Military education and training in China () is a fundamental form of higher learning covering defence education as required by ''The Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China'' and ''The Decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party about Education System Reform''.

History

Military training traces back to the feudal era in China. According to ''the Book of Rites'' and ''Zhou'', the

Western Zhou Dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nom ...

had two levels of studies:

guoxue Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, Chinese language, language, Chinese literature, literature, Chinese culture, culture and History of China, history and ...

and xiangxue. The University in the Western Zhou Dynasty focused on

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and teachers were military officers. The major content of military training was learning

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

and driving

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

s. This is the earliest known instance of military training. Later dynasties continued the practice. During the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

the

Baoding Military Academy Baoding Military Academy or Paoting Military Academy () was a military academy based in Baoding, during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, in the first two decades of the 20th century. For a time, it was the most important milita ...

was set up for training officers in modern industrial-era warfighting techniques. During the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

reign, the

Whampoa Military Academy The Republic of China Military Academy () is the service academy for the army of the Republic of China, located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung. Previously known as the the military academy produced commanders who fought in many of China ...

was organized for officer training and

boy scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

training also existed. In July 1955, the first ''military service law'' was issued, which first required high school students and undergraduates to take military training. That winter, pilot projects were conducted at

Beijing Sport University Beijing Sport University (BSU) (), formerly known as "Central Institute of Physical Education" () and "Beijing Institute of Physical Education" (), is a nation-level public university located in Beijing, China. It is one of the National Key Univ ...

and Beijing Iron and Steel Engineering Institute, which were followed by twelve other higher education institutes. More than 10,000 students were trained. From 1955 to 1957, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of National Defence authorized 127 schools to carry out military training. The number of trained students reached over 70,000. At that time, higher education institutes focused more on training technical reserve officers, while high schools paid more attention to basic military training. In the early 1960s first grade students in 38 institutes of higher learning and 70 senior high schools and trade schools from 53 cities experimented with military training with the authority of the State Council. After the

Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee The 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was a pivotal meeting of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing, China, from December 18 to December 22, 1978. The conference ma ...

, the government expanded military training given political stability and a growing economy. As of 2012, almost 500 universities and colleges and 3000

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

s provided military training. The

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

administers several institutions for military education. These include the Academy of Military Science, National Defence University,

National University of Defense Technology The National University of Defense Technology (NUDT; ) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Changsha, Hunan, China. Founded in 1953 as the People's Liberation Army Military Academy of Engineering, ...

, 301 Hospital, 307 Hospital, and the Army Command College.

Purpose

*To promote the spirit of patriotism and improve the idea of defence *To develop good will and characters *To shape collectivism *To promote the

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

*To reinforce the ideology of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics *To benefit later learning

Student training

According to the ''Law of the People's Republic of China on National Defense Education'', pupils, middle school students and undergraduates should have military training when term opens or after National Day. Until high school, students practise basic formation and movement. High school students drill and study emergency evacuation, as well as national defence. Undergraduates take formal military training and emergency evacuation.

Drill and formation

Formation training (队形训练) includes stand at attention (立正), stand at ease (稍息), footwork (步法), salute (敬礼) and review.

References

External links

Official Website
* {{cite web, url=http://www.mongabay.com/history/china/china-education_and_training.html , title=China-Education and Training , publisher=Mongabay.com , date= , accessdate=2013-05-14