Baijiaxing (百家姓), one of the most popular traditional textbooks in China for the beginning stage of elementary education. It is a special collection of Chinese family names in rhyme. Study of this book helped students to learn Chinese characters.
Boxer Indemnity Scholarship (庚款留学生计划), a scholarship programme funded by Boxer Rebellion indemnity funds paid to the United States. The programme provided funding for Chinese students to study in the U.S.
Charter of Women’s Primary School (奏定女子小学堂章程) and Charter of Women’s Teacher-training School (奏定女子师范学堂章程), the first two national constitutions related to women education in China, drafted by the Ministry of Education and issued by the Qing court in March 1907. These two constitutions clarified the purpose of women education and the duration and rough curriculums of each stage.
Clan (宗族) is a lineage of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor. Via the connection offered by clans, members feel to belong to the same body and are highly conscious of their group identity. Clans were often responsible for managing civil disputes, collecting taxes and internal mutual aids and charitable works.
Cultural Revolution (文化革命), (also called Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution), a political movement launched by contemporary Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong during his last decade in power (1966–76). It originated from resistance against the revisionist direction that the Communist Party was taking. He gathered a bloc of radicals, so called Red Guards, to aid him in challenging Communist Party officials for their bourgeois ideology and lack of revolutionary zeal. This resulted in a massive campaign with the closure of schools to free students to join the Red Guards. Many people including officials and scholars were imprisoned, tortured, beaten and killed on the accusation of being bourgeois.
Da Xue Tang (大学堂), a type of school under the 1904 system of education, positioned at the highest level of that education system, equivalent to a university under the modern system of education.
Dianshi (殿试), Palace Examination: the final stage of Chinese Imperial examinations. They were held in the Imperial palace and often supervised either by the Emperor himself or some important officials authorized by him.
Education real estate (学区房), houses that linked to best educational opportunities in compulsory education stage.
Four Books and Five Classics (四书五经), the authoritative books of Confucianism in China. The Four Books include Analects (Lunyu, 论语), Mencius (Mengzi, 孟子), Great Learning (Daxue, 大学), and Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong, 中庸). The Five Classics are Classic of Poetry (Shijing, 诗经), Book of Documents (Shangshu, 尚书), Book of Rites (Liji, 礼记), The Book of Changes (I Ching, 易经) and the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu, 春秋).
Fushi (府试), the second entry-level examination in the Chinese system of Imperial examinations, lower than Yuanshi (see this list of terms). A Fushi would be supervised by the magistrate of a prefecture in its prefectural capital.
Fuxue (府学), official school in a prefectural capital under Keju (see this list of terms) system.
Gao Deng Xue Tang (高等学堂), a type of school under the 1904 system of education. Tuition at schools of this level prepared students for Da Xue Tang (see this list of terms).
Gongsheng (贡生), top students from local official schools that were enrolled in Guozijian (see this list of terms) by direct recommendation, or after screening examinations organized by local education officials.
Gongshi (贡士), successful candidates of metropolitan-level examinations.
Great Leap Forward (1958–1962), campaign by the Communist Party of China to transform the predominantly agricultural country into a socialist one by means of rapid industrialization.
Guozijian (国子监), the Imperial College; the highest educational administrative agency and the top academic institute of the Qing Dynasty. It was abolished in 1905.
Huijiang (会讲), a traditional method or form of academic exchange in China, similar to seminars nowadays: someone gives a presentation, or several people state their opinions on a topic, followed by a discussion or debate.
Huishi (会试), a metropolitan-level examination held in the national capital to select candidates for the Palace Examination.
Jingguan (经馆), senior level Sishu (see this list of terms), only accepted literate students to learn classic canons and articles.
Jinshi (进士), the highest academic title in Imperial China. Most candidates participating in Palace Examinations would obtain this title.
Juren (举人), successful candidates of provincial-level examinations. Juren were qualified to participate in metropolitan-level examinations (Huishi).
Keju (科举), Imperial Examinations: a system of civil service examinations existing in Imperial China to select candidates for the government bureaucracy.
Keshi (科试), the pre-selection examination for the provincial-level examination among Shengyuan (see this list of terms). Not all Shengyuan were qualified to participate in provincial examinations. A Shengyuan wanting to sit for provincial examination first had to pass a Keshi (see this list of terms).
Manchu Eight Banners (满洲八旗), the military and social structure of the Manchu people. In Qing China, Banners were an elite class of professional soldiers with hereditary status. Their salary and welfare system were provided by the state.
Memorial to the throne (奏折), a report written by officials for presenting a memorial to the emperor. It could contain various types of information on local circumstances.
Mengguan (蒙馆), junior level Sishu (see this list of terms), for elementary education including basic reading and writing.
Neiwufu (内务府), the general administration of Imperial affairs in the Qing dynasty.
