| During Ming and Qing dynasties, academies of classical learning spring up in large numbers in Anhui and a lot of talents were produced therein. Higher education was so advanced that it could be said to have achieved a top-ranked level nationwide. But since entering modern times, the development of higher education in Anhui had been far from satisfactory. At the end of Qing dynasty it still managed to keep up with the development of higher education nationwide, but during the rule of Northern Warlords Government and Republic of China Government, it had fallen below the average level nationwide. This paper, adopting the world view and methodology of historical and dialectical materialism as its guidance, using Historical research method and literature method, carries out a research on the course of the development of higher education in Anhui in modern times and discusses the factors that retarded its progress.In 1898 the first modern state-owned institution of higher learning------Qiu Shi Academy, was established in Anqing, Anhui, which symbolizes the beginning of modern higher education in Anhui. The Revolution of 1911 triggered a revolution in Anqing in the same year, after which city declared independence and most of the higher education institutions in Anhui were closed down. This period is regarded as the one of the development of higher education in Anhui at the end of Qing dynasty. In 1898 Qiu Shi Academy was established, renamed in 1902 as Anhui Academy and again in 1904 as Anhui Higher College. The famous educator Yan Fu was engaged the director of the institution.During this period a series of higher education institutions had been established, including the Academy of Law and Politics, the Normal School and the Academy of Agriculture. All these developments keep up with the nationwide development of higher education at the same period. The main reasons, as observed by the author, are that during this period Anhui enjoyed political stability, and the government leading officials cared a lot about education and were enthusiastic about the development of education.From 1912 to 1927 China is under the rule of Northern Warlords Government. This period witnessed the chaotic warfare among warlords in Anhui, who set up roadblocks,levied taxes, embezzled educational funds and even closed down schools at will. The economic stagnation and political turbulence are mainly responsible for the terrible situation of higher education in Anhui during this period. It’s the struggle of the cultural elites of Anhui that saved the higher education of the province from total collapse.Anhui University was established in 1928 and These ten years witnessed the establishment and development of Anhui provincial college. During this period there was only one college in Anhui, and although the political situation was relatively stable and the economy is growing, the relationship between cultural elites and that between cultural elites and government were so intricate and complicated as seriously compromised the development of colleges in Anhui. In 1938, the director of the college responded inadequately to the occupation of Anqing by Japanese invaders, and the failure of provincial government and the provincial education department in performing their duties led to the dissolution of the college.Basing on the analysis the previous chapters, it could be seen that the economic factor,political factor and cultural factor each play a different role in the development of higher education in Anhui. Among the three the economic factor is the fundamental and macro-factor that has a bearing on the whole situation. If the economy prospers, the society would be rich enough to invest in education and donate money to education, and the government would also have access to financial resources so as to support the development of higher education institutions. As a result, the higher education would develop smoothly.The fundamental reason why modern higher education in Anhui developed slowly is that industry and commerce of Anhui as represented by Huizhou merchants hadn’t experience a favorable transition since the province entered into modern times and some Huizhou merchants chose to develop their business in other provinces. Also the natural disasters were so frequent at that time that the agricultural growth was seriously compromised.These explain why the economic development of Anhui in modern times can’t be comparable to that in Ming & Qing dynasties, when Anhui’s economy played a significant role nationwide. The retarded economic growth is the fundamental factor that hindered thedevelopment of higher education in modern times, a factor having a bearing on the overall situation. The politics is dynamic in that it changes along with the change of current political situation. The political stability, the basic attitude of government high officials towards higher education and the policies formulated by them accordingly, can determine within a short time the life and death of one or even a batch of higher education institutions.But this kind of influence can only be local and limited, in that it can only check, delay or promote the development of the overall higher education without changing its direction and governing rules, and it can never be so strong as to subvert the developmental trend of the overall higher education. During Ming & Qing dynasty and at the end of Qin Dynasty,Anhui was blessed with political stability, and the government had all the while been attaching great importance to higher education and taking various measures to promote its development. These explain why the higher education in Anhui had enjoyed smooth development during this period. During the rule of Northern Warlords Government, Anhui suffered from political chaos, and during the rule of Nanjing National Government, the governors had been removed from office very frequently, these explain why the higher education in Anhui developed very slowly in this period. Cultural factor played an important role in the development of the higher education in Anhui. When the political and economic situation was unfavorable, the cultural elites were capable of utilizing all kinds of relationships and coordinating them, so as to minimize the influence of negative factors and maximize that of the positive ones. Under certain circumstances the conflicts between cultural elites could also seriously compromise the development of higher education in Anhui. The majority of native elites of Anhui went out of the province and sought their own development on a nationwide platform, and they played a significant role in making preparations for the establishment of Anhui University, while the factional conflicts between various groups of scholars and schools brought about adverse effects on the development of higher education in Anhui. |
PDF Full Text Request