The Statecraft Ideological Educational Thought Of Wei Yuan

Wei Yuan (1794-1857), the famous thinker, statesman and reformer. He was regarded as "the first man who looked out of the old China". He put forward to reforming society and feudal education, appealing to learn the west with Lin Zexu and Gong Zizhen. His exposing and critical to feudal education was the beginning of abolishing imperial exam and advocating school education. His thought of statecraft ideological education formed firstly in 1920s, and was reflected in the series of Kuweidang, Moku, which expounded systematically his educational ideas. The Opium War defeated, unequal treaty signed, which shocked him greatly. So he put forward firstly stands of comprehending foreign and learning foreigners. He became aware of that it can enrich the nation and strengthen the military unless learning foreign technology to countering foreigners. Thus, he put forward an education system on training, and engaging talents, reforming imperial exam system. The article would inquire Wei Yuan's educational thought on learning foreign technology to countering foreigners from socialization education and school education, and his reform view of education system and imperial exam on training engaging talents.Firstly, enlighten by education thought of abolishing ignorant. Wei Yuan know very well social reality which was political corruption, economic decline, science of no use and losing contact with reality, thought that ignorant lead to social darkness, and he put forward the views which do scholarly research and political affairs should be combined and initiated academic atmosphere of statecraft ideology in the later Qing Dynast, discarded morals idea of value friendship more than money. Wei Yuan undertook the social duty of culture passing on from generation to generation and thought enlightenment from angels of socialization education. Secondly, education thought of learning foreign technology to countering foreigners. The Opium War made China enter a great turbulent transform times. "Facing thousands fixed situation", he put forward to learning foreign technology to countering foreigners, and imitated western education. His different views from others on western education, science, military, industry and commerce, which promoted social idea developing in different degrees.Thirdly, educational thought of talents managing society. He expounded importance of talents, put forward to reforming in talents training system and choice of talents. His thought achieved statecraft ideology historical transformation from traditional to modernization. Truly, due to the limitations of era, there are some limitations in Wei Yuan viewpoints about statecraft ideological education, and brought about some negative effects to that time and later. Yet, we shouldn't ignore its use for reference to education direction of that time and today. As Liang Qichao said "bud of new though should be attributed to Wei Yuan and Gong Zizhen". Wei Yuan is the first man who put forward to learning western culture in modern history of China. His thoughts linked up Chinese ancient education and modernization education of China, affected the course of learning western, and open up modernization education of China, then enable Chinese education to advance to modernization education.