Current affairs school

Current affairs school

Shiwu school was the first new school set up by the reformers during the reform movement of 1898 in the late Qing Dynasty. In January 1897, Wang Xianqian, the head of Yuelu Academy, formally filed the case, and Chen Baozhen, the governor of Hunan, approved the establishment in Changsha. After the failure of the reform movement of 1898, Shiwu school was renamed as Qiushi academy and Hunan Provincial Capital University. In 1903, Hunan Provincial University merged with the reformed Yuelu Academy to form Hunan University, which was officially named Hunan University in 1926.

Historical evolution

Shiwu school was the first modern school founded in Hunan during the reform movement in the late Qing Dynasty. It marks the transformation of Hunan Education from the old academy system to the new school system, and is also the beginning of Hunan modern education.

In 1895, Chen Baozhen was appointed governor of Hunan Province. Taking "reform and innovation" as his own duty, he promoted the new deal and achieved remarkable results. In January 1897, Wang Xianqian, the head of Yuelu Academy, formally reported to Governor Chen Baozhen for approval. Xiong Xiling and others asked Liu Kun, the governor of Liangjiang, to raise the price of salt and silver by 7000 Liang. Therefore, it was built in Xiaodong street of Changsha.

In August 1897, the origin of Hunan current affairs school was published, which clarified the purpose of establishing schools and training reform talents. Soon after, Chen Baozhen, the governor of Hunan Province, issued the "recruitment notice of current affairs school", announcing that "this year, it is agreed to rent the Hengqing examination hall temporarily, hire Chinese and Western learning teachers, start school on a selective date, and recruit 60 students first.". Huang Zunxian and Xiong Xiling were appointed to be responsible for the preparation of the school, and Xiong Xiling was appointed as the president to preside over all administrative affairs. Liang Qichao and Li Weige are invited to be the chief teachers of Chinese and Western languages respectively. On August 28, 40 students were admitted for the first time. The school starts in September.

In 1898, the reform movement of 1898 failed, and the current affairs school was forced to close down. In February 1899, Shiwu Academy was changed into Qiushi Academy. In 1902, Qiushi Academy was renamed Hunan Provincial University. In 1903, the City University of Hunan Province merged with the reformed Yuelu Academy, and Hunan University was established at the former site of the Academy. In 1926, it was officially named Hunan University.

School site

In 1922, when Liang Qichao visited Changsha again, he wrote "former site of Shiwu school". The former site of Shiwu school is located in Sangui street, Changsha.

When Shiwu school was founded, it rented a two-story house in Xiaodong Street (now Sangui Street) of Changsha. The original owner of the house was Liu Quanzhi, Minister of rites in Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty. In Guangxu period, it was owned by Zhou Guiwu, a Yiyang native (the family grandfather of historian Zhou Gucheng). After the closure of Shiwu school, the house on Xiaodong street was returned to its original owner. Later in the Zhou Dynasty, Guiwu's daughter-in-law rented the house to Yanmou, a native of Xiangtan, and set up the "Taiyu Hotel".

In 1922, Liang Qichao came to Changsha to give lectures and revisited the former site of Shiwu school. At the request of the hotel owner, he wrote "the former site of Shiwu school". In the "Wenxi fire" of the Anti Japanese War, the former site of Shiwu school was completely destroyed. In 1945, Chen Yunzhang (former honorary curator of Hunan culture and History Research Institute) bought the place and built three red brick buildings. Today, the buildings on the former site of Shiwu school are Chen Yunzhang's private house and other buildings. In recent years, Changsha municipal government intends to restore and rebuild the current affairs school here.

Hunan University, one of the predecessor of Shiwu academy, built a memorial Pavilion named "Shiwu Xuan" in Yuelu Academy with the help of alumni Luo Wuzi to commemorate Shiwu academy, and embedded the monument of "former site of Shiwu academy".

Education scale

teacher

President: Xiong Xiling

General teacher of Chinese: Liang Qichao

General teacher of Western Languages: Li Weige

Chinese Teaching: Tan Sitong, Tang Caichang, Han Wenju, ye Juemai, ou Junjia

Teaching Western languages separately: Wang Shi

Mathematics teaching and learning: Xu Kuiyuan

curriculum

Tang Zhijun said in his book the history of the reform movement of 1898

There are two kinds of studies in the school of current affairs: one is general studies, with four purposes: "one is the study of Confucian classics, the other is the study of philosophers, the third is axiomatic studies, and the fourth is the study of Chinese and foreign historical records.". The second is specialized learning, which has three purposes: "one is public law, the second is anecdote learning, and the third is gesuan learning.". Six months before admission, they will study general studies; six months later, they will recognize their own specialties, but they still have to study general studies at the same time. The books that students read include books they read and books they specialize in. When studying, the students should first study the spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang and Mencius repeatedly, and then choose the political and legal comparison between China and foreign countries to make them understand the purpose of the reform.

student

It took less than a year for the current affairs school to be established and closed down, and only three times. August 28, 1897, the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, enrolled 40 students for the first time. On the first day of March, 1898, the school of current affairs enrolled 30 students from internal courses, 18 students from external courses and 7 students from attached courses. In March, the third period students were enrolled, including 46 students from internal courses and 52 students from external courses, 10 from Beiyang. The total number of students admitted is only about 200, but a number of outstanding talents have been cultivated, most of them are in the first class of 40. Yang Shuda once commented: "in 1900, the battle of gengzi against the Qing Dynasty and the battle of the people's four overthrowing yuan were all done by the teachers and students of current affairs. It is rare that such a career could be achieved with a short-lived school."

Cai E: Governor of Yunnan, organizer and leader of the national defense war.

Yang Shuda: academician of Academia Sinica, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Fan Yuanlian: Director General of education of Beiyang government, first president of Beijing Normal University.

Fang Dingying: Acting President and chief educator of Huangpu Military Academy.

Li Fuji: the first doctor of physics in China.

Li binghuan, LIN Gui, Tian bangxuan, Cai Zhonghao, Tang Caizhi, Tang Caizhong: Martyrs of the independent army uprising.

School influence

Liang Qichao once said many times: "the coaxing of the old and the new started in Hunan and fluctuated in the capital." "Among the 18 provinces, Hunan's popularity is the most useful." "although Yuzai current affairs school has only been for half a year, it has got a lot of talented students. I went to Japan in desperation, and 11 people in a class of 40 went with me. It was only after the late Tang Dynasty that Mr. Tang often carried out the revolution in Hankou, and eight of the 11 people died." Mao Zedong also said: "if there is a school in Hunan, it should be the current affairs school in the spring of 1898. With a short life span, current affairs have cultivated a number of brave and promising young people. " The reform movement in Hunan started in 1895, which made Hunan the most vigorous Province in China at that time. It was also the prelude and practical basis of the reform movement of 1898. The establishment of the current affairs school was an important part of the reform movement in Hunan.

The current affairs school also played a great role in promoting the development of modern education in Hunan. It promoted the establishment of new schools and the reform of academy system in Hunan, and realized the transformation from traditional education to modern education.

Address: Sangui street, Zhongshan West Road, Kaifu District, Changsha City, Hunan Province

Longitude: 112.9721434

Latitude: 28.2021644

Chinese PinYin : Shi Wu Xue Tang