Chapter 10 Section 9 Tutoring of princes

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the state-owned system of Zhou Tianzi was destroyed, and his political existence existed in name only.The princes of various countries merged with each other, so that the weak princes were successively incorporated into the powerful princes. During the Warring States Period, the seven powerful princes of Qin, Qi, Han, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Chu gradually formed. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the central royal family established Guoxue, and the children of the princes could enter Guoxue to receive formal education on the basis of receiving family education.Therefore, the actual "learning in the government" is "learning in the royal family".Although there are historical records of princes establishing "Pangong", it is rare for princes to build Pangong schools in the Western Zhou Dynasty.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Son of Heaven lost his official position and studied in Siyi. The feudal lords became powerful politically, so they also required their children to enjoy privileges in education. On the one hand, family education was vigorously strengthened; , thus developing the form of combining tutoring and school education in the Western Zhou Dynasty to a new historical stage, and further promoting the transition from school education for the upper class of slave owners to school education in feudal society.

There are many examples of princes attaching importance to family education, and there are a lot of records in ancient books such as "Guo Yu", "Zuo Zhuan", "Mao Poems", "Warring States Policy", "Lu Shi Chun Qiu" and so on.Here are a few examples, from which we can get a glimpse of it. Example 1. In 573 B.C., Duke Dao of Jin ascended the throne. He summoned people of insight at that time, such as Xun Jia, Xun Hui, Luan Yan (yan eye), Han Wuji, etc. Thrift, filial piety and brotherhood" ("Zuo Zhuan Eighteen Years of Cheng Gong").According to the analysis of relevant education historians, this kind of education may have been carried out in the Pan Palace.Later, Duke Mourning of Jin heard that Yang Tong Xi (xixi) was very knowledgeable in "Spring and Autumn", so he called him into the palace and made him the tutor of Prince Biao.Fu is a family teacher. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, only the emperor's royal family generally set up this school official, but in the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes generally set up this school, which shows that the princes attached great importance to the prince's tutor.

Example 2, "Guoyu·Jinyu IV" records that Duke Wen of Jin once studied at Xuchen.At the beginning, Jin Wengong thought that he was physically disabled and had limited mobility, so he could only learn more.Xu Chen encouraged him, saying that learning is not only for acquiring extensive book knowledge, but also for transforming and improving moral character through educational means. Only a monarch who has perfected his moral character can have virtuous people to assist him.Jin Wengong understood this truth, and let Yang Chufu (educate) Prince Rang, and Prince Rang became Jin Xianggong later.

Example 3, "Guoyu · Chu Yushang" records that King Zhuang of Chu (613-591 BC) also attached great importance to the prince's family education.He asked a scholar (menmen) to teach Prince Zhen, who was later the king of the Communist Party of Chu.King Zhuang of Chu not only hired knowledgeable people as tutors for the prince, but also humbly asked Shen Shushi how to teach the prince.Uncle Shen replied: "Teach the Spring and Autumn Annals, and promote the good and suppress the evil."Learning it will help rulers cultivate the way of "cultivating themselves and governing others".Uncle Shen also introduced books such as "Li", "Le", "Poetry", and "Mandarin Language" to King Zhuang of Chu, thinking that these can be used as the home teaching content of the prince.Judging from the educational purpose of each book expounded by Shen Shushi and the purpose of the family education of the princes' children, the princes' family education in the Spring and Autumn Period has been regarded as one of the powerful measures for the rise and fall of the country and the struggle for hegemony.In the Warring States Period, not only the tutoring of the princes was developed, but also the families of the princes and officials, while raising scholars, hired a large number of scholars with both ability and political integrity as tutors.