Rousseau’s Education Theories In China

The existence of a famous person and his thoughts depend on the readers’ reading and receiving, and constantly add new meaning to the thoughts and works, to make them being existing at that moment. Rousseau is recognized as one of the famous thinkers in the world which has great impact on us. And in the history of education, Rousseau also played an important role. Emile, The Republic and Democracy and Education, the three works were considered as treasures by the western scholars. Rousseau’s education theories not only had a great influence on the development of western education, but also promoted the development of education in China.Rousseau and his theories, were introduced into China in late Qing dynasty, and was more studied and considered as a philosopher, thinker, or statesmen. Before the1920s, Rousseau’s education theories did not cause so much attention. Compared to the research of his philosophy and political thoughts, the research of his education thoughts has long been in silence. After the1920s, with the increasing of the research of Rousseau, the major breakthrough of the material and the growth of the researcher, Rousseau’s education ideas were gaining more and more eyes and attention. In Republican period, Rousseau’s education theories, education thoughts promoted the education reform movement which began and prosperously developed in the New Culture Movement. During the political ideological period lasting from the foundation of PRC to1977, Rousseau was criticized for his subjective idealism and as a capitalism educator. And in the opening period, Rousseau’s education theories, education thoughts participated the movement of ideological liberation and had a great influence at that time. But in the period between the early1990s to now, Rousseau’s education theories, education thoughts have showed their significances in various aspects and promoted the intercourses and exchanges between western and Chinese education thoughts. This paper analyses more than a hundred years of reception of Rousseau’s education theories in China and shows the experiences we have gained and the price we have paid in those different periods of reception.