Cai Yuanpei Research Articles

Cai Yuanpei's Thought on Aesthetic Education and Its Implications for Aesthetic Education in Contemporary Chinese Families

The family is the smallest unit structure of the state and society, and it is the millions of families that make up a huge nation. The family is the first teacher of the child, and the education the child receives in the family will have an important influence on his growth and success. This paper starts from the study of Mr. Cai Yuanpei's thought on aesthetic education, analyzes the historical logic, basic connotation and significance of his thought, discusses the status quo and problems of family aesthetic education in contemporary China under the background of the country's comprehensive implementation of quality education, and puts forward the targeted measures for the promotion of the development of family aesthetic education in contemporary China by taking Mr. Cai's thought on aesthetic education as the guiding concept.

The Enlightenment of Cai Yuanpei’s Aesthetic Education to Personality Education

With the development of human society and the progress of science and technology, people’s cultural cognition has constantly strengthened. With people’s research and thinking, all kinds of cultural education came into being, aesthetic education, moral education, and sports, all play a significant role in people’s physical and mental development, among which the aesthetic education thought advocated by Cai Yuanpei has a great value as guidelines for the significance of personality education. It is of great importance to people’s physical and mental development.

When intellectuals educate: history and geography in the educational project for Chinese workers in France during World War One, 1916–1918

ABSTRACT Between 1916 and 1918, a group of Chinese intellectuals opened a school in Paris for Chinese workers who came to Europe in aid of the Allied cause. One of them, Cai Yuanpei, created a textbook based on lectures he gave at the school, which included chapters on moral and intellectual topics. This article focuses on two of these chapters – History and Geography – and situates them within the context of Chinese modern history, curricular and pedagogical debates in mainland China, and the history of textbook publication at the time. In doing so, I argue that Cai Yuanpei utilised these chapters to instil critical thinking skills among workers in a pedagogical move that, while consistent with contemporary discussions on the goals of education, was nevertheless unique in the context of other contemporary approaches to education.

Aesthetic Education and its Practical Significance in CAI Yuanpei's "Five Educations Simultaneously"

In 1912, Mr. CAI Yuanpei put forward the educational thought of "five education at the same time" in his "Opinions on Educational Policy", which focuses on the comprehensive and harmonious development of morality, intelligence, physique and beauty, which conforms to the changes of Chinese society and the trend of world development at that time, and has become the first educational guiding ideology in China's modern history. This paper takes the aesthetic education in the educational thought of "five education simultaneously" proposed by Mr. CAI Yuanpei as the research starting point, focuses on the definition, content and implementation path of contemporary "aesthetic education", and combined with the basic curriculum currently carried out in China's middle and high schools, to study and discuss its positive impact and shortcomings in practical implementation.

Cai Yuanpei’s Knowledge Taxonomy and the Divide Between Science and Metaphysics in Modern China

Cai Yuanpei was a renowned 20th century Chinese educator. He is best known for his role as the chancellor of Peking University and his belief in “inclusiveness and tolerance (jianrong bingbao).” This essay examines Cai Yuanpei’s knowledge taxonomy both in his early 20th century writings and in his academic policies as Chancellor of National Peking University (1917–1923). As chancellor, Cai made a conscious effort to recruit faculty members who aimed to bring about revolutionary changes to Chinese culture. While his original vision was to integrate scientific methodologies with the intuitive philosophies of xuanxue (玄学), the dominant trend in Chinese scholarship became heavily focused on science. This essay delves into Cai’s exposure to Japanese intellectual influences around 1900, and how it influenced Cai’s initial knowledge taxonomy and its connection to Cai’s definition of science disciplines in modern Chinese education. Cai’s view toward science and philosophy evolved from an emphasis on a continuum between the two in the early 1900s to their separation, as science gained momentum and philosophy became increasingly subordinate to science. The essay shows how Cai’s efforts to create a modern educational system in China where science would be balanced with intuitive learning played out to a predominance of science in Chinese learning.

