After the Revolution of 1911 (19 1 1), Confucianism was no longer regarded as the basis of ruling legitimacy, and then the purpose of education changed fundamentally, followed by the education system and curriculum. For example, in 19 1 1 year, Cai Yuanpei, as the chief education officer, published the Opinions on Education Policy, which was obviously aimed at the educational purpose of 1906. He said: "Loyalty to the monarch is incompatible with the Republic, and respect for Confucius is contrary to freedom of religious belief." 19 12 The temporary education conference held in July adopted a new educational purpose: "Attach importance to moral education, supplemented by practical education and military education, and complete its morality with aesthetic education." Obviously, the new concept of education embodies Mr. Cai Yuanpei's educational thought.
In the first year of the Republic of China (19 12), the Ministry of Education promulgated the Interim Measures for General Education, renamed the school as a school, ordered the Shanghai Bookstore to temporarily revise and apply the old educational books, ordered the abolition of reading classics, and prohibited schools from using the Qing Dian. In May of that year, the Ministry of Education promulgated the Interim Measures for General Education, which contained many provisions, in particular: "(1) The school was renamed as a school; (2) All kinds of textbooks serve the Republic of China. The former Ministry of Qing Dynasty announced that textbooks published and popular among the people contained words that advocated the Qing Dynasty and the old official system to avoid mentioning, and they should be changed one by one. Teachers may delete or modify books at any time and report to the Ministry of Education or the Education Committee and the notification bureau for correction. (3) All primary and secondary schools (schools) in normal schools will abolish reading classics. " [8]
19 12 The Ministry of Education issued an order for primary schools, which pointed out in the first chapter of the general program: "Primary education aims to pay attention to children's physical and mental development, cultivate the foundation of national morality, and give them the knowledge and skills necessary for life." 165438+ 10 in the "primary school teaching rules and curriculum formulated by the Ministry of Education", Confucianism is related to self-cultivation, Chinese language and history. The educational purpose of these courses is explained in the teaching principles.
"Article 2: The purpose of self-cultivation is to cultivate children's virtue and guide them to practice. In primary school, filial piety, love, faith, courage, respect, diligence and cleanliness should be given, and close people should be given; Gradually move towards the responsibility to the society and the country, so as to stimulate the enterprising spirit and cultivate the spirit of loving the group.
Colleges and primary schools should expand the contents of the preceding paragraph.
For girls, it is especially necessary to pay attention to the virtue of chastity and self-improvement.
To teach self-cultivation, children should be guided by kind words, good deeds and proverbs, so that they can learn to warn and practice etiquette; It is also advisable to give an overview of the legal system of the Republic of China in order to have a national concept. "
Starting from 19 15, enlightenment education is divided into ethnic schools and higher primary schools. However, there is no big change in educational purpose and curriculum, and the content of self-cultivation courses in primary and secondary schools in China is basically the same as 19 12. The only thing worth pointing out is that the course "Reading Classics" has been added to the curriculum of 19 15. For example, 19 16, the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the National Studies Order, pointed out that the purpose of studying classics by students of Chinese studies is to cultivate children and inspire people's patriotism with the way of sages. It is advisable to teach the meaning of Mencius according to the academic year. The cycle of things is fair and obvious, and it is practical. Don't let the children suffer. At the same time, the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Order of Institutions of Higher Learning and Primary Schools pointed out that "the Analects of Confucius should be taught in accordance with the educational syllabus when reading classics". However, in the revised draft published in June 5438+the same year 10, all the items related to reading classics were deleted.
19 12 In September, the Ministry of Education of the National Government promulgated the Order of Middle School, which clearly pointed out that "the purpose of middle school is to complete general education and cultivate sound citizens". In the implementation rules 65438 published in February of the same year, the following provisions were made for the "self-cultivation" course related to Confucianism in the traditional sense: "The purpose of self-cultivation is to cultivate moral thoughts and sentiments, practice them persistently, and complete the national character. Self-cultivation should teach moral essentials, gradually become responsible for the country, society and family, and also teach ethics, paying special attention to the characteristics of national morality. " Class hours are all weekly 1 hour. In the middle school curriculum standard published by the Ministry of Education 19 13, the content of four-year self-cultivation curriculum is more specifically explained. In the first school year, I taught: "Bow to the world and treat people with things." The second academic year is "responsibility to the country, responsibility to the society." The third school year: "responsibility to family and oneself, responsibility to mankind and everything." The fourth academic year: "the essence of ethics, the characteristics of national morality." Although a lot of content is closely related to Confucianism, it is obvious that we should avoid using Confucian logos. However, as always, we attach importance to foreign teachers' classes, and have six hours of foreign language classes every week for four years in middle school. Although the timetable for girls was announced at that time, only some small differences did not affect the conclusions to be deduced in this paper.
19 12 the Ministry of education promulgated the university order, which pointed out: "universities aim at teaching advanced knowledge, cultivating talented students and meeting the needs of the country." The Ministry of Education announced the university regulations. It is stipulated that universities are divided into arts, science, law, business, medicine, agriculture and engineering. The original discipline of Confucian classics is gone. The study and dissemination of Confucianism can be found in China's philosophy, China's literature and China's history. The Confucian classics included in the curriculum at that time were: Zhouyi, Shi Mao, Yili, Chunqiu Palace Ancient Biography, Analects of Confucius and Mencius, all of which were included in China's philosophy. The study of Er Ya belongs to the category of China literature. Included in the historical category of China are: Shangshu, Chunqiu Zuozhuan and so on. The original institution for further study after graduation from university was called "Confucian school", but it has also been changed to "big college". Students graduate from institutions of higher learning and are awarded corresponding degrees.
