The Rise and Fall of Education in China

(Minghui.org) According to Shuowen Jiezi, a dictionary from China’s Han Dynasty, education means “Teaching a person to be good.”

One of Confucius’s followers, Xunzi, further explained, “[Through learning] one can accumulate kindness and cultivate virtue, gaining wisdom naturally toward a sage.”

The Origin of Education

Throughout China’s long history, schools had different names at different times. They were called xiao in the Xia Dynasty, xu in the Shang Dynasty, and xiang in the Zhou Dynasty. By the Han Dynasty, public (national, province or county, township-level) and private schools had been established. This system continued over time, and after the Song Dynasty private schools gained popularity, becoming the main educational form for the general public.

Confucius, often considered one of the greatest educators, was said to have over 3,000 students. He believed, “Everyone can be taught.” But it does not mean they should be taught the same way. Here is an example.

His student Zilu asked, “Should I act upon something once I hear it?”

“With father and elder brother still around, how can one act right after hearing about something?” replied Confucius.

Later another student, Ran You, asked the same question, “Should I act upon something once I hear it?”

“Yes, one should act when one hears something,” Confucius said.

Another student, Gongxi Hua, was confused, and wondered why two students received two different answers when they asked the same question. So he asked Confucius about it. Confucius explained, “Ran You is hesitant, so I needed to encourage him; Zilu is too assertive and I needed to slow him down.”

Learning is not a passive process. Confucius said, “Studying without reflection will cause confusion; reflection without studying will lead to danger.”

Learning is not limited to certain circumstances. Confucius explained, “When three people are walking, I should be able to learn from one of them. I will follow their strengths and I will learn from their shortcomings.”

Knowledge is not everything. The ancient sage Socrates, who lived in an era similar to that of Confucius, said virtue is also, or probably more, important. “A good man should not calculate his chances of living or dying. He should only ask himself whether he is doing right or wrong—whether his inner self is that of a good man or of an evil one,” he said.

“For my aim is to persuade you all, young and old alike, not to think about your lives or your properties, but first and foremost to care about your inner self,” he continued. “I tell you that wealth does not make you good within, but that from inner goodness comes wealth and every other benefit to man,” he said.

Education in the Eyes of Emperors

The importance of education has been highly emphasized throughout history. Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered the Five Confucian Classics to be updated for the general public to correct errors that occurred in history.

He also wrote a series of articles, known as Di Fan (Model for an Emperor), for his children, in which broad topics were discussed. “A king in a prosperous era pays attention to frugality. Despite wealth and power, he remains modest; despite wisdom and talents, he remains humble. He is not arrogant because of his high status, and he does not boast because of his high virtue,” wrote the Emperor.

Wu Jing, a Tang Dynasty historian, collected Emperor Taizong’s words as well as his dialogues with other officials and compiled Zhenguan Zhengyao (Political Essentials from the Reign of Zhenguan). “A gentleman’s words have weight—they are not trivial. Even an ordinary person could be disgraced if he makes an inappropriate remark and someone writes it down. If a king says something improper, how can the damage be compared to that of an ordinary person? I often bear this in mind,” the Emperor Taizong wrote in the book.

Emperors and officials across dynasties praised the book. One of them was Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, who not only followed the book closely, but also taught his children to do the same. Joachim Bouvet, a French missionary who visited Beijing during those years, witnessed this, and in his letter to King Louis XIV, he called Emperor Kangxi, “A declared Enemy of a Lazy and Idle Life, for he never goes to bed but very late, and rises early.”

Emperor Yongzheng, (who was a prince at the time) collected Emperor Kangxi’s words and compiled Tingxun Geyan (Family Precepts). “When there are no issues, we should still always be prepared and take preventive actions. Then there would be no real issues. When issues do arise, we should remain calm and undisturbed, then the issues will be gone,” Emperor Kangxi once remarked. “There was an ancient saying of ‘paying attention to details and acting decisively.’ This is how things should be handled.”

Education in the Republic of China

Such wisdom inspired generations of people, and dynasties for centuries, until the beginning of the last century.

Chiang Kai-shek, president of the Republic of China, also prioritized education even during the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). He repeatedly said, “Education during wartime should be similar to that during peace time.” The money allocated for education ranked second only to that allocated for the military while he was in power.

When filmmaker Sun Mingjing visited Xikang Province in 1939, he was surprised that the school buildings were better maintained than the county government compounds. A county head told him, “Our governor [Liu Wenhui] gave an order that, if the government buildings are maintained better than schools, the county heads would be executed.”