A PROBE INTO THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN CHINESE PAINTING

This article mainly explores the social culture and era background of the development of Chinese painting in the early 20th century. By collecting relevant documents and materials, it systematically analyzes the background from the special social ideology of China under the thick smoke to the May Fourth New Cultural Movement. With the birth of, the spread of progressive ideas and culture, the new art appeared on the historical stage as a revolutionary. And emphatically analyzed Cai Yuanpei's aesthetic education thought to play a pioneering role in the development of Chinese modern painting education, and laid the foundation for improving the overall artistic and cultural quality of the people.

Leaders and Universities - Revelations of Charismatic Presidents

Contemporary China is the China of reform, and without reform, the development and prosperity of well-established institutions, politics, and culture will be impossible. Universities, as critical institutions that teach, educate, and lead society, require continuous reform in the face of fierce international competition and the relentless push of multicultural waves. In retrospect, a university’s success is inextricably linked to its “famous teachers” and “famous presidents.” While the direction of development varies by university and the reforms implemented by university presidents vary as well, there are some commonalities in presidents’ leadership models that can be learned. The purpose of this paper is to examine the similarities between the charismatic figures represented by Cai Yuanpei and the significant role they played in the reform and development of universities, in order to provide useful inspiration for the reform of contemporary university presidents.

신문화 운동기 중국 지식인의 종교논쟁

This paper is to synthetically understand the analysis of intellects’ perception on religious studies and Christianity during the New Culture Movement which became the theoretical basement of the 1920’s anti-Christianity movement. As the revival of Confucianism during Yuan Shikai’s reign became active, opposition from Christianity and other religious circles immediately intensified. Students and intellects baptized from western sciences and thoughts refused Confucianism as state religion and claimed anti-religion. Through New Youths, Young China, Life, and so on, religious debates of the period can be grasped.BR Marxists defined religions as fantasies of future world and as opium of suppressed people, and asserted abolishment of them. Anarchists perceived religions as a kind of authoritative systems, and discerned that they infringed sciences and disturbed free developments of individual human beings. Scientism advocated that as all kinds of phenomena and problems among mankinds and in societies could be resolved within sciences, sciences should replace religions. Such anti-religious trends arose from opposition against Confucianism as state religion, and rapidly spread out within the upsurge of nationalism and anti-imperialism. BR Regarding religions, Liang Qichao and Cai Yuanpei Chen Duxiu differed in their opinions by pros and cons, but were same in the point in which they understood religions as productions of emotions. Cai Yuanpei, the naysayer, separated religions from the boundaries of morals and education, and replaced them with aesthetic education. Chen Duxiu recognized the greatness and existence of Jesus from the emotional perspective excluding the sacred, and cultivated deep-seated affection by himself. Liu Boming Liang Shumíng Tu Xiaoshi who were friendly toward religions claimed that the essence of religions as a transcendental inner tendency is placed in each individual’s mind, and that it ought to be cultivated and guided. At the same time, they saw that a religion can be a competence maintaining social orders and cultural spirits. For the result from the fact that western science and ration overwhelmed hereditary Confucian tradition, the assertion that science should replace religion became fierce. Hu Shi with a strong atheistic tendency admired Jesus, but he respected merely his personality and achievements, and Christianity was not his religion. Chen Duxiu also fiercely criticized the Confucian tradition, saying that Jesus

Translation as Conversion: Richard Wilhelm’s Bekehrung and the Bekehrter

Translation as Conversion: Richard Wilhelm’s <i>Bekehrung</i> and the <i>Bekehrter</i>

