In the second half of the nineteenth century, local leaders around the
Qing empire attempted to rebuild in the aftermath of domestic rebellion
and imperialist aggression. At the same time, the enthronement of a
series of children brought the question of reconstruction into the heart
of the capital. Chinese scholars, Manchu and Mongolian officials, and
writers in the press all competed to have their ideas included in the
education of young rulers. Each group hoped to use the power of the
emperor--both his functional role within the bureaucracy and his
symbolic role as an exemplar for the people--to promote reform.
Daniel Barish explores debates surrounding the education of the final
three Qing emperors, showing how imperial curricula became proxy battles
for divergent visions of how to restabilize the country. He sheds light
on the efforts of rival figures, who drew on China's dynastic history,
Manchu traditions, and the statecraft tools of imperial powers as they
sought to remake the state. Barish traces how court education reflected
arguments over the introduction of Western learning, the fate of the
Manchu Way, the place of women in society, notions of constitutionalism,
and emergent conceptions of national identity. He emphasizes how
changing ideas of education intersected with a push for a renewed
imperial center and national unity, helping create a model of rulership
for postimperial regimes. Through the lens of the education of young
emperors, Learning to Rule develops a new understanding of the late
Qing era and the relationship between the monarchy and the nation in
modern China.
