheng. They are all college exam propositions. Gezhi Academy trained a group of talents for the Westernization Movement and the Reform and Reform, and also provided many Chinese teachers for the later western education.
With the development of Westernization Movement and the trend of reform and reform, western learning has been accepted by more and more people, and the educational influence of western-style academies has become more and more extensive. In the 15th year of Guangxu (1890), Kang Youwei put forward the school-running aim of "Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Song Mingxue as the body and psychology and western learning as the use" in Guangdong. In the 21st year of Guangxu (1896), Shen, editor-in-chief of Tianxia Bulletin, formally put forward the slogan of "taking middle school as the body and using western learning", which was highly praised by Zhang Zhidong and others. The slogan "middle school is the body, western learning is the use" has been popular in the ruling and opposition parties for a while, and has become the confluence of Westernization School and Education Reform School. Manabu Nakanishi compatibility has become the development trend of colleges and universities. The academies established under this trend, such as Guangya Academy, Lianghu Academy, 10,000 mu Caotang Academy and Current Affairs School, have achieved fruitful results in Manabu Nakanishi.
Guangzhou Guangya Academy was founded by Zhang Zhidong in the 16th year of Guangxu (1890). At first, Confucian classics, history, nature and theory, economy and Ci were set up, and later they were changed to Confucian classics, history, science and literature, and economy and geography were attached to history. History, including western social sciences, has become one of the most popular courses in the college. Zhu Yixin (1846 ~ 1894), the second president of Guangya College, is a scholar who cares about the situation at home and abroad. He has a unique view on western learning. He criticized the vulgar sinologist's theory that western chemistry, optics and electricity all came from Mozi's study, and thought that this attachment was meaningless. In his view, to learn western learning, we must first understand the geography and political humanities of the West, that is, "know its terrain and measure its political customs", and then learn the military, astronomy and manufacturing of the West, that is, "learn the skills of the West to help me". Guangya College has a great influence on the direction of the college.
Wanmu Caotang was founded by Kang Youwei (1858 ~ 1927) in Guangzhou in the 16th year of Guangxu (189 1). Kang Youwei is a well-versed scholar between China and the West, and a representative of the reform trend of thought. In the seventeenth year of Guangxu, he bought a large number of translated works introducing western social sciences and natural sciences from Shanghai and returned to Guangdong. Among them, he bought more than a quarter of the western language books published by Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. Students from Guangdong, such as Chen and Liang Qichao, have come here to visit and learn from the scriptures, so Kang Youwei set up a 10,000-acre thatched cottage to teach students. The theory of justice he taught includes Chinese and foreign philosophy; "The study of statecraft" includes the political evolution, gains and losses at home and abroad, and western political and economic theories. "Textual research" includes Chinese and foreign history, geography, mathematics and geography. "The study of characters" includes traditional characters and western languages. Speech, travel (inspection) and gymnastics are also listed as "extracurricular subjects". In teaching, he pays attention to the comparison between China and foreign countries in combination with reality. Every lecture should contact the ancient and modern times, discuss its development, advantages and disadvantages, and cite European and American examples to prove it, thus creating a new generation of style of study. With the aim of "creating talents for a new country", Wanmu Caotang has trained a number of reformists.
After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, western learning gradually became a common practice. The Hubei and Hunan Academy founded by Zhang Zhidong has reformed the teaching content, changing the four subjects of classics, history, science and literature into six subjects of classics, history, astronomy, geography, maps and mathematics. The Department of Cartography was renamed Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is divided into three categories: A Brief History of Sun Tzu's Art of War, Mapping of Sun Tzu's Art of War and Manufacturing of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Plus chemistry, natural history, surveying, military training and gymnastics. Qiushi College in Hunan also hired foreign teachers to teach western learning and purchased teaching experimental equipment. In addition, an examination system with equal emphasis on Manabu Nakanishi has been established, with Western learning on the first day of each month and middle school on the fifteenth day of each month. Shi Chong College in Shaanxi Province offers courses such as Gezhi, foreign current situation and politics, foreign criminal law, public law, treaties, land and water art of war, geography, agriculture, mining and language. The courses of Shaanxi Weijing Academy also include western customs, history of two oceans, western politics, electricity, optical microscope, chemistry, medicine and gas. Hunan Yuelu Academy has also specially set up the course of "Evaluation of Learning". The Changsha Current Affairs School, presided over by Liang Qichao, puts forward the teaching requirement of "linking ancient and modern times and reaching home and abroad", requiring students to read current affairs news and keep abreast of the latest developments at home and abroad. The current affairs school also follows the lecture system of the academy, taking Sunday as the lecture period to discuss domestic and international political current affairs, and recruiting celebrities and scholars to give lectures in turn. Liang Qichao also invited several students to discuss and answer questions at any time through conversation and discussion, and the teaching atmosphere was very active.
