Christianity's Influence to Early Chinese Education
Blind fellow citizens suffer.
What is the enlightening medicine?
Commoners’ education.
National Christian Council of China
Shanghai Yuanmingyuan Road Number 23
Printed by Shanghai Guomin Printing Press
Foreign influence on Chinese education is mainly expressed through two channels: foreigners who run church schools in China and Chinese to receive Western education through studying abroad.
Missionary education in China dates back to 1818 when British missionaries opened schools in Malacca for the children of overseas Chinese. Beginning in the 1840s, church schools were protected by a series of “unequal treaties” signed by the Chinese government with Western powers. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the number of church schools steadily increased due to missionaries’ growing interest in education and Western countries’ growing presence in China. It can be said that, in many ways, church schools were the catalyst for educational reform in modern China.
Then, China’s self-improvement movement had sparked a wave of enthusiasm across the country. This reform began in the 1860s as part of the Western Affairs Movement. In the eyes of the Chinese court in Beijing, there was an urgent need to understand Western culture and Westerners. In 1903, the Imperial Government issued the Outline of Academic Affairs, establishing an educational system that imitated the Japanese, who had successfully copied the Western system.
Top Chart: China
Words on black background: non-literate
Words on white background: literate
Bottom chart: Japan
Words on black background: literate
Words on white background: non-literate
National Christian Council of China Shanghai Yuanmingyuan Road Number 23
Printed by Shanghai Guomin Printing Press
Please start literacy class for church members
From right to left:
(1) Would you like church members to be enthusiastic Christians?
(2) Would you like church members to be good citizens?
(3) Would you like church members in villages to be progressive farmers?
(4) Would you like both male and female church members to be smart parents?
(5) Would you like both old and young church members to be healthy and happy people?
(6) Would you like the church to be a church where everyone could read and understand the bible?
(7) Would you like the church to be a church where everyone could sing and praise?
(8) Would you like the church to be the center of society?
(9) Would you like the church to be a church that helps the government popularize education?
(10) Would you like the church to be a church where the youth and the adult could cooperate?
Bottom:
Published and printed by National Christian Council of China
Shanghai Yuanmingyuan Road Number 23
During the ten years of Kuomintang (Nationalists) rule (1928-1937), Chinese education underwent a shift from the early learning Japanese Meiji Restoration model to the American model. It partly due to the return of students from the West, especially the United States, and partly due to the deterioration of relations between China and Japan. China began to emulate the U.S. public school system in 1922 and adopted American textbooks in its education system.
In addition to the help of American universities and colleges, American missionary colleges in China have also played an essential role in Americanizing the Chinese education system. Academically, they have pioneered a relatively comprehensive science, technology, and medical curriculum. By the 1930s, there were 16 Christian universities in China. Three of them were sponsored by Catholic missions, and 13 of them were sponsored by Protestants.
These posters help flesh out the period. Carry out surveys and statistics on churches throughout the country, including the spread of the gospel and medicine, education, literary publication, and theological education of the church. According to the Shanghai Religious Chronicle, Part V Christian records, these publishing organizations are affiliated with the National Christian Council of China. The National Christian Council of China is a cooperative organization jointly established by some denominational Christian churches and cross-denominational Christian groups, and its predecessor was the Christian Continuation Committee. Founded in the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), American missionaries established a national cooperative organization composed of Chinese and Western members to carry out missionary work in China.
Sixteen associations and six church groups participate in the Association, including the National Association of the Chinese YMCA and the National Association of the Chinese Young Women’s Christian Association, in the poster.
The daily work of the Association includes evangelistic ministry, church women’s ministry, rural church ministry, publishing holy books and newspapers, gospel readings, organizing Christian families, literacy campaigns, anti-drug campaigns, and abolition campaigns. Each of them permeated every aspect of ordinary people’s lives.
Top right: How the expenses in a worker’s household are distributed
Bottom, from left to right: 56% (food), 9% (clothes), 10% (rent), 8% (fuel and light), 17% (education, medicine, entertainment, other)
Children’s Health
Lower right, on the towel: Jin (or gold)
Illustrated by the Editorial Experimental Section, Department of Religious Education, Jinling Seminary, Nanjing; Validated by the National Chinese Christian Association for the Promotion of Religious Education; Published by the Christian Literature Society, 128 Buwuyuan Rd., Shanghai
Neighborhood Sunday School Lessons Pictures
On the right side: The Four-Education Movement for Juniors, Tianjin YMCA
On the bridge: Robust Personality
Pillars holding up bridge: Morality, Intelligence, Physical, Collectivity
Bottom left: Group competitions – singing competition, debate competition, basketball shooting competition, tug-of-war competition. Each school its own unit.
School Individual competitions: essay competition, calligraphy competition, indoor sports competition, speech competition, all individuals 12 to 20-year-olds can participate
All welcome!!! Please sign up!!!
Date – June 4th to 11th
Deadline for registration: June 3rd.
Please ask the Academic Affairs Office or the Youth Association at your school for detailed information.
Bibliography
1. World Education Encyclopedia, a survey of educational systems worldwide. Gale Group. Second Edition. ISBN 0-7876-5578-3 (Volume One). China.
2.Shanghai Religious Chronicle(上海地方誌）. Shanghai local history office.
