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Hong-xi: Year 1, Month 7, Day 12

26 Jul 1425

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The Jiao-zhi Provincial Administration Commission memorialized: "Since the Confucian schools were first established in the various prefectures, subprefectures and counties in the 13th year of the Yong-le reign (1415/16), no appointments have been made by the Court, and the teachers are mainly native people. Only a few of the instructors are familiar with the classics and very few of the students know how to read. Also, their language is coarse and their actions rude and, even those who have studied have not become versed in Chinese ways. If prefectural, subprefectural and county instructors are appointed to guide the training of the native people, to provide correct models and to demonstrate the ways of education, then day by day the students will be thoroughly imbued with what they see and hear. Thereby, their man and yi ways will be changed and again they will take on the ways of the Chinese. This would certainly be a wonderful thing!" The Emperor said: "The ancients said: `There should be no differentiation in employing the worthy'. They also noted: `In teaching there should not be any distinction between classes'. Teachers act as models. Using Chinese ways to change barbarian ways--there is nothing more important than this. Order the Ministry of Personnel to select suitable personnel and make the appointments."

Xuan-zong: juan 3.12b-13a

Zhong-yang Yan-jiu yuan Ming Shi-lu, volume 16, page 0090/91

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Preferred form of citation for this entry:

Geoff Wade, translator, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource, Singapore: Asia Research Institute and the Singapore E-Press, National University of Singapore, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/reign/hong-xi/year-1-month-7-day-12, accessed January 22, 2019