The academies run by western missionaries are the beginning of systematic western education, but they have strong characteristics of western religious theology and the remnants of traditional Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism in China.
In the 23rd year of Daoguang (1843), British missionary Leah founded Huaying College in Hongkong, which was the first college established by western missionaries in China. In the 30th year of Daoguang (1850), Qingxin Academy appeared in Shanghai. In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), American congregations founded Fuzhou Gezhi Academy in Fuzhou. In the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), American missionaries founded Yu Ying Academy in Hangzhou. In the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870), a depository academy appeared in Suzhou. In the decade of Tongzhi, American missionaries founded Wenhua Academy in Wuchang. In the second year of Guangxu (1876), American missionaries established the Dengzhou Literature Museum in Dengzhou, Shandong. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), American missionaries founded Chinese and western academies in Shanghai. In the 11th year of Guangxu (1885), British missionaries founded Peizheng Academy in Qingzhou, Shandong. In the 14th year of Guangxu (1888), Huiwen Academy appeared in Nanjing. In the 16th year of Guangxu (1890), American missionaries established Huiwen Academy in Beijing. In the 19th year of Guangxu (1893), American missionaries established Liuhe Academy in Tongzhou, Zhili. In the 25th year of Guangxu (1899), American missionaries established Huiwen Academy in Beijing. By the end of 19, western missionaries had established nearly 40 academies in China.
There are similarities between the academies run by western missionaries and the traditional academies in China. First, it belongs to the private school-running system; Second, the academy is divided into three forms: small, middle and high, and many of them also belong to the nature of enlightenment. Some academy education itself includes three levels: primary school, middle school and university. This college with university level later developed into a missionary university. For example, Chinese and Western academies in Shanghai merged into Soochow University, Huiwen Academy in Nanjing developed into Jinling University, Yu Ying Academy in Hangzhou developed into Zhijiang University, Wenhua Academy in Wuchang and Bowen Academy in Hankou developed into Huazhong University, and the literary society in Dengzhou developed into cheeloo university after moving to Jinan, Gezhi Academy in Fuzhou developed into Fujian Christian University, and Huiwen Academy in Beijing developed into yenching university, and so on.
The teaching content of missionary college is divided into three parts. One is religious content, which is necessary for general church colleges; The second part is Chinese studies, including Chinese literacy teaching or some contents of the four books and five classics; The third is western learning, which is the main teaching content of missionary colleges, including western languages, social sciences and natural sciences. The academic system of Shanghai Chinese and Western College is 6-8 years. It is divided into one or two branches and colleges. Students study in the branch school for two years, and then go to college for four years. Successful students can voluntarily study for another two years. The courses offered by the college year by year are: literacy and writing, simple explanation of words and sentences; Practice grammar, learn Spanish and practice translation; Mathematical enlightenment, national geography; Fundamentals of algebra and geography mathematics; Astronomy and geometry; Chemistry, emphasizing learning (mechanics), advanced mathematics, sex; Maritime survey, international law; Rich national policies (economics), astronomy, geology, epigraphy, etc. Chinese and Spanish, Chinese-Western translation is an eight-year course.
The evolution of academy education in the late Qing Dynasty prepared the conditions for the complete abolition of the old education system. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), Dr. Li Duanfen, a doctor of punishments, formally proposed to the court to amend the articles of association of the academy, stipulating that the academy should set up specialties, manufacturing, agriculture, commerce, military science, mining science and negotiation science. In the same year, Qin Shouzhang, an assistant lecturer in imperial academy, gave a lecture, suggesting that the history of the academy should be accompanied by current events, anecdotes should be accompanied by westernization, treaties and taxation, geography should be accompanied by measurement and drawing, arithmetic should be accompanied by style and manufacturing, and translation should be accompanied by foreign languages. This is undoubtedly the fact that the traditional subject name is retained and the teaching content is changed. These suggestions were adopted by the court and promulgated in various provinces. The evolution of the academy education system became the forerunner of the education reform in the late Qing Dynasty.
In the twenty-seventh year of Guangxu (190 1), the academy was changed and ended.