Ningbo Nüshu (宁波女塾), the first girls’ missionary school in China, established by Mary Ann Aldersey, an Englishwoman, in 1844, two years after the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing.
Presented School Regulations (奏定学堂章程), an official education system established by the central government of Qing China. The 1904 system was the first modern school system implemented by the state.
Qianjiashi (千家诗), one of the most popular traditional textbooks in China for the starting years of elementary education. It is a collection of several hundred classical poems, written by more than 120 poets from various dynasties, which reflect a wide range of themes.
Qianziwen (千字文), one of the most popular traditional textbooks in China for the starting years of elementary education. It was mainly used for teaching Chinese characters. It is composed of around 1,000 different Chinese characters. Each sentence contains four characters, none of which are repeated elsewhere in the book.
Sanzijing (三字经), one of the most popular traditional textbooks in China for the first years of elementary schooling on Chinese characters. It also contains some general knowledge about nature and society, as well as and general rules of a moral nature about being human. Some basic knowledge of history, astronomy, geography, literature and art, together with some popular stories about human virtues, are included in this book in the form of rhyming sentences. Each sentence is comprised of only three characters, making them easy to read and recite.
Shanghai Jingzheng Nüxue (上海经正女学), the first Chinese-run school for girls initiated by a member of the local elite, Jing Yuanshan (经元善), in 1898 in Shanghai.
Shengyuan (生员), the first level of academic titles, also commonly called Xiucai (秀才), earned by successful candidates of Yuanshi (see this list of terms). Shengyuan were qualified to participate in provincial-level examinations, as well as enjoying officially sanctioned social privileges, such as exemption from corvee labour, access to local government facilities, and limited immunity in situations that would normally result in corporal punishment.
Shexue (社学), community-level primary school in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties; an official school set up by local governments mainly in rural areas.
Shuyuan (书院), traditional academy or college of classical learning in China.
Sishu (私塾), traditional private primary school.
Taiping rebellion (太平天国起义), a peasant uprising in China, which lasted from 1850 to 1864 under the leadership of a village teacher and unsuccessful imperial examination candidate Hong Xiuquan. It started in Guangxi Province and ravaged 17 provinces. It was deemed as one of the bloodiest civil wars (took an estimated 20 million lives) in Chinese history and irrevocably altered the Qing Dynasty.
The Implementing Rules of General Secondary Education (中学校令实施规则), implementation details of the Decree of General Secondary Education issued by the Ministry of Education of Republican China in December 1912. It is about various practical issues of general secondary education.
Tong Ru Yuan (通儒院), the graduate school affiliated with the Imperial University of Peking under the 1904 system of education. Before the Tong Ru Yuan could become well established, however, the Qing dynasty was replaced by Republican China, and so this school never came into existence.
Tongsheng (童生), under the keju (see this list of terms) system, people striving for the first title of Shengyuan (see this list of terms) were referred to as Tongsheng.
Wuqi Daxue (五七大学), a type of agricultural technical school at the level of university and existed in certain regions from 1966 to ca. 1980. On May 7th, 1966, Mao Zedong proclaimed that school education should be combined with productive activities. Consequently, general secondary schools were transformed into Wuqi Daxue all over the country. The duration was very short (generally 1–1.5 years) and students were selected among peasants, workers and soldiers with different educational background. They were required to spend sometimes on studying and sometimes on productive activities. Their core courses were still at a level equivalent to senior secondary schools but, like universities, they provided a variety of specialized classes.
Xiangshi (乡试), provincial-level examinations; these were held in provincial capitals to screen for candidates for metropolitan-level examinations.
Xianshi (县试), the first entry-level examination in the Chinese Imperial examination system, supervised by a county magistrate in a city of the county. Only those who passed Xianshi could enter Fushi (see this list of terms).
Xianxue (县学), an official school in a county town under Keju (see this list of terms) system.
Xiucai (秀才), other term for Shengyuan (see list of terms).
Yixue (义学), morality school existing from the Song to Qing Dynasty; established for poor students by local governments, local communities or local gentry, as a charitable act.
Yuanshi (院试), the final entry-level examinations in the Chinese Imperial examination system; Yuanshi were held in a prefectural capital or county town and supervised by high-ranking provincial education officials. Successful candidates were awarded the title of Shengyuan and were qualified to participate in Keshi (see this list of terms) examinations.
Zhai (斋), usually referring to a study room or school dormitory. As an increasing number of academic fields were introduced into modernized Shuyuan (see this list of terms), students had to choose among different specializations. In this context, the word Zhai followed by the name of the specialization was also used to name each department or faculty.
Zhengtu (正途), the orthodox path of social progression: climbing the social ladder only via civil examinations was considered Zhengtu in Imperial China.
Zhouxue (州学), an official school situated in the capital of a Zhou, i.e. an administrative division, under Keju (see this list of terms) system; some Zhou were directly under provincial governments, while others were at county level.