Cai Yuanpei’s Vision of Aesthetic Education and His Legacy in Modern China

Cai Yuanpei is widely understood to have been a traditionally educated Chinese scholar who then turned his attention to Western philosophy. He is known to have played a central role in the development of Republican educational philosophies and institutions, with a legacy that continues to inform education in China. Studies tend to interpret Cai Yuanpei’s approach to aesthetic education in light of his educational experience in Germany, regarding him as a Kantian scholar. However, the Confucian roots of his aesthetic education seldom draw scholarly attention. To fill the gap, this article examines Cai’s vision of aesthetic education based on both his academic background in the East and his knowledge of Western philosophy and maps out his influence on and legacy in aesthetic education in China. It argues that Cai’s vision of aesthetic education has influenced modern Chinese education in three main ways: by bridging the gap between moral education and aesthetic education to nurture citizenship, by encouraging aesthetic education for whole-person development, and by adopting an interdisciplinary approach to school aesthetic education. The article concludes by reflecting on the enduring value of Cai’s vision of aesthetic education to modern Chinese education.

Art education in China in the XX century: national traits, international trends, and Russian influence (on the example of the Central Academy of Fine Arts)

The Central Academy of Fine Arts is the only higher education institution of fine arts under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. The history of the National Art School in Beiping dates back to the establishment of the National School of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1918, which was supported by the prominent pedagogue of art and its first director Cai Yuanpei. It was the first national school in the history of China, laid the foundation for the modern Chinese education in the field of fine arts. This article is dedicated to the analysis of the key events of more than a century-long history of the school, which allows tracings the evolution of the Chinese art education, and gives a better perspective on the role of modern China in the art world. The novelty of this work lies consists in description of the process of establishment of art education in China in the XX century, classification of the national traits of this period on the example of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, as well as analysis of the Soviet impact upon the Chinese education in the field of art history. The international cooperation with the Russian School of Painting, namely I. E. Repin Academy of Fine Arts had a beneficial impact. The study of Chinese students in the USSR allowed the following generations to implement such valuable experience. The ancient techniques and plotline received a new life in the works of modern artists, which are justifiably regarded as the achievement and progress in the national culture.

근대 중국 미술 개념과 문학의 조우 및 소통 시탐(試探)

This study aims to shed light on the concept and value perception of modern Chinese art, and to re-examine it from the overall perspective of literary theory. Specifically, this study is based on trends and perceptions of modern art concepts in East Asia, encounters in contemporary Chinese art and literature, and communication between modern Chinese art concepts and essentialism of literature: The process was divided into three parts, from the utilitarian value of art to the acquisition of independent status in literature. First, the trends and perceptions of East Asian modern art concepts were examined. In the case of Japan, it can be seen that utilitarian values are perceived to promote national policy in the trend of modernization. In terms of China, Kang Youwei(康有爲) insisted that “the social function of art and artists should be emphasized, and national education and nationality reconstruction should be carried out together.” Cai Yuanpei(蔡 元培) emphasized the universality and transcendence of beauty. Since the 1900's, it has been discussed in Liang Qichao(梁啓超), Wang Guowei(王國維) and Lu Xun(魯迅). The fact that the concept of beauty or art mentioned in Chinese modern literary literature is connected with Western and Japanese modern times serves as a clue to the formation of Chinese modern literary discourse. Therefore, as a first step of the study, this study examined the concept of Japanese art, the accepting aspect of China, and the trend of modern Chinese art. Second, the encounter between modern Chinese art and literature was examined. If the use of the term art mentioned in literary literature is largely focused on utilitarian aspects, Wang Guowei disagrees with the discussions of the time. He considered “fiction belongs to the category of art,” and he considered “the best of Chinese poems, plays, and novels.” Huang Ren(黃人) also said that “fiction is one of the aesthetically oriented literatures,” which is the beginning of the encounter between beauty and literature. Zhou Zuoren(周作人) also recognized that the novel was clearly a sentence and a work of art. Guan Daru(管達如) and Lu Simian(呂思勉) then systematically organized the theory of the novel in general. In particular, Guan Daru attempts to position each of literature, art and fiction on the premise that “literature is a kind of art, fiction is also a kind of literature.” In short, as art begins to be discussed with literature, journalists link “beauty and literature” and “beauty and novels.” And with the understanding of literature in general, the position between art, literature and fiction becomes clearer. Third, this study examined the process from granting utilitarian value of art to acquiring independent status of literature, focusing on communication between modern Chinese art concept and literary essentialism. Xia Ren(俠人) talks about the ratio of fiction between fiction and history, emphasizing the creation of fictional realms and focusing on the essential characteristics of fiction. In other words, the literary value of the novel is highlighted. In addition, he pays attention to the utility values and literary characteristics of novels and moves his eyes to the aesthetic values of novels. Huang Ren paid attention to the useful value of the novel based on an aesthetic angle. Wang Guowei, on the other hand, strongly argues that if philosophy and art are the means of morality and politics, then the work is ultimately worthless. This claim completely overcomes the view of traditional Chinese literature and emphasizes the true independence of literature. Lu Simian systematized theories of novel creation based on the recognition that novels are artistic creations. In particular, the point of meaningfully discussing the fictional novels by dividing the novels is that they also pay attention to the value of literature itself.

