Educational Reform Strategies of the Meiji Restoration and the Westernization Movement: A Comparison of Motivation and Effect

This paper discusses and compares the strategies for educational reform in Japan's Meiji Restoration and the Westernization Movement in China during the mid-19th century from three aspects: motivation, measure, and consequence. The two countries initiated reforms to meet the stimulus of the West with the goal to modernize and reinforce national capability. Japan's Meiji Restoration applied all-round change: an establishment of the modern education system based on popularizing primary education, studying abroad, and founding universities. It had thus promoted Japan's transition to a strong industrial power. In comparison, China's Westernization Movement adopted a conservative attitude toward Western culture, placing stress on technological progress while failing to eliminate the feudal restrictions of the system. The failure of the movement in modernization was due to the ideological rigidness and insufficiency of structural reform in establishing new schools and sending students abroad. It indicates that political and social conditions play an important role in the success or failure of educational reform and presents an enlightening message about the transforming function of education in nation modernization.