The Statement Of Evolution In Textbooks In Modern China

Facing the serious national crisis brought by aggression, Yan Fu showed a way to the mass with his translation emphasizing "Survival of the fittest". He became the pioneer who brought the Theory of Evolution to China and made it widely concerned. Intelligent made great contributions in publicizing the theory; it was spread by textbooks to a much larger extent however. During the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, a period dominated by the conception of evolution, the content about evolution was added into textbooks in modern China widely, through which students whose world ideology came into being cultivated the knowledge of science and the feeling of patriotism. As a matter of fact, theory of evolution during this period did not only belong to a part of natural science, but also penetrated slowly through the region of literal science like history, social studies and so on. As a result, the emphasis on evolution of society and humanity became a universally discussed topic, and the word "evolution" was widely used in every aspect of daily life. Nevertheless, the process of introducing the evolution theory was much complicated. At the beginning, missionaries copied education system into China and set up new schools, they brought the need towards western science and technology. They began to compile textbooks in which the evolution theory was evolved. Later, Chinese intellectuals began to participate in the work of translating textbooks abroad, especially textbooks from Japan, introducing evolution inflexibly and briefly. When they were able to compile textbooks separately, various forms of deeper introduction of evolution appeared. The conception of evolution in textbooks penetrated natural science to humanities, till the First World War started and led people to think it over rationally, which reflected by editors'writing in textbooks. Therefore, the evolution theory and other theories made the system about the knowledge of evolution more comprehensive together. Spencer or Huxley? Does society progress or not? And there were still reflections and debates towards Eugenics and Race Theory. Though considering the existence of nationalism, good answers could not be given to some questions immediately, the evolution theory progressed itself, and Mutualism was produced, leading people accept and thinking about the theory more rationally. This kind of self-contradictory construction of evolution in textbooks popularized the theory much widely accepted. The young grown up inside the atmosphere, participated in the heated trend of thought, while the promulgation and popularization of evolution concept prepared Chinese for accepting the ideas like Reformism, Revolutionary doctrine, Marxism and so on. In this paper, I want to make it much clear about the ascending course from the theory of evolution to the view with evolutionism, and about its effects upon life of the time and nowadays life, by studying the constructing process of the knowledge of evolution in primary school and middle school textbooks in modern China and the condition of its promulgation.