Chapter 25 Section 1 School Education in the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) official schools can be divided into two categories: central government schools and local government schools according to their settings.
Central government schools mainly include Guozijian, Zongxue, and Wuxue.
The Imperial College of the Ming Dynasty was divided into the north and the south. The Nanjing Imperial College has a large scale and a beautiful environment. In addition to the main hall and branch halls as the main places for teaching activities, there are also study buildings, shooting gardens, dining halls (restaurants), number rooms (student dormitories), Guangzhe Hall (dormitory for foreign students), infirmary, warehouse, Confucian Temple and other buildings.In the first year of Yongle (AD 1403), Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty added Beijing Guozijian. From then on, there were southern and northern prisons, but the scale of the northern prison was smaller than that of the southern prison.
Students who studied in Guozijian in Ming Dynasty were commonly called Jiansheng.Because of their different admission qualifications, supervisors are further divided into "Jijian", "Gongjian", "Yinjian" and "Routinejian".The supervisors who are selected to study in the prisons under the general examination are called "jujians"; the students from local governments, states, and counties are selected to pay tribute to the Guozijian to study, and they are called "tribute supervisors"; The supervisors who study in prisons are called "Yinjian"; the common people donate money and receive millet, and the government specially allows their children to study in prisons, they are called "regular prisons", also known as "minsheng".In addition, there are foreign students from neighboring Korea, Japan, Siam and other countries studying in Guozijian, called "Yisheng".In the twenty-sixth year of Ming Hongwu (AD 1393), the number of students in Guozijian reached 8,124; in the 20th year of Yongle (AD 1422), the number of students in Guozijian increased to 9,972, which was the largest number of students in Guozijian in Ming Dynasty.
Although the sources of supervisors are different, they all receive relatively favorable treatment during their studies.For example, all meals are provided by the state; clothes, crown shoes, and quilts are also distributed by the state on time; every season, "reward money" is returned; married students support their wives, and unmarried ones are for calendar students (see Later), they will be given money for marriage and employment; those who visit their relatives back home will be given clothes and money as travel expenses; students in remote areas and foreign students will be given more preferential treatment, and their servants will be rewarded generously to persuade them.
The internal rules of the Guozijian are very strict. There are detailed regulations on everything such as libation, class, daily life, diet, clothing, bathing, and leave and exit, and there are corporal punishments for minor mistakes.In the fifteenth year of Hongwu (1385 A.D.), another ban was issued, ordering domestic schools to erect lying tablets, so the central and local government schools generally issued it.It can be seen that the generous treatment of the Guozijian in the Ming Dynasty for its students was not as good as that of the previous dynasties, and its strict restraint was also unprecedented in the previous dynasties.
This four-character sacrificial music poem was sung by the teachers and students of the Guozijian in the Ming Dynasty when they worshiped Confucius.It was written by Hanlin Chengzhi Zhan Tong and Bachelor Le Zhaofeng.It is the official record of the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius in Guozijian (Volume 83 of "Ming Shi Zong").
The Guozijian teaching class is held by Jijiu, Siye, Doctor and teaching assistants. Except for the first and fifteenth day of the month as holidays, it is divided into morning and afternoon classes every day.The morning class is in the morning, and the subordinate officials are led by Jijiu to attend. Jijiu is the speaker, and the students listen quietly.The afternoon class is held in the afternoon meeting, mainly for lectures, re-lectures, endorsements, lectures, etc., and is held by doctors and teaching assistants.
The students in the whole supervisor are divided into six classes. Among the six classes, the three classes of justice, Chongzhi, and Guangye are the elementary classes, the two classes of Taoism and sincerity are the intermediate classes, and the class of straightforwardness is the advanced class.All supervising students who only pass the "Four Books" are enrolled in the primary level, study for more than one and a half years, pass the examination, and those who have a good command of arts and sciences are promoted to the intermediate level.Study at the intermediate level for more than one and a half years, and after passing the assessment, those who are proficient in history and excellent in arts and science are promoted to the advanced level.The point system is allowed only after being promoted to a senior level.The point system is inherited from the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The exam is held once a month, and those who are excellent will get one point, those who pass the test will get half a point, and those who fail will get no points.Those who accumulate eight points within one year are qualified, and given their background, they can be assigned to official positions. Those who have less than eight points will still stay in school to study.
