Research On The Scientific Content Of The Shanghai Polytechnic Prize Essay Contest

The Shanghai Polytechnic Institution格致书院was the most characteristic of the late Qing Dynasty's Colleges, and an important base of the dissemination of science and technology as well."The Shanghai Polytechnic Prize Essay Contest"格致书院课艺was one of the most important activities of the institution. The existing now is the compilation of the winners'essays in the prize contest which was organized by the college during years 1886-1894. In this paper, the scientific content of"the Shanghai Polytechnic Prize Essay Contest"is the major object for research, through history and bibliography method, in order to study in depth essay contest's role of science communication in the late Qing dynasty. The main contents of the full text are as follows:Introduction briefly introduces the research background and academic value of this subject, and reviews the research results of"The Shanghai Polytechnic Prize Essay Contest". On this basis, four aspects are proposed for the research on this subject. Chapter I, "Background Analysis", which is an overview of the spread of Western learning西学in China before the essay contest, the foundation of the College and the implementing process of the essay contest.Chapter II, "the Overall Understanding of Western learning", which expounds the early awareness of the western knowledge as gezhi格致,as well as the comparison with the original concept of gezhi. The saying that Western learning was from China played a media role in recepting the western knowledge. At last, it introduces the public's cognition of the system architecture of modern science.Chapter III, "an analysis of typical science essays." According to relations between every specific science, the content are divided into three categories of astronomy and geography, physics and chemistry, medicine for analysis, which is focused on measuring and drawing using western methods, the naming of the chemical elements, sound, heat, light, electricity measurement, the comparison of Chinese and Western medicine etc.Chapter IV, "the Essay Contest and the Spread of Western learning." The content, propositions, and the participants of the essay contest all reflected the profound impacts of the Westernization Movement洋务运 动. The essay contest provided the talent basic for the Restoration Reform维新变法, promoted Restoration party's improvement to the science and technology policy of Westernization Group, and played a role in Imperial Examination Reform科举改革at the end of the Qing Dynasty.Conclusion sums up The Shanghai Polytechnic Prize Essay Contest's role in science communication in the late Qing dynasty, and proposes innovative points of this article.