ReEvaluation of the Study on the OldStyle Private School since the Late Qing Dynasty

The term old-style private school(sishu,私塾),always called by people today,almost never appeared in classical literature.Till the Imperial Examination System was abolished in 1905,the neologist began to use the term sishu to differentiate the traditional education institute from the modern school,but the neologism was not known very well by common people.Therefore,it is improper to call all kinds of the traditional schools in history as old-style private school.Additionally,the term indicated the system of knowledge power which came into being as a result of the competition between the traditional culture and the western culture in modern China.Due to the preference to new things,the term always used as a derogatory one which suggested that the educational contents and forms were outdated.So the description of the educational history in modern China is inappropriate by the paradigm of the new vs.the old,the traditional vs.the modern and the normal vs.the abnormal.Or else,it will not only distort the fact,resulting in making false impression on the educational institution in history,but also shade the trait of the traditional education which can be introduced into education of the present age.It can be concluded that in the process of pursuit of the truth,scholars should be cautious to use neologisms formed in modern China.