The Practice and Influence of Japanese Teachers in Modern Chinese Women’s Education in the Late Qing Dynasty

From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, China’s disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and the abolition of the imperial examination system prompted the country to take educational modernization as the core path for national salvation and survival. Owing to its mature, modern educational system and cultural affinity, Japan became a model for China to emulate, with a large number of Japanese teachers deeply participating in the modernization of Chinese women’s education. This paper explores the historical background, practical approaches, and dual influences of this phenomenon. It argues that the demand for educational reform in China and the promotion of Japan’s foreign strategy jointly facilitated the arrival of Japanese teachers in China. Their practices, centered on political hubs and coastal regions, focused on the standardized construction of girls’ schools and the establishment of a modern early childhood education system. They advanced the transformation of women’s educational concepts, innovated educational content, laid the institutional foundation, and empowered women socially. There were also limitations. These included the “Japanization” of education, which undermined cultural autonomy, and the reinforcement of female roles through the “Good Wife, Wise Mother” doctrine. This research aims to provide insights into the transformation of women’s education in modern China and to inform contemporary international educational exchanges.