Publications for children in late Qing China

Abstract

Traditional publications for Chinese children were based on core value and belief systems in Confucianism. After the First Opium War, foreign missionaries began to disseminate Western knowledge and religious beliefs within the Chinese society on a wider scale, reaching children through the avenue of education. At this time, however, most Chinese intellectuals held fast to their belief in traditional Chinese methods of education which emphasised the Confucian principles.

The loss of the Sino-Japanese War brought a realization within China that its society and education system were relatively backward when compared with those of Western powers. Chinese intellectuals became more aware of the necessity for an entire education reform which should start from the younger generations in an attempt to revitalize China. As a result of this realization, Chinese educators began to adopt the missionaries’ practice of using publications targeted specifically at children. From the mid-19th century onwards, these publications underwent a period of vigorous development in China.

Missionaries and Chinese intellectuals in the late Qing period had thus, between them, helped to prepare the ground for the modernization of China by educating the future generations to employ new ideas and values.

This historical survey aims to investigate the development of Chinese publications for children from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries, and offering a closer look at childhood education in China during this period. Some basic clarifications on the definition of children and the nature of books for children is given in the Introductory Chapter, and a brief account of the previous works and articles related to the study is also included. The main part of this thesis starts with a critical examination of the changes of the traditional Chinese primers for children education like Three Character Classic (《三字經》) under the influence of western ideas. Then it proceeds to an exploration of the emergence of modernized textbooks in Chapter Three with a critical appraisal of noted writers and publishers such as Wang Hengtong (Wang Hang-T’ong 王亨統) and the Commercial Press (商務印書館). Chapters Four to Seven present case studies of four children’s periodicals representing different parties of interest in the reform of children education, they are respectively the missionary publication The Child’s Paper (Xiaohai yuebao 《小孩月報》), The Children’s Educator (Mengxue bao《蒙學報》) published by the Chinese reformist, Enlightenment Pictorial (Qimeng huabao《啟蒙畫報》) published by enlightened Chinese intellectuals, and The Children’s World (Tongzi shijie 《童子世界》) published by the Chinese revolutionist. Chapter Eight attempts to reveal the nature of leisure readings and the development of children’s literature in late Qing China while the final Chapter provides conclusions and suggestions for further investigation.

By writing this thesis, I am committed to provide readers with a comprehensive and solid historical sketch of the development of children’s publication in a critical period of pre-modern China.