Chinese universities’ social education: a historical perspective (1912–1945)

During the Republican period, all fields of Chinese society were impacted by advanced Western ideas, society was exposed to numerous problems, and school education was incapable of assuming the responsibility of cultivating talents, so social education was highly emphasized. This study takes the policy decrees related to social education issued by the Ministry of Education from 1912 to 1945 as an entry point, and takes universities that promoted social education as a medium to explore the historical process of universities serving the society in the context of China’s political change and cultural integration. During the Republican period, social education was carried out under four different concepts, namely, common education, Civilian education, mass education, and anti-Japanese War Education, and universities played an active role in promoting the cause of social education. Studying the whole process of university social education from a historical macro perspective, it is found that it provides the opportunity for the out-of-school group to relearn and improves the level of popular culture and knowledge. At the same time, it provides valuable Chinese experience in building a learning society and realizing lifelong education worldwide, and is of practical significance to countries with similar problems.