The Characteristics Of Ancient Chinese Education Policy

Education policy is playing an increasingly important role in modern social politics, economy, and culture, and its growing functions may influence the educational system and even the sustainable and healthy development of the whole community. From various published literatures about educational policy in China, theses on China’s educational policy from a historical perspective are rarely found. In view of this, the author chooses to research the characteristics of education policy in ancient China, sort out and conclude educational policies of past dynasties together with their formulation, execution, effectiveness and features, in order to promote the formulation and innovation of modern educational policies.This paper adopts the methods of literature research and historical research. Through consulting related books and information, understand and grasp the present research status on the issue in the academic circle, and collect a lot of materials for the paper; in the use of historical research method, it focuses on reviewing and concluding the educational policy context in ancient China.This paper consists of five parts. In addition to domestic scholars’ researches on characteristics of education policies and related concepts of education policies in ancient China, this paper also integrates different educational policies practiced in periods of pre-Qin, Qin and Han Dynasties, Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Song Dynasties, Liao, Jin, Yuan and Qing Dynasties, and concludes that the formulation of educational policy in various dynasties is a political act, which embodies the will and interests of the governing class; educational policy depends on economic base and economic interests, and the formulation of educational policy has been influenced by educational philosophy. The paper points out the characteristics of enforceability, perpendicularity and normativity in execution of educational policy in ancient China, and then describes the roles of educational policy in cultivating talents for governors, and promoting the formation of cultural perceivers and the implementation of the humanistic spirit of "value people, esteem truth". It also obtains some characteristics of educational policy, such as it serves for governing class, it blends in national governance policy, and it has been driven by "Confucianism". In the end, the paper discusses the significances in researching characteristics of educational policy in ancient China from the perspectives of inheritance, criticism and innovation.