Search

Chinese educational tradition is intimately linked with the teachings of Confucius, who opened his own school in the state of Lu more than 2500 years ago. In the Confucian tradition, the primary task of education is to provide a positive environment for the moral development of the students, and to prevent their minds from being corrupted by the evil influence of their social environment. As all men have the potential for reaching moral perfection and becoming a "nobleman" (junzi), education is ideally for everyone regardless of social class, and it continues as a life-lo…

1. The School System before 1949 In late imperial China, before the first modernizing reforms, basic education was provided by local society rather than by the state. Boys started their training at home under a private tutor, or in a school. Sponsored by their family, lineage, or local community. Students advanced, at their own individual pace, through a standard set of elementary readers such as the Sanzijing (Three Character Classic), the Qianziwen (Thousand Character Text), and the Baijiaxing (Hundred Family Names), and, when they had acquired basic literacy through thes…