Aesthetics, Morality, and the Modern Community: Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei, and Lu Xun

AbstractIn Mao’s era, China’s policy makers and intellectuals viewed aesthetic experience and thought as handmaidens in the service of the political order. As China opened up and engaged more inten...

채원배(蔡元培)의 미육이론(美育理論)에 나타난 디자인조형관에 관한 연구

본 연구는 중국의 근대화과정에서 현대적 의미의 디자인개념을 제시한 채원배의 미육이론에 나타난 디자인조형관을 파악하는데 목적이 있다. 채원배의 미육이론은 미학이론의 실천사상으로 실용미술을 강조하였고, 일상생활과 밀접한 관계를 갖는 예술의 사회화를 주장하였다. 채원배의 미육이론에 나타난 디자인조형관은 서구에서 시작된 현대적 개념의 디자인사상인 윌리엄모리스의 ‘예술의 민주화사상’과 맥을 같이하고 있다. 채원배는 정치, 문학, 철학, 미학 등 다양한 분야에서 업적을 남겼으나 채원배의 디자인조형관을 파악하기 위해서 채원배의 미학사상을 정리한 교육사상인 미육이론을 연구의 범위로 하여, 선행연구 및 관련 서적에 나타난 디자인조형관을 분석하였다. 연구결과 채원배의 미육이론에 담긴 디자인조형관은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 신시대의 예술은 모든 사람이 아름다움을 공유해야 한다는 예술의 공리성(功利性)을 주장하였다. 또한 실용미술과 일상생활에서의 역할을 강조하면서 미의 초월성을 근간으로 예술의 민주화사상을 실천에 옮겼다. 둘째, 채원배는 미의 보편성에 따른 ‘미의 공유’를 주장하며 예술의 공공성에 대한 문제를 제기하고 있다. 셋째, 채원배는 예술과 사회와의 관계에서 예술은 사회를 변화시키는 수단으로 사회와 밀접한 관계가 있음을 이야기 하였다. 또한 실용미술은 일상생활과 긴밀한 관계에 있기 때문에 ‘실용미술은 계몽의 도구’로서 역할을 한다 하며 미의 사회성과 예술의 계몽성을 주장하였다. 이러한 채원배의 미육이론에 나타난 디자인조형관은 결국 디자인이론의 근간을 이루는 디자인사상으로 오늘날 중국의 디자인사상에 많은 영향을 끼쳤다고 볼 수 있다.

Early Exploration and Practice of Professional Music Education during China's Modern Period 1912-1919

Cai Yuanpei, the frst Minister of Education, attached great importance to aesthetic education, which was a key part of the new aims developed under his guidance. It was Cai's focus on aesthetic and education that Beijing University Music Research Society and National Beijing Girls' Higher Normal School and the like began to explore and practice the modern Chinese professional music education.

