A Comparative Study Of The Qing Government’s Cultural And Educational Policies In Western Sichuan And The Sichuan Border From 1644 To 1905

The essence of this policy was to internalise the will of the state in Confucianism and to propagate Confucian doctrine in order to maintain national security and build public order and morality;its means were fluid and flexible in order to fill the gaps in education to the greatest extent possible.In areas where Confucianism had long been practised,the government schools were the main focus of indoctrination,supplemented by a civil education system,such as Yixue;in areas where Confucianism was weaker,the Qing government’s approach was characterised by a very typical diversity: both government schools and Yixue,and even religious means.This feature is particularly evident in the western and marginal areas of Sichuan,where little attention has been paid.Therefore,this article aims to examine the flexibility of the Qing government’s cultural and educational policies in the process of local indoctrination by comparing the differences in the establishment and operation of the schools in the western and marginal areas of Sichuan.The text is divided into five chapters,which are briefly described as follows:Chapter 1 focuses on the background of the Qing government’s cultural and educational policy in Sichuan from 1644 to 1905,analysing the necessity of the Qing government’s cultural and educational policy in Sichuan in terms of its strategic position and the situation of the cultural and educational system in Sichuan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.After the war,the government’s efforts to restore production and development led to a revival of the cultural and educational policy based on government schools and village covenants.As an important part of this policy,Yixue extended the Qing government’s educational network in Sichuan.The differences in topographical conditions,ethnic composition and economic levels between western Sichuan and the Sichuan side of the country led to marked differences in the spatial and temporal distribution,management and effectiveness of the schools in the two areas.Chapter 2 focuses on the differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of Yixue in western Sichuan and Sichuan.According to the author’s statistics,there were1,892 Yixue in Sichuan during the Qing dynasty,with a large number and wide distribution,and they were mainly established in rural areas,fully reflecting the Qing government’s policy of educating the rural and humble people.In contrast,the development of Yixue in western Sichuan is characterised by a short germination period and a rapid rise,while the opposite is true for the Sichuan side;in terms of spatial distribution,there are 1,762 Yixue in western Sichuan and 156 in the Sichuan side,with the total number of Yixue in western Sichuan and the average number of Yixue in the states and counties far higher than in the Sichuan side.The third chapter compares the differences in the operation and management of Yixue in western Sichuan with those in the Chuanbian region.The government played a more directive and supervisory role in the establishment of the schools,which were mainly funded by donations from the private sector and were mainly established by government and private donations.The government’s direct management was evident,and the constitution of the school was seldom found in the archives.The fourth chapter compares the effectiveness of the schools in western Sichuan with that in Sichuan.In the case of the western part of the river,it was clearly a successful educational policy,as it deepened the influence of Confucian ethics and morality at the grassroots level and maintained the ruling order by popularising education and revitalising the moral culture of the people.The Qing government relied heavily on Lamaism for the indoctrination of this area.Chapter 5 draws on the previous three chapters to summarise and analyse the differences and characteristics of cultural and educational policies in western Sichuan and the Sichuan side.The differences between the Western and Sichuan regions were the result of a combination of the degree of local power penetration by the Qing government,the differences in regional economic development created by the geographical environment,and the cultural differences inherent in the distribution of ethnic groups.On the basis of these differences,the Qing government remained flexible and focused on education,fully reflecting the characteristics of cultural and educational policy in Sichuan,which was adapted to the time,place and custom.