A Study On The Broadcasting Education During The Republic Of China Period (1928-1949)

After the introduction of radio technology in China, the mass media such as Shen Paper, The Eastern Miscellany, Morning Paper, Ta Kung Pao, Binjiang Times, Big North Newspaper, actively promoted and spread the information across the country, which made it enter into the world of the public. The Yearbook of KMT’s Central Executive Committee Broadcasting Station is the first professional book about broadcasting in China. With the development of radio technology, the earliest broadcasting station and audience group appeared in succession in Shanghai and Northwest China. After the establishment of Central Broadcasting Station, it began to carry out broadcasting programs across the country. Although those programs have shown some initiative characteristics of educational broadcasting, they are not organized due to the inflexible timetable, imperfect broadcasting materials. All levels of radio stations also begin to pay attention to conducting education through broadcasting. With the development of radio stations and people’s acceptance about the positive role that it plays in education, educational programs begin to increase. Educational radio stations such as Jiangsu Educational Institution Radio Station and Beijing Yuying Radio Station were established. Since then, the Central Radio Station and local stations take on the responsibility of teaching the earliest talents. The Central Radio Station opened three phases of training courses, which paved the way for later improvement.The partial development laid the foundation for the country-wide development later, and the increasing of radio stations, the wide-use of radios provide the material platform for the educational broadcasting. Besides, broadcasting has played a very important role in promoting culture and spreading education. In1935, the Ministry of Education took some measures to popularize formal broadcasting education. It followed a good developing path until the breakout of the Anti-Japanese War in1937.The war put the development of broadcasting into a stop, because many newly-established radio stations and radios were destroyed, and the material foundation suffered a lot. Meanwhile, Chinese government’s moving to the western areas brought valuable chances to those places. After the war was over, broadcasting regained people’s attention and support, and the infrastructures began to get repaifed. Broadcasting programs also experienced modification, with the enrichment in territorial scope and the nature of management.However, the development of broadcasting education began to be in downturn when the War of Liberation broke out. Later, personnel training programs were carried out with the central government as the primary, local institutions as the secondary. Besides, schools, the KMT, the Public Education Museum arranged professionals to give lectures, and the Ministry of Education, the Central Broadcasting Nation, and local broadcasting stations organized the training programs.Since the popularization and development of broadcasting education cannot be separated from relative policies and regulations, the Ministry of Education and the KET government released policies in personnel training, implementation measures, program improvement and so on, in order to provide guidance to broadcasting education. During the Republic of China period, audio-video education publications came into the market, such as Broadcasting Weekly, Broadcasting Education Issue, Audio-video Education, Films and Broadcasting and so on. The Ministry of Education also published a volume of Broadcasting Education Series. It is well known that broadcasting stations and radio equipments are the infrastructures of the development of broadcasting, as well as the basic conditions of broadcasting education, so the maturity degree and technology content also play an important role.Zhenjiang Public Education Museum carried out programs such as Positioning Broadcasting Teaching and Touring Broadcasting Teaching, which were well accepted by the public. Later, schools on the air were established, and the systematic public education began to take shape through broadcasting. The popularization of education through broadcasting also promoted the all-round development of middle school students. During the period, colleges and universities were the supporting institutions of promoting public education through broadcasting in local level, so they have played a vital and active role. Many instructors were college teachers, and quite a number of universities have set relative majors to train professionals of broadcasting.Absorbing the advanced educational thoughts and technology of foreign countries and based on the status quo of China, Tao Xingzhi used broadcasting education to summon the Chinese people and inspire their patriotism to fight with the Japanese. Chen Lijiang actively promoted the application of the advanced educational technology, and made great contribution to the spreading of broadcasting education both theoretically and-practically. During the starting stage, Zhao Yuanren initiated effective and meaningful try-outs, and laid a very important foundation for the deep development of broadcasting.Looking back on the history of broadcasting education, a conclusion can be drawn that it develops with constant reflections and reviews. People at all times have attached great importance to the policies and practices that were conducted by the Ministry of Education, and gave their own suggestions to improve broadcasting education. There are two clues in the development of broadcasting education during the Republic of China period: one is the completion of infrastructure, and the other is the nature of broadcasting education. It is also not difficult to find that political stability exens great m(?)uence on the development of social undertakings, and the development of broadcasting education is dependent on the joint-effort of both the government and the public, especially those pioneers, who have tried and insisted in an unyielding and organized manner, and created a developmental path that meets the need of the time, the nation and the people.