The Cultivation of the Chinese Character
Introduction
"The Cultivation of the Chinese Character" is Mr. Cai Yuanpei's outstanding work on civic moral education, which includes his seminal texts "Lectures for the Workers' School" and "Textbook on Ethics for Secondary Schools", along with several related essays. This book masterfully integrates the self-cultivation principles of traditional Chinese culture with modern civic education principles. Through everyday examples and a blend of theory with practice, it provides detailed and concrete methods for nurturing civic moral development. Serving as a bridge between China's ethical heritage and contemporary values, this work stands as an essential moral guide worthy of being read by all Chinese citizens.
978-981-17740-2-7
Part I
Chapter 1 Self-Cultivation
Section 1 General Principles
Section 2 Physical Education
Section 3 Habits
Section 4 Diligence
Section 5 Self-Restraint
Section 6 Courage
Section 7 The Cultivation of Learning
Section 8 Cultivating Virtue
Section 9 Friendship
Section 10 Following a Teacher
Chapter 2 Family
Section 1 General Discussion
Section 2 Children
Section 3 Parents
Section 4 Husband and Wife
Section 5 Brothers and Sisters
Section 6 Family Relations and the Master-Servant Relationship
Chapter 3 Society
Section 1 General Discussion
Section 2 Life
Section 3 Property
Section 4 Reputation
Section 5 Universal Love and Public Welfare
Section 6 Comity and Dignity
Chapter 4 The State
Section 1 General Discussion
Section 2 The Law
Section 3 Taxation
Section 4 Military Service
Section 5 Education
Section 6 Patriotism
Section 7 International Relations and Humanity
Chapter 5 Occupation
Section 1 General Discussion
Section 2 Employers and Employees
Section 3 Government Officials
Section 4 Doctors
Section 5 Teachers
Section 6 Merchants
Part II
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Theory of Conscience
Section 1 Behavior
Section 2 Motivation
Section 3 The Essence and Function of Conscience
Section 4 The Origin of Conscience
Chapter 3 The Doctrine of Ideals
Section 1 General Discussion
Section 2 The Doctrine of Happiness
Section 3 The Doctrine of Self-Restraining
Section 4 The Doctrine of Realization
Chapter 4 On Duty
Section 1 The Nature and Origin of Duty
Section 2 Distinction of Duties
Section 3 Responsibility of Duty
Chapter 5 On Morality
Section 1 The Essence of Morality
Section 2 Types of Morality
Section 3 Cultivating Morality
Chapter 6 Conclusion
Thirty Chapters of Moral Education
The Ten Chapters on Intellectual Cultivation
Part III
On the Improvement of Society
Worldview and Outlook on Life
Cultivating Beautiful and Noble Thoughts—Speech at Shanghai Chengdong Girls’ School
Inaugural Address as the President of Peking University
At the Joint Lecture of the Diligence, Encouragement of Learning, and Oratory Societies of Nankai School
The Cultivation of Science—Speech at the Cultivation Society of Beijing Normal School
Duties and Rights —Speech at Beijing Women’s Normal School
My New Outlook on Life
On the Youth Movement
How to Be a Modern Student
Aesthetic Education and Life
My Experience in Reading
Appendix: My Experience at Peking University
Author(s) Information
Author: CAI Yuanpei
Translator: FENG Xiaolong
About the Translator:
FENG Xiaolong, an Associate Professor and postgraduate supervisor, is a certified TEFL teacher in China with over a decade of experience in university English education. With a Master‘s degree in English language and literature from Dalian University of Foreign Language and a Ph.D. in organization development, Dr. Feng‘s research interests span a diverse range of fields, including foreign language learning motivation, international organization talent cultivation, organizational development, and Western drama. He has also published an academic monograph and contributed to several international academic journals. In the realm of teaching, his dedication to English teaching has been recognized with several accolades, such as the Third Prize in the national final round of the ―Teaching Star‖ Competition organized by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) in 2023, and the Second Prize for Excellent Micro-Course in the Ninth National College English Teaching Basic Skills Competition in 2024. In 2020, he coached the students in the 5th ―LSCAT‖ Zhejiang Provincial Translation Competition, one won the Second Prize in the Chinese to English undergraduate group, the other won the Third Prize in the English to Chinese undergraduate group. As an enthusiast of translation, he is committed to continuous learning to stay abreast of the latest translation trends and technologies, with the goal of facilitating clear communication across borders and enhancing the understanding between different cultures and languages.
