In 1911, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown in the Revolution of1911, and China stepped into a new era---the Republic Period. In this short period of time lasting only 40 years, gigantic changes took place in China on aspects of social politics, economy and culture. As the autocratic monarchy was overthrown, the bureaucratic apparatus, imperial examination system and ceremonies and proprieties associated with it were all abolished. China started to transit from a semi-colony to a modern new society. It was a time of turmoil for China, beset by internal disturbance and foreign aggression. It was also a time when revolutionary movements rose one after another. Having gotten rid of the high-handed ruling Qing government, and motivated by revolutionary thought, Chinese Muslims walked out of a blocked situation, and recovered and built up their nationalconsciousness. They began to consider changes on various aspects such as equality of political status, improvement of economy, development of education and freedom of religious belief. As a result, a new Islamic cultural movement was initiated by the Muslim scholars who were both well versed in religion and had a modern mind.
1)? Birth of New Islamic SchoolsAround the Revolution of 1911, motivated by bourgeois democratic thought, Hui Muslims in inland China were active in cultural movement, religious reform and educational development, attempting to adapt Chinese Islam to the new historic trend. Many well-known figures within Islamic circles connected the fortune of the state with that of their nation and religion, placing “loving and defending the motherland” above all others. For example, Ding Zhuyuan, an advanced Chinese Muslim, proclaimed: “To defend the state is to defend Islam; to love the state is to love oneself”; “No matter which religion one follows, being a Chinese citizen, one should endeavor together with others for the fortune of our country. Could the religion survive if the country collapsed?” They also proposed strengthening the unity of the Huis with the Hans, saying that they should adhere to their own religions while respect the other"sfreedom of religious belief. Confronted by the actual situation that very few Muslims were literate, and many people knew little about Islam, they pointed out that only when both the economy and education of the Huis was developed could Islam show its charm. With their motivation and efforts, new Muslim schools sprang up like mushrooms all over the country where Muslims were concentrated. The reason why they were called “new schools” was that they differed essentially from traditional Islamic education. In these schools, natural and social sciences such as geography, maths, physics and chemistry were taken as major courses just as other ordinary schools had done, while they offered courses on religion as well, which was the continuity of traditionalIslamic education. The educational objective of the new schools was not only to foster capable persons for Islamic causes but also to cultivate useful persons for society. Thus the students that the new schools had educated were scattered in all walks of life, not only confined to Islamic circles. Though some of the new schools were established in mosques or run by mosques, the method by which they were run had made them socialized, exerting a positive influence upon all circles.
From the time Tong Cong, a well-known Muslim in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, established “Mu Yuan School” in 1906, Muslim primary schools rose one after another all over the country, among which the eminent ones were mostly run by well- known Islamic educationalists, such as Jingshi (now Beijing) Muslim Bi-Level (primary and secondary) School run by Wan Kuan at the Niujie Mosque in 1908, the “Xie Jin Primary School” run by educationalist Ma Linyi in Shaoyang, Hunan, in 1906. At the same time, Muslims came to realize the importance of the new type of education at secondary level, and set up a number of secondary and normal schools, such as Muslim Secondary School (renamed as Northwest Public School later) established in 1928, Mu Xing Secondary School run by Sun Zhongwei and others in Hangzhou in 1928, Ming De Secondary School run by YangWenbo and others in Kunming in 1930, Crescent Woman"s Secondary School initiated collectively by Yang Xinmin, Chen Yongxiang, Zhao Zhenwu, Ma Songting, Wang Mengyang and others in Beijing in 1935. The normal schools established in this period of time are: Shanghai Islamic Normal School, Wanxian Islamic Normal School in Sichuan, and Yunting Normal School in Ningxia, which was the first public Islamic normal school in China. Among all the schools established in this period of time, Chengda Normal School is worth mentioning most. Chengda, the name of the school, indicates fostering character and ability.