Cai Yuanpei Aesthetic Education And Its Contemporary Significance

Cai Yuanpei, who was one of the most influential educators in the modern times, had great contribution to developing of the modern aesthetics, which was prominently in his thoughts of aesthetic education. His thoughts, being based on certain aesthetic standpoints, not only were close to the theme of the times, which was to save country and initiate people, but also depended on the complete personality education as his prerequisite to set forth his views. It was an important component of his new educational system that he thought aesthetic education was a kind of educational activity to cultivate people' s transcendental emotion and at the same time, aesthetic education should be studied in the cultural structure because of its contents transcended the education. As for its application, we should grasp it and study it from three aspects, namely, its objects, contents and methods. In his opinions, the objects were civil and lifelong; the contents took artistic education as the main point, and should not be limited by it; the methods could be surveyed from family, school and society. As for its significance, his thoughts had made far-ranging influence in those days. And in the contemporary era, it can also enlighten us and can be used for reference by discussing necessarily from three aspects: aesthetics, education, and culture.