It can be seen from the above-mentioned educational purposes and class changes that after the abolition of the imperial examination, Confucian values and Confucian classics lost their position in the modern education system, and finally lost their space with the establishment of the Republic of China-the disappearance of the legitimacy of the Confucian system. Schools at all levels below the university have cancelled the Bible reading course, and even the Confucian classics in the university are already documents of China literature and China history, which are completely "non-scholastic" and as much. As a result, the Confucian communication system, which was established on the basis of the election system such as Chaju and Imperial Examination and operated for more than a thousand years, was finally interrupted by the abolition of the official selection system and the establishment of new education.
Although the history of China in Cambridge in the late Qing Dynasty was skeptical about whether the educational content really changed after the abolition of the imperial examination. [9] The main reason he relies on is that (1) it is difficult to find qualified teachers. For example, 1909, 84% of teachers who teach primary schools have traditional fame, and they will inevitably follow the traditional old curriculum. (2) Almost all private schools are run by gentlemen. (3) Keep as many old things as possible in the system. For example, the corresponding fame awarded after graduation and the incentives for international students can obviously treat this continuity.
We can't deny the importance of these reasons, such as the curriculum and content of the new schools listed above, and the possible changes in specific operations due to the problems of teachers and funds. Similarly, we should also face up to the power of habit, because many people still treat new education with the mentality of imperial examination. This can be proved by the fact that many students love law and politics. Moreover, the school curriculum can not meet the needs of society, so that society welcomes apprentices rather than students. But we can't deny that the abolition of the imperial examination and the establishment of new schools have created a brand-new education system.
With the establishment of an educational system imitating the West, the scientific knowledge introduced from the West has gradually become the core content of education, and has formed a "scientism" which has a great influence on China's modern thought, making the humanistic knowledge with Confucianism as the core increasingly pushed to the edge. In fact, when western learning is crowned as "new learning", we can vaguely feel that Confucianism has been regarded as "old learning" among new learners, which is no longer suitable for the needs of the times and it is difficult to undertake the task of protecting the country and species. As a representative of new learning, science has almost become a new superstition.
Under the influence of this atmosphere, the textbooks used in the new school were basically translated and adapted by foreign teachers, [10] and the teachers at that time also invited foreigners, mainly Japanese. With the use of these new textbooks, western knowledge of natural science and humanities and social sciences has been spread. Of course, western concepts such as geography, equality between men and women, evolution and democracy have also penetrated into the new inner world, while China's local knowledge seems irrelevant. [1 1] As Hu Shi recalled his childhood study and life, he said, "Twenty-five years ago, when I was in middle school in Shanghai, I often asked Japanese teachers to teach natural history, instrumental painting, trigonometry, analytic geometry and advanced algebra. In Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Wuchang, Chengdu, Guangzhou and other places, the science and engineering courses of government middle school teachers, even painting and handicrafts, are taught by the Japanese. Teachers from the YMCA or St. John's also teach foreign languages and foreign geography and history. I remember that the western history class in our school was originally a "general history of the world" written by an American under the pretext of "Peter Paley" in the early 9th century. At the beginning of the book, God created the world in seven days, and then he said "flood". At the end of the book, there are two pages about China, and there is a half-page picture, engraved with Confucius wearing a red tassel hat and dragging his pigtails! This is the status quo of China schools 25 years ago. " [ 12]
Even in primary schools in rural areas and market towns, on the one hand, the situation of teachers has changed due to the continuous graduation of new students, and at the same time, the old gentlemen have gradually changed their concepts through appropriate training, or began to accept new concepts. Yang Maochun's memories can be used as evidence. He said, "At that time (19 15), the county government set up public demonstration primary schools in every important or middle market town within its jurisdiction. Most of the school buildings are temples, ancestral halls or other public and private houses that are not used in the town. Managers (or principals) are gentry and directors elected by local people. Teachers are hired or appointed by the county government. Teachers' academic qualifications are mostly graduates of provincial normal schools, aged between 25 and 35. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were also many scholars under the imperial examination system, and then they studied in county or provincial normal workshops for two years. Most of these teachers are about fifty years old. The courses in model primary schools are all new, including Chinese, arithmetic and natural history (or common sense? ), cultivation, work, music, gymnastics. Chinese and arithmetic are the most important subjects, with the most teaching hours. The second is cultivation. Young teachers also pay attention to music. Teachers with strong patriotic feelings also use gymnastics classes to cultivate students' martial spirit and ask students to carry out military exercises to prevent them from joining the army and defending their country when they grow up. Because the Japanese-led powers attempted to carve up China at that time. " [ 13]
Where public education is beyond the reach, missionary schools begin to play a role. In the modern education system, the role of missionary schools deserves our full attention.
From the actual situation, the new education has cultivated the enemies of the old system and the deconstructionists of the old tradition. Only five years after the abolition of the imperial examination, the Qing government collapsed. Ten years later, the outbreak of the New Culture Movement, with the main purpose of thoroughly eliminating the remnants of Confucianism in China's ideas and making room for western ideas, completely changed the historical trend of China. Although I can't simply connect the collapse of the Confucian communication system with the development of China, Confucianism gradually lost its inherent dependence and became a state without foundation, which is the main reason for its "falling flowers and falling fruits" and "being unable to clean up".