Each of the six halls of the Guozijian has a head who manages the affairs of the whole hall. The head has a fault book to record the mistakes committed by students, and the punishment is determined according to the number of times. The head checks the entrance and exit of the supervisors in the hall.The management of Guozijian is extremely strict, so the selection of teaching staff is very cautious.For the position of secretary, a bachelor, a minister, and a minister are often specially selected to fill the post, which shows that they attach importance to the instructors.
In the fifth year of Hongwu (1372 A.D.), the Guozijian Supervising Student Calendar System was established. After a certain number of years, the supervising students were assigned to various government departments for internships.Those assigned to the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, Dali Temple, the Department of General Administration, the Department of Pedestrians, and the Governor's Office of the Five Armies to engage in government affairs are called "Zhengli"; "Miscellaneous calendar".These intern students are commonly referred to as "Calendar Supervisors".The internship time is not uniform, some internships are three months or half a year, and some are as long as one year or even longer.During the Jianwen period of Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty (1399-1402 A.D.), the assessment method was determined. After the expiry of the supervision period, they were divided into three grades: upper, middle and lower. Take the exam again in one year.The high-ranking ones are employed by the top-ranking ones, the middle-ranking ones are appointed according to their talents regardless of grade, and the low-ranking ones return to Guozijian to continue their studies.The reason for the selection of supervisors in the Ming Dynasty was to make up for the lack of officials in the early Ming Dynasty. However, through the calendars, supervisors can get in touch with reality more widely and gain practical experience in politics, which is conducive to their growth.This is the teaching practice system of ancient Chinese universities and a pioneering work in teaching in the Ming Dynasty, which is of great significance in the history of school education in ancient China.
Zongxue in the Ming Dynasty was a noble school specially set up for the children of the aristocrats. The school was located in the place where the two capitals belonged. The students were called "Zongsheng". Equivalent to the vice-principal) two people.In addition to the "Four Books" and "Five Classics", the study content also includes "Emperor Ming Zu Xun", "Facts of Filial Piety", "For the Good Yin Zhi [zhi Zhi]", "Tong Jian", "Xing Li", etc. The five-year schooling period was stipulated, and the examination was organized by the promotion officer every year at the beginning, and then the students were allowed to take the imperial examination.
The martial arts of the Ming Dynasty was founded in the Hongwu period. At the beginning, martial arts subjects were only set up in Daning and other Wei Confucian schools to teach military officials' children.In the sixth year of Yingzong Zhengtong (AD 1441), Jingwei Martial Arts was established, and in the second year, Nanjing Martial Arts was established, with a large scale.The students are the children of military officials, over 10 years old, and the teachers mostly use civil and military ministers.The Ming Dynasty paid great attention to the Central Martial Arts.
The local government schools in the Ming Dynasty included prefectural schools, prefectural schools, and county schools; Dusi Confucianism, Xingdusi Confucianism, and Wei Confucianism established according to the military establishment; Dutransportation Confucianism established in grain and wealth distribution centers; Confucianism of the Department of Comfort and Confucianism of the Department of Comfort.
Students from prefectural, prefecture, and county schools are divided into three categories: Linshan students, Zengguang students, and affiliated students.Food students enjoy the meals provided by the government during their school days.In the early Ming Dynasty, every student was given six buckets of granary rice per month, and local officials provided fish and meat. The treatment was good.But later, due to the increase in the number of students required to enroll, the number of Zengguang students was doubled in addition to the original quota of Nanshan students.Later, more people came to study, and additional students were added in addition to the quota of Linshan students and Zengguang students. Because they were attached to the end of all students, they were called attached students.In the Ming Dynasty, the number of students in government, prefecture, and county schools was limited. There were 60 students studying in Beijing, 40 students studying in other prefectures, 30 students studying in prefectures, and 20 students studying in counties. There was no quota for attached students.Those who are new to the school are usually attached students first, and those who have passed the two examinations of the year and the department, and those who have excellent grades can be successively made up as Zengguang students and granary students.Students study in school for 10 years, if they fail to learn, or if they make serious mistakes, they will be fined as servants and the rice will be returned.On the contrary, if the study and conduct are excellent, they will be promoted successively. As for the outstanding shanshan students, they can also enter the Jingshi Guozijian to study through the Gongjian.Therefore, the students of the prefectural, prefecture, and county schools in the Ming Dynasty were mobile within the school and could be promoted according to their circumstances.
