Youth in Chinese History: Educational Practices and Representations of Children and Young People Between Tradition and Modernity

This book explores the pedagogical practices and representations of young people in Chinese history from a multidisciplinary perspective, addressing education and childhood in modern and premodern Chinese sources. Drawing on a varied corpus of sources spanning from the Tang period (618–907) to the Republican era (1912–1949), this book examines how concepts of childhood were shaped, transmitted, and transformed in imperial and early Republican China, responding to shifting social, cultural, and political contexts. The book also demonstrates how the scope of education in China evolved alongside society, adapting to emerging challenges and becoming an effective tool for modernisation. Presenting a nuanced understanding of how Chinese educational practices combined local traditions with external influences, it succinctly highlights youth’s role in nation-building and social renewal. By bridging humanities and social sciences, this source-rich collection is an essential reference for students and scholars researching the historical formation of childhood and youth in China.