The"Conceptual"Transformation of Modernization in Chinese Education:Yan Fu's Inquiry and Advancement
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century,facing the national crisis of extinction,Yan Fu,relying on the Western-originated social evolutionism and empirical scientific methodology,and based on a macro-comparison between Chinese and Western cultures,highlighted the importance of"strength,wisdom,and virtue"to enhance the quality of all citizens;advocated the adop-tion of"Western learning"and the transformation of the"habits of thought"of scholars and common people;and proposed breaking through the"Chinese essence and Western application"approach to achieve a synthesis of Chinese and Western cultures.He infused the concept of"saving the nation through education"with deeper connotations,exemplified the spirit of the times in educational transformation,and propelled the modernization of Chinese education towards a new stage of"conceptual"transformation.Although his inquiry seems to have avoided the crucial and dwelled on the trivial,the flaws do not obscure the virtues.Among them,the modernizing elements of the"three educations"model for human quality specifications;the emphasis on training in scientific methods and the cultivation of the scientific spirit;and the advocacy of extracting the essence from both the old and the new,and from both the East and the West,melting them into one,still have implications for today's educational reforms.
Yan Fu"Three Educations"for national salvationintegration of Chinese and Western culturesmodernization of Chi-nese education"conceptual"transformation
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