Because of the central government’s systematic efforts to encourage local officials, the Republic of China produced a large number of renowned scholars, and they were highly respected. When Hu Shih, president of Academia Sinica, passed away in Taiwan in 1962, about 300,000 people from all walks of life spontaneously joined his funeral procession. This shows the important role education played in society.

Tragedies and Lies of the Red Terror

The scenario was different in mainland China. Wu Han, a friend of Hu, tried to convince Hu back in 1949 to stay in Beijing and work for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But Hu said he would not return. “In the Soviet Union, there is bread but no freedom; in the United States, there are bread and freedom; when the CCP came, there is neither bread nor freedom,” Hu explained.

Wu did not believe this. He turned to the CCP and became a deputy mayor of Beijing in November 1949. When the Anti-Rightist Campaign started in June 1957, he also actively participated in and led the attack against many intellectuals starting in June.

But the ruthless nature of the CCP was beyond Wu’s expectation, and he soon became a victim himself. After the Cultural Revolution was launched in 1966, Wu was attacked almost every day. The stress led to his death in March 1969. His wife and daughter also died miserably.

Besides suppressing intellectuals and neglecting education, the CCP also fabricated countless lies to brainwash the general public, including children. Like Liu Wenhui, the governor mentioned above, his older brother Liu Wencai also emphasized education. In 1942, he spent most of his money and founded Wencai Middle School, the best school in Sichuan Province at the time. Unfortunately, these two brothers believed the CCP’s propaganda and welcomed the Party. In the end, both were ruthlessly attacked in political campaigns. Liu Wencai in particular was falsely depicted as one of the most notorious landlords in school textbooks for mistreating peasants.

The textbooks are also filled with lies, including at least one related to Karl Marx. In the story, Marx was said to have studied at the British Museum so often that a chair was reserved for him and his footprints were worn into the concrete floor beneath it. Many Chinese people who visited the Museum asked to see the chair and the footprints, only to be told that this story was fabricated. The staff explained that all visitors are treated equally, and Marx did not have a reserved seat. The carpet is often replaced, and is not worn out, let alone the floor underneath it.

The general public in China still did not know the facts. So day after day, and year after year, they continued to be immersed in the CCP’s lies and brainwashed by them. They are gradually moving away from the truth, and as time passes the moral decline spreads throughout society.

When an earthquake occurred in Sichuan Province in 2008, a large number of schools collapsed, and thousands of students were killed. In contrast, the government buildings remained largely intact, according to an NPR report titled “Parents Blame Chinese Officials for School Collapse.” This created a striking contrast to Governor Liu Wenhui’s order nearly 70 years earlier, which stated that government buildings cannot be constructed or maintained better than schools.

This is not totally surprising, since the CCP has always put the Party’s interests as a high priority. For example, a fire broke out during a cultural performance by students to welcome government officials in December 1994 at Karamay City, Xinjiang. The students were told, “Everyone must remain seated and let the officials exit first.”

As expected, all the government officials were able to evacuate safely. But, 323 people died, including 288 children.

Modern Age: A Distorted Education System

All of these problems under the CCP’s rule have contributed to the physical and mental health issues of the younger generation in China. According to an article from the Chinese Mental Health Association in June 2020, data shows that China may have the highest child suicide rate in the world.

Experts found that the actual number of suicides is often three to five times higher than published statistics. Based on this, the actual suicides could be as high as 600,000 per year.

Li Yuanhua, a former professor at Capital Normal University, said these problems are largely caused by the distorted education system. On the one hand, in a morally degenerated society, students live in an environment with all kinds of unhealthy distractions, and were not taught how to be good people; as a result, they do not have hope. On the other hand, they face intense pressure from parents, teachers, peers, and society, which leads to their mental breakdown.

So whose fault is it? It’s unfortunate that a civilization that’s thousands of years old has become what we see today. When the traditional values of modesty, kindness, and virtue are replaced by the CCP’s ideology (namely, class struggle, hatred, and brutality), the decline of education and society in general is inevitable.

One can still take a stance. When accomplished scholar Qian Mu decided to leave for Hong Kong in October 1949, his older brother Qian Jibo (also a historian) attempted to convince Qian Mu to stay in China and work for the CCP.

Qian Mu shook his head and asked, “Brother, you are good at language and history. From the Proclamation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army issued in April [to defeat Chiang and Kuomintang], did you see magnanimity and tolerance [in the CCP]?” Qian Jibo was silent.

What happened afterward was expected. In Hong Kong, Qian Mu co-founded New Asia College and enjoyed a successful career. Later he went to Taiwan and became a member of the Academia Sinica. Qian Jibo, on the other hand, died during the Anti-Rightist Campaign in 1959.

This is just one of the countless tragedies of believing in the CCP. When will the education in China get back on track? One may find the answer by reviewing the history discussed above.