Wpływ kultury na sposób nauczania w Chinach na przykładzie edukacji matematycznej. Część pierwsza: teoria i kontekst historyczny

Abstrakt

The article explores the cultural and philosophical roots of Chinese education, emphasizing the close link between culture and schooling. It highlights how Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism shaped educational ideals: moral cultivation and respect for authority, harmony with nature, and collective discipline. The study analyzes the imperial examination system (科举, kējǔ), which for centuries determined social mobility, reinforced rote learning, and marginalized mathematics in favor of classical Confucian texts. It also addresses the encounter with Western sciences introduced by Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century, the limited initial reception of these ideas, and the transformative impact of China’s defeats in the Opium Wars, which revealed the need for modernization. Reform attempts at the end of the Qīng (清) dynasty, though suppressed, paved the way for systemic change. Education is thus presented as both a tool of cultural transmission and an instrument of political power.