From the government to the university: Efforts to write national history in the early Republic

ABSTRACTFrom the controversies surrounding the National History Bureau in the early Republic to the short-lived National Historiography Office at Peking University, the traditional undertaking of writing dynastic history experienced many crises during the transformative Republican era. The National History Bureau was merged with Peking University as part of Cai Yuanpei’s efforts to separate the field of national historiography from the government and shift it toward universities, as well as his efforts to further reform the university system. In comparing the staff members and aims of the National History Bureau and the National Historiography Office of Peking University, the latter clearly represented an update in terms of concepts and methods. The purpose of the History Bureau’s shift from “dynastic” to “popular” history, which apparently intentionally imitated the German academic system, was to render national historiography and other related research independent of the government, cast off the traditional moral burden of “condemning evildoers and praising the virtuous,” and gradually move forward on the path of specialization for national historiography within the university system. The National Historiography Office’s various editing plans amply demonstrate this tendency. The many winding detours that the “national history” efforts took between dynastic and popular history both expressed the entanglement of new and old ideas within academic circles, and revealed the contemporary struggle between the government and universities.

The Study on Discourse of General Education in contemporary China

The beginning of modern educational system in China, was regarded Hundred Days" Reform in 1898 related foundation of modern university as a starting point. The modern and contemporary China, had been faced with the most endangered era: in the major significance of this crisis, was a kind of impact or shock from aggression by the Western imperialism. Especially in academy and culture, there was tension in the air as though something was going to happen. In national crisis, discourse of general education in Modern China should be focused on more pragmatical parts, not on the traditional cultivation of the mind or whole-rounded education. The most distinctive characteristics of education discourse in modern China was enlightenment and esthetics education from consciousness of crisis. The both seems to be different and oppositive, but intrinsically have many things in common. In this age, there were representative thinkers, Liang Qi-chao and Cai Yuan-pei, who played a crucial role in modern transformation of Chinese education. This paper is tried to examine the discourse of general education in modern and contemporary China, especially from these two thinkers" view and thought. The definitions of general education(or liberal education) is about humanities and education of humanism which is different from specialism. The discourse of education from the early years in 1900"s to establishment of New China in 1949, was about contemporary general education that mainly focused on elite education by study of chinese culture and heritage and socialism.

CAI Yuan-pei’s Cultural Personality and the New Culture in the Early Years of the Republic of China

CAI Yuan-pei’s Cultural Personality and the New Culture in the Early Years of the Republic of China

Aesthetic utilitarianism: heritage of modern Chinese aesthetics

The first half of the twentieth century saw the great work done by Chinese aestheticians, such as Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei and Zhu Guangqian, who dedicated themselves to the introduction of modern Western philosophical and aesthetic theories into the country, and to the ingenious inheritance of ancient Chinese traditions. The purpose of such endeavors was twofold: to reconstruct the Chinese ideology and culture, and to enlighten the mind and soul of the public. The direct consequence of such intellectual activities was the creation of “aesthetic utilitarianism” (审美功利主义), a theoretical framework that was neither a replica of the modern Western aestheticism nor a mimic of traditional Chinese political and moral utilitarianism. Instead, this theory, resulted from a seemingly “misreading” of the Western proposition of “aesthetic disinterestedness” in its application to the particular context of China at the time, propagated the innovative notion of “usefulness through uselessness” (无用之用). Its kernel was to cultivate the enlightenment potential of aesthetic disinterestedness, maximize the utilitarian functions of aesthetic appreciation, and, in the process, achieve the goal of refining morality, purifying sentiment, and salvaging life. Thus “usefulness through uselessness” provided a unique dialogic solution to seemingly oppositional conceptual frames of aesthetic disinterestedness and utilitarianism, and came to be an indispensable part of modern Chinese aesthetic traditions. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of this theoretical construct will not only be conducive to grasping localized characteristics of Chinese aesthetic principles and literary contemplations of the time, but also help gain a panoramic vision of modern Chinese aesthetic studies as a whole.

『蔡元培日記』에 나타난 한국 인식

『蔡元培日記』에 나타난 한국 인식