A Study of Chinese Textbooks at the beginning of the 20th Century : Focusing on Chinese Translations of Japanese Science Textbooks

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, Japanese science education exerted a considerable influence on Chinese education. This study focuses on Chinese translations of Japanese science textbooks in order to examine the extent of the Japanese influence on the production of science texts in China. The study makes the following points: 1. The translation of Japanese school science textbooks, which were popular with Chinese science teachers, was motivated not only by the recognition and the efforts of Chinese leaders and educators, but also by the urgent necessity to compile textbooks in China. 2. Many Japanese people implicitly influenced the selection of the texts to be translated by recommending the most popular books. Chinese students in Japan and Chinese people who had learned Japanese in order to study natural science took part in the translation of text books. 3. As well as being numerous, Chinese translations of Japanese school science textbooks were evaluated highly for their quality. Due to the distribution of authorized textbooks by the Xuebu (the Chinese Ministry of Education), the Japanese style of compiling and organizing textbooks became popular in China 4. The aims of science teaching in China resembled those in Japan and some unique characteristics of Japanese science textbooks, such as detailed content and syllabus coverage promoted similar qualities in China