Abstract
In 1903, the governor of Hubei Province, Fang Duan, established the first early childhood education (ECE) institution, named Hubei Kindergarten, inside the Yuemachang primary school in Wuhan, and hired three Japanese teachers, including Tono Michie who graduated from Tokyo Women’s Teachers College.
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Notes
- 1.
In mainland China, preschools are named “you er yuan” (幼儿园), which literally means “kindergarten” in Chinese, usually referring to full-day programs serving 3–6-year-old children with a focus on education and care.
- 2.
Translator’s note: this means in 1902 in Chinese chronology.
- 3.
Translator’s note: this means in 1903 in Chinese chronology.
- 4.
Translator’s note: this means in 1912 in Chinese chronology.
- 5.
Translator’s note: this means in 1913 in Chinese chronology.
- 6.
Translator’s note: this means in 1922 in Chinese chronology.
- 7.
Tao Xingzhi (1891–1946). After studying at Teachers College during 1916–1917, Tao returned home to become an influential exponent of modern education in China and one of the most renowned educators in Chinese history. He developed an original synthesis of Deweyan and Chinese approaches to progressive education based on a firsthand study and analysis of Chinese life and society. He was surprised to learn that the rate of urban illiteracy in China exceeded 70 %. This helped him decide to devote a major portion of his efforts to the mass literacy movement.—Translator’s note.
- 8.
Hu Shi (1891–1962). In 1910, Hu won a Boxer Indemnity Scholarship to enroll at Cornell and later studied with John Dewey in the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University. Upon his return to China in 1917, Hu Shi became a leader in the New Culture Movement. He was the primary organizer of Dewey's lecture series in China during 1919–1921 and served as professor of philosophy at Peking University in the 1920s. From 1938 to 1942, he served as ambassador to the USA. He became president of Peking University in 1946.
- 9.
Chang Poling (1876–1975). After studying at Teachers College in 1917–18, Chang returned to Tianjin where he founded Nan Kai University, serving as president from 1919 to 1948.
- 10.
Chen Heqin (1892–1982). After studying at Teachers College during 1917 and 1918, Chen returned to China to become the first modern Chinese theoretician of early childhood education. His work included promoting early childhood education opportunities and developing teacher training programs that emphasized child psychology, family education, and education for handicapped children.
- 11.
Translator’s note: Heqin Chen lived in South China, and Xuemen Zhang lived in North China, with their theories influencing the different regions, respectively.
- 12.
New China means the People’s Republic of China, which was founded in 1949—Translator’s note.
- 13.
Chinese proverb—Translator’s note.
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HUO, L. (2015). The Centennial Change from Imitation to Innovation: Early Childhood Education and Curriculum Reform in China. In: HUO, L., B. NEUMAN, S., NANAKIDA, A. (eds) Early Childhood Education in Three Cultures. New Frontiers of Educational Research. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44986-8_1
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