In the Ming Dynasty, government, prefecture, and county schools all had fixed school fields as funds, so the funds were relatively sufficient.Fanfu schools set 1,000 shi, state schools set 800 shi, county schools set 600 shi, and Yingtianfu schools set 1,600 shi. Each school has an accountant to manage revenue and expenditure.Since local government schools have fixed funds, the treatment of teachers and students is naturally generous, so when students enroll, many students are granary students, and the school has granary rice supply.
The government, state, and county school regulations are also very strict. In addition to the monthly and annual examinations of students' academic performance, there are usually examination books to record students' conduct.The content of the examination is divided into three types: morality, economics and art, and governance: those who are good at all three are included in the first-class book; Those who are good at managing affairs, but have virtue or defects, will be listed in the third-class book.The so-called virtue is to be able to be filial to one's parents and one's elders, and those who dare not "make troubles" are top students.Students who have been in school for 10 years, if their moral behavior is not good, and they commit serious demerits, they will be punished and their tuition fees will be pursued.Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was even stricter. In the 15th year of Hongwu (AD 1382), he promulgated 12 prohibitions in the world, erected a lying stele, and placed it on the left side of Minglun Hall, so that teachers and students all over the country must abide by it. If there is any violation, it will be violated. Argument.It is stipulated that if the students of the government, state, and county schools have major issues involving themselves, they can ask their parents and brothers to report on their behalf. and views.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were also special schools in the local government schools, including martial arts, medicine, and yin and yang studies.
In the eighth year of Hongwu (1375 A.D.) in the Ming Dynasty, "Decree the establishment of social sciences in the world", so social studies were established all over the country.Sociology is a kind of local government school at the grassroots level, which is set up in urban and rural areas and targets folk children.The students enrolled are generally children over the age of eight and under the age of 15, with some kind of mandatory.For example, "History of the Ming Dynasty Yang Jizong Biography" records that in the early years of Ming Xianzong Chenghua, Yang Jizong served as the prefect of Jiaxing, and Daxing social studies.Obviously this is mandatory and has a similar meaning to modern compulsory education.
Teachers of sociology are called social teachers, and they are generally selected from the elders who have academic experience in the locality.In terms of teaching activities, social studies in the Ming Dynasty had specific requirements for teaching children how to study, read, compose, and memorize essays, cultivating children's study habits, and arranging daily activities."Sociology Essentials" written by Lu Kun (1536-1618 A.D.) specified the educational objectives, ethics, teaching content, teaching process, teaching materials and teaching methods of sociology.He believes that the goal of social studies education should be to improve morality and self-cultivation, not just to "take the top grades to seek wealth and honor", and advocates careful selection of social teachers, "do not take talent as a job, but take morality as the first priority."And emphasize the cultivation of children's learning and behavior habits.He said: "To teach children, learn to be clean first. There is no dirt on the inkstone, and there is no permanent ink on the brush. When dipping the ink, it only touches the watery skin, and the dry brush must be moist first. The book must be three inches away from the body, and stop rubbing your fists. Hands must Wash twice a day, don’t pollute the books. Put the books on the case, don’t pile them up and place them sideways. Don’t make random comments on the sentences in the book. The school is cleaned every day, and the tables and stools are wiped from time to time.”
Sociology of the Ming Dynasty was the inheritance and development of the Sociology of the Yuan Dynasty. Its establishment was more common, its number was larger, and it became more mature in all aspects of teaching.The Ming Dynasty attached great importance to sociology. For example, in the first year of Yingzong Zhengtong (1436 A.D.), "there are handsome and handsome scholars, and Xu complements Confucian students." This connects sociology with government, prefecture, and county schools. Students were selected and recommended to prefectural, state, and county schools.In the seventeenth year of Emperor Xiaozong's Hongzhi (AD 1504), he "ordered all prefectures, prefectures, and counties to establish social schools, select enlightened teachers, and send folk children under fifteen to study."It can be seen that sociology in the Ming Dynasty formed a relatively complete teaching system and became an important form of educational organization for the preliminary cultural knowledge and ethics education of folk children and children, which also had a certain impact on the school education of later generations.
School System Chart of Ming Dynasty