For many people, military training is an indispensable part of youth memory, whether it is today's post-00s, or the post-80s and 90s who have gone through their student days, or even the earlier post-60s and 70s. During that time, we may have all been tired of the harsh instructors and boring military posture training.
However, military training is not just for the modern student. In China's long history, military training has long existed and has been passed down for thousands of years. So, in ancient times, how did military training take place in schools?
[Pre-Qin: Military training was prevalent in schools, and Confucius also served as an instructor]
The origins of military training in China can be traced back to the distant Xia and Shang periods. During the Shang Dynasty, with the frequent wars between the princes, the rulers began to pay attention to military training, not only for the regular army, but also for the children of the nobility through schools. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the school was divided into "national studies" and "rural studies", with two levels: "primary school" and "university". Among them, the "university" takes the "six arts" as the core of teaching, that is, "etiquette, music, archery, royalty, calligraphy, and mathematics", among which archery and imperial are the content of military training in ancient times, and most of the instructors are concurrently served by officers.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the demand for military talents in various countries became more urgent, and military training became an important part of education in government-run schools. Even Confucius's private education focused on military training, emphasizing both civil and military training, and regarded the art of archery as equally important as the education of etiquette and music. "Confucius's Family Language: Watching the Countryside and Shooting" records in detail the scene of Confucius teaching archery. Through his archery training, he not only taught military skills, but also taught the people to observe etiquette.
[Qin and Han: Military training is gradually marginalized, and the people's weapons are restricted]
In the Qin and Han dynasties, the status of military training in schools gradually decreased. As Confucian scholarship became orthodox, the original "Six Arts" were transformed into the Six Classics of Confucianism, the content of military education was diluted, and military training gradually became a form of etiquette. Although the Qin Dynasty attached great importance to military training before unification, after the unification of the world, due to the reduction of opportunities for the use of troops, in order to prevent civilian resistance, measures were taken to confiscate weapons and restrict civilian military activities.
Although military training in schools gradually declined during the Qin and Han dynasties, it was not completely abolished. In local school education, there is still a content of military training. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the scholar Liu Kun would lead his disciples to practice martial arts every spring and autumn, but he was suspected and suppressed by the imperial court. This reflects the change in society's attitude towards military training at that time.
[Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties: Imperial examinations prevailed, and military training was neglected]
During the Sui Dynasty, the state began to "cultivate literature with martial arts", reduce military equipment, and attach importance to culture and education. The imperial examination system gradually emerged and became the main way to select talents. Although the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to military affairs at the beginning of the founding of the country, with the passage of time, the imperial examination system gradually became the mainstream, schools were reduced to the appendages of the imperial examinations, and military training was gradually neglected. During the Song Dynasty, the policy of advocating literature and suppressing military force was pushed to the extreme, the status of military generals was comprehensively surpassed by civilian officials, schools were mainly based on imperial examinations, and military training was almost completely abandoned.
However, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as the two founding emperors seized the world by force, they began to attach importance to military education in schools. During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang required both Guozixue and Xianxue students to learn archery and horseback riding, and added relevant subjects to the imperial examination. The Qing Dynasty also inherited the system of the Ming Dynasty, and the equal emphasis on civil and military affairs became the basic principle of education. However, with the passage of time, Cheng Zhu Lixue gradually became a prominent study in society, emphasizing "half a day of study, half a day of meditation", and military training gradually degenerated into formalism.
From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the early years of the Republic of China, China's historical stage staged scenes of humiliation and self-improvement. In the face of the bullying of the great powers, especially the bitter lessons of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the whole country began to reflect deeply, thus setting off a nationwide upsurge of advocating force.
In 1902, the educator Jiang Baili put forward a revolutionary point of view in his book "Military and National Education": to cultivate the military literacy of the people through school education. He advocated that military training courses should be set up in schools for students to learn skills such as marching, shooting, and swordsmanship, and to conduct field exercises to strengthen their physique and exercise their will. In 1906, the promulgation of the "Essentials of Education" officially incorporated martial arts education into the national education system, and school military training became an institutionalized educational measure.
With the founding of the Republic of China, the country's emphasis on martial arts education has reached a new height. In 1912, the Provisional Law on General Education clearly stipulated that gymnastics courses should be more militarized in schools from the upper primary level. In September of the same year, the government further defined military education as one of the educational purposes and required all schools across the country to strengthen military training. Many schools responded positively and set up "Junior Volunteer Corps" or "Boy Scouts" to cultivate students' martial spirit and practical skills, and school military training became a common practice.
However, with the end of the First World War, there was a global wave of anti-war thought. This trend has also profoundly affected China's education sector. According to an authoritative survey conducted in 1919, there was a general belief in educational circles that military and national education was outdated and did not conform to the spirit of modern democracy. Therefore, in 1920, the National Conference on Education decided to remove "martial arts" from the purpose of education. In 1922, the promulgation of the "Nonxu School System" abolished the "military and national education", and the military training in schools gradually faded.
Despite this, the history of the small upsurge of martial arts in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China still left a strong mark in the history of Chinese education. It is not only a symbol of national self-reliance, but also has a profound impact on the Chinese education system.
Military training of the Republic of China: Strict training to forge national defense strength
Military training during the Republic of China was an important chapter in the history of China's military education. Against the backdrop of the increasingly serious threat of Japanese aggression, the Nationalist Government attached great importance to military education as an important way to cultivate national defense capabilities.
1. Revival and strengthening of military training
In 1929, the Nationalist Government promulgated the "Revised Military Education Program for Schools Above High School", which officially included military training as a compulsory subject in schools above high school. In 1931, the Nationalist Government promulgated the General Order of the Ministry of Education on Stepping Up Military Education in Schools Above High School, which further emphasized the importance of military training and stipulated strict training content and standards.
Second, the content and form of military training
At that time, the content of military training covered two major aspects: disciplines and technical subjects. The subject part includes infantry drills, field service, shooting instruction, air defense knowledge, combat vehicle knowledge, health and first aid, etc., aiming to teach students basic military knowledge and skills. The technical part includes hand-to-hand instructors, gun instructors, mapping implementation, ammunition shooting, night drills, etc., focusing on cultivating students' practical operation ability and combat literacy.
In form, military training usually takes place during the summer vacation of each year and lasts for three weeks. The instructors are graduates of the army school, which ensures the professionalism and rigor of military training. In addition, there are strict discipline requirements and assessment standards during military training, and unqualified students need to be retrained with the next class of students until they meet the requirements.
3. The significance and impact of military training
Military training during the Republic of China not only improved students' physical fitness and military skills, but more importantly, cultivated students' sense of discipline, obedience, responsible spirit and hard-working quality. These qualities are of great significance to the country's national defense construction and the stable development of society. At the same time, military training also provides a rare opportunity for students to learn, grow and progress in practice.
4. Interruption and recovery during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
However, with the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the unified military training of the whole country was forced to be interrupted. It was not until after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War that military training was able to restart. Although military training during this period was interrupted for a period of time due to the impact of the war, its importance in cultivating national defense forces and improving the quality of the people was still widely recognized.
In short, military training during the Republic of China period is an important chapter in the history of China's military education. It not only improves students' physical fitness and military skills, but more importantly, cultivates students' sense of discipline and national defense. These valuable experiences and traditions still have important implications and reference significance for us today.