An Analysis Of Children’s World (1922-1941)

This paper takes the magazine Children’s World, which started its publication in1922and ended up in1941, as the research subject. Combined with the historical circumstancesat that time, this paper meticulously combs the founding background, development course,authors, readership and characteristics of Children’s World, and try to reveal the intimaterelationship between Children’s World and the children’s view, children’s literature andchildren’s education during the Republican period. In this paper, an interdisciplinaryresearch approach is adopted. Based on history and learned from relative theories andmethods of journalism，literature and education, this paper conducts a multi-angle,comprehensive, systematic investigation for Children’s World. The paper consists of fivechapters:Chapter one: The Founding Background of Children’s World. Children’s World is achildren’s publication targeting children as audience and its birth was inseparable with thehistorical environment of the society at that time. The Thought Liberation in the MayFourth period realized recognition of “human”, and then “women”, and finally “children”.Represented by Zhou Zuoren’s “children-oriented” view, the children view and children’sliterature view promote the awareness of modern Chinese children’s literature. As the firstchildren’s literary journal in China, the magazine Children’s World emerged as the times.During the May Fourth period, the Commercial Press sought to self-reform in order tokeep pace with the trend of times. The good reforming atmosphere provides an excellentopportunity for Zheng Zhenduo who loves children’s literature, to found Children’s Worldmagazine.Chapter two: The Development of Children’s World. According to the changes ofpublication purpose and its development condition, the development course of Children’sWorld can be divided into three stages: start-up period, development period, prosperityperiod. Children’s World had always closely caught up with the changes in social thoughtand social situation and had insisted in advancing with the times. Since the theme of the times had changed from the New Culture Movement to “Anti-Japanese War” in the1930sand1940s, the purpose of the magazine also changed from focusing on literary taste toscientific spirit. In general, from the initial "pure literature" Children journal, Children’sWorld had became a knowledge-based comprehensive children journal gradually.Chapter three: The Authors of Children’s World. The authors of Children’s World wereconstituted by the three kinds of authors: editors of Children’s World, requestingcontribution authors—members of The Literary Research Association, submissionauthors—common primary school teachers. As the authors of Children’s World, they werethe pioneers for Chinese modern children’s literature. For their industrious writing,Children’s World could always gain popularity among children with high-qualityhandwritings. At the same times, the founding of Children’s World offered a preciousexperimental position for Chinese modern children’s literature, spurred on the upsurge ofchildren’s literature, and played a role in putting children’s literature into primary schooltextbooks.Chapter four: The Readership of Children’s World. The readers of Children’s Worldmainly are seniors in primary school. On one hand, young readers wrote to Children’sWorld actively to give suggestions in order to promote the innovation of Children’s World.On the other hand, young readers interacted with Children’s World and participated incommissioned articles, sent photos and so on, which demonstrated educationpopularization in the Republic of China and extra-curricular life of children in the Republicof primary education.Chapter five: Publication Characteristics of Children’s World. Relentlessly pursuing toconform the psychology and interests of children, Children’s World is filled with distinctcharacteristics. For the form, Children’s World focused on combining pictures and texts, soas to stimulate children’s interests in reading and assist to understand contents. For thecontent, Children’s World focused on using edutainment methods and influencing childrenmoral, intellectual and political education, so that it could assist primary education.In addition, the conclusion is a summary and promotion for the former five chapters.In this chapter, Children’s World are evaluated and some suggestions are providedfor the development of the current children’s Journals.