The origin of Teachers’ Day

Teacher’s Day is the only three industry festivals in my country including Nurses’ Day and Journalists’ Day. Since 1931, our country has had four Teachers' Days with different dates and natures in different historical periods.

The earliest Teachers’ Day in our country’s history was in 1931. At that time, educators Tai Shuangqiu, Cheng Qibao and others gathered at Nanjing Central University and issued a declaration calling for "improving teachers' treatment, ensuring teachers' jobs and enhancing teachers' cultivation", and agreed that June 6 would be Teachers' Day, also known as Double Six Day. Soon after, the Kuomintang government first agreed that June 6th would be Teachers’ Day. In view of the fact that June 6th Teachers’ Day was established by teachers’ voluntary organizations, it later changed Teachers’ Day to August 27th (the birthday of Confucius) and issued the “Teachers’ Day”. Interim Measures for Memorial Day, but were not implemented nationwide at that time. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central People's Government restored June 6 as Teachers' Day, and the Ministry of Education notified educators in various places that they could organize their own celebrations based on actual conditions. In 1951, the National Education Union was formed, and educators were recognized as part of the working class. On April 19, 1951, the Minister of Education and the Chairman of the National Committee of the China Education Union issued a written statement declaring "May 1st International Labor Day" as Teachers' Day at the same time. However, due to the lack of teacher characteristics on this day, the implementation results were not ideal. Especially after 1957, under the influence of "Left" ideas, teachers were not taken seriously, and Teachers' Day actually no longer exists.

"I don't know why, but as soon as I got up that morning, I suddenly thought that teachers should have their own holiday." Professor Wang Zikun, the earliest creative person of Teachers' Day and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.

On December 9, 1984, Professor Wang told the Beijing Evening News about this idea that day. The next day, the "Beijing Evening News" published an article "Principal Wang Zikun suggested launching a month of respecting teachers and emphasizing education", which aroused a strong response from readers. On December 15, Zhong Jingwen, Qi Gong, Wang Zikun, Tao Dayong, Zhu Zhixian, Huang Ji and Zhao Qinghuan of Beijing Normal University jointly proposed the establishment of Teachers' Day. On January 21, 1985, the ninth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress made a resolution to designate September 10 every year as Teachers' Day.

In order to carry forward the fine tradition of "respecting teachers and valuing education" and improving the status of teachers, the ninth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress on January 21, 1985 determined that September 10 of each year is designated as the Chinese Teachers' Day. Festival. On the first Teachers' Day, the then President Li Xiannian sent a letter of condolences to teachers across the country to congratulate the holiday. The capital held a celebration meeting with thousands of people. During Teachers' Day, 20 provinces and cities commended 11,871 provincial-level outstanding teacher groups and individuals.

In fact, as early as 1932, the Kuomintang government designated June 6 as Teachers' Day. After liberation, Teachers' Day on June 6 was abolished and replaced by "May 1st International Labor Day" as Teachers' Day. , but the teacher has no independent activities and has no characteristics. The reason why Teachers' Day is set on September 10 is to take into account the beginning of the new school year in universities, middle schools and primary schools across the country, and schools must have a new atmosphere. When new students enter school, they begin to respect teachers and teach well, which can create a good atmosphere for "teachers teach well and students learn well." September 10, 1985, was the first Teachers' Day established in China. Since then, teachers have had their own holiday.

The establishment of Teachers' Day symbolizes that teachers are respected by the whole society in our country. That's because teachers' jobs determine, to a large extent, the future of our country. The work of teachers is closely related to every family, every child, teenager, and youth. Teachers play a huge role in the development and progress of human society. Teachers are the engineers who forge human civilization and are the disseminators and builders of human civilization. The continuity of the development of human civilization depends on the work of teachers from generation to generation. If a society, a country, and a nation do not have the hard and effective work of teachers, then the civilization process of this society, country, and nation will suffer losses. Therefore, a history of civilization is unimaginable without teachers.

Since then, every Teacher’s Day, teachers across the country have celebrated their own festivals in different ways. Through selection and awards, introducing experience, helping to solve practical difficulties in salary, housing, medical care, etc., and improving teaching conditions, the enthusiasm of teachers in engaging in education has been greatly improved.

In the past, probably in the time of Confucius, there was Teachers’ Day. In the beginning, each teacher had a number of disciples, and these disciples would always meet every year to hold a simple and solemn ceremony on the master's birthday, sending respect and blessings to the master with a pious attitude.

Later, the students also had students, and the matter became a bit confusing, because there were more and more masters, and the students became more and more tired. They had to spend a lot of time and energy to learn how to express reverence to the master on his birthday. Attitude, etiquette and skills even took up students' time to study scientific and cultural knowledge. In the end, etiquette itself became a science simply and confidently, and people's way of expressing reverence to their master became more and more reasonable, legal and logical. There is no doubt that etiquette is unprecedentedly complicated and boring. When it becomes a subject, people who criticize it as being complicated and boring will be judged as ignorant, so people no longer doubt the value of this subject, so living in continue.

The atmosphere of respecting teachers and respecting morality quickly spread in the Central Plains. Every teacher has his own irreplaceable festival. And every teacher will express blessings and gratitude to the teacher reverently, faithfully, and solemnly on countless festivals that belong to his master. Later, things changed, and people discovered that those who were the leading figures in the academic world would always receive the most worship and gratitude, because their disciples could be found in every corner of the country, including even masters who lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests. Taishan-level figures quickly became popular in the Jianghu, academies, fields and markets under the etiquette culture of respecting and worshiping teachers. Later, people were surprised to find that the person who burned incense and knelt down in worship on a certain day was actually the same person. It turned out that this man had collected all the scholars in the world under his disciples. In fact, this was a very long process, but he became the master of the world overnight, a great man, a saint, and even a god. The so