Marianne Bastid-Bruguiere’s pioneering study is the only comprehensive work on late Qing educational reform now available. It is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of China during the last years of the Qing dynasty, covering the political, economic, social, and intellectual aspects of educational reform.
Educational Reform in Early Twentieth-Century China focuses on an analysis of the practice and results of educational reform from 1901 to 1912 by examining the activities and thought of Zhang Jian, a member of the group defined as “modern gentry,” men who held traditional degrees but were involved in modern industry or commerce. She discusses the initial collaboration of government and modern gentry in the establishment of modern schools and their later conflict as the modern gentry began to perceive educational reform as part of a wider program of “local autonomy,” which would give them, rather than the bureaucracy, control over local administration. [xi–xii] Includes nine texts by Zhang Jian and a new introduction by the translator.

Translated by: Paul J. Bailey, Paul Bailey