Wang Da's Research

Wang Dazhi(1903-1980),a native of Anhui Province,is a famous educator in modern and contemporary times.He joined Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal School founded by Tao Xingzhi in his early years and since embarked on a lifelong journey in education.He successively served as the Headmaster of Xin'an Primary School in Huai'an of Jiangsu Province,Consultant(actually the creator,organizer,and leader)of the Xin'an Touring Troupe(a well-known youth and children's revolutionary education group),Official of the Cultural and Education Department of the Yancheng and of the District Administrative Office of the Anti-Japanese Base in the Northern Song Dynasty,Supervisor of the Education Department of Jiangsu and Anhui Border Region Government,Director of the Normal School Affiliated to the Normal College of Huazhong Construction University,Principal of Huazhong Cadre Children's School,President of the Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal School,Commissioner of the Department of Teacher Education of the Ministry of Education,Deputy Director of the National Putonghua Language Research Group,Deputy Director of the Committee of Chinese Character Reform,and Secretary of the CPC Committee and Vice President of the Guangdong College for Nationalities.In the Cultural Revolution,he suffered from persecution and chronic illness.He died in March 1980.Under the influence of Practical Life Education philosophy,he devoted his life to practical education activities,leaving behind numerous references on today's education,which is of practical significance.In particular,the Xin'an Elementary School and the Xin'an Touring Troupe which he founded have made many useful attempts for the integration of education and practical life,making Wang Dazhi an important figure in China's educational history.Wang Dazhi went through the following stages of receiving early education enlightenment,studying in Xiaozhuang School,presiding the work of Xin'an Primary School,organizing and developing Xin'an Touring Troupe and participating in the new education system in his later years.He accumulated much social experience at an early age,which triggered his initial perspectives and initiated his understanding of revolutionary thoughts.This diverted him from the traditional academic path and led him to the Xiaozhuang School.In Xiaozhuang,he got in touch with and accepted the new educational philosophy and established a good teacher-student relationship with Tao Xingzhi.Therefore,Wang Dazhi was dispatched to Xin'an Elementary School,a special affiliate of Xiaozhuang School,as the headmaster and was able to display his talents.On the one hand,he strove to maintain Xin'an Primary School through overcoming various difficulties and on the other hand,he systematically practiced the idea of Practical Life Education and furthered his understanding of education.On this basis,he developed the Xin'an Touring Troupe,spread the philosophy of operating Xin'an Primary School across the country,and thus reached the peak of his career.In his later years,he gradually immersed himself as a member in the existing educational system and worked according to the rules for a long period of time,creative activities significantly decreased.During this period,he actively promoted the restoration of Xiaozhuang School and the population of Mandarin.He also served in the Ministry of Education of China and the Guangdong University for Nationalities,etc.,and made his due contribution to the establishment and consolidation of the educational system in the New China.Meanwhile,his personal career went through wax and wane till the curtains of his life eventually came down.Wang Dazhi began to steer the work of education independently at the age of less than thirty.Decades of hard work enabled his footprint to be found in many specific areas of education where all social strata were covered,making him a familiar figure to the people.At the same time,his philosophy on education changed considerably.With the early life experience in,he found himself unable to adapt to the traditional educational mode.Studying in Xiaozhuang School enabled him a deeper understanding of the concept and mode of Practical Life Education.The experience of presiding Xin'an Primary School helped him develop a relatively independent and systematic educational philosophy.For example,he believed that Practical Life Education should be understood in that the creation of better education stemmed from the creation of better life,where the fundamental role of labor work must be highly emphasized.Such philosophy is to some extent a bit radical.Such claims prepared theoretical basis for the organization of the Xin'an Touring Troupe and the following study activities.Through the founding and development of the Xin'an Touring Troupe,his thinking became more balanced as he generated new understanding on the relationship between education and society.When he entered his later years,he began to think more about macro educational issues by a holistic perspective,such as the population of comprehensive technical education in the system.Meanwhile,amidst years practice and thinking,Wang Dazhi acquainted himself with many people and established a relatively complete socializing network,which is also typical in the modern and contemporary Chinese educational history.Through literature analysis and investigation,this thesis attempts to examine Wang Dazhi's life experience and ideological change,analyze the interaction between his growth and the great times he was in,and explore the evolution of his philosophical thinking.At the same time,it further explores and analyzes the role and significance of Wang to education in different life stages,and reveals the in-depth internal and external reasons behind it.