The Theory of Educational Cycles in China: Philosophy of the History of Chinese Education (Volume 1)

Author: Jiang Guojun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This book is not only a history of Chinese education but also a history of its rise and fall. From the perspective of "big history," it employs the tools of quantitative history to explore the cyclical development of ancient Chinese education, elucidates the long-term, structural factors that dominate its cyclical changes, and provides a grand yet innovative description of the history of Chinese education, offering a fresh perspective for understanding ancient Chinese education. The rise and fall of education influence the rise and fall of dynasties. Ancient Chinese education was fundamentally aimed at cultivating officials, requiring them to have a sense of responsibility for the world, the ability to stabilize the state, and a moral commitment to the well-being of the nation. As a result, periods of educational prosperity often saw the emergence of capable officials, political clarity, and what could be called a golden age. Ancient Chinese education emphasized the harmony of knowledge and power, but paid little attention to innovative education that fosters creativity. This made the educational thought of ancient China often inclusive, and the educational systems generally able to endure over time. However, at the same time, educational structures often had flaws, with excessive replication of the same model and insufficient innovation, making educational transformation difficult. The three developmental cycles of ancient Chinese education succeeded one another, spanning thousands of years, upholding the ideal of a harmonious balance between substance and form, and internal and external coherence. We may now be at the critical point of a new historical cycle, bearing the historical mission of reviving education. This book uses long-term theory and quantitative history methods to study the cyclical development of ancient Chinese education, proposes a new periodization method for the history of ancient Chinese education, analyzes the processes and reasons for the reconstruction and collapse of educational structures in each cycle, clarifies the internal logic and driving forces of the development of ancient Chinese education, and compares the similarities and differences between the cyclical development of Chinese and Western education.