Abstract:

During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, the American press, motivated by various factors and through diverse perspectives, conducted extensive reporting on many aspects of Chinese children’s education. These reports, to a certain extent, helped shape the image of Chinese children’s education in the eyes of American people. The American press analyzed the essence of Chinese children’s schooling, focusing on various aspects such as educational forms, goals, contents, and methods. The reports were multidimensional and comprehensive, encompassing both overall assessments and differences between Chinese and American children’s education. They also included detailed observations in areas such as corporal punishment, religious education, and military education. These reports actively advocated for the promotion of Western-style children’s education in China. The reporting by the American press on Chinese children’s education during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China included commentary on children’s educational viewpoints stemming from cultural differences between China and the West, objective limitations from a Western observational perspective, and interpretations influenced by the generalization of ideology. This provides us with a valuable extraterritorial sample for observing Chinese children’s education during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.

Key words: American newspapers, Chinese children, children's education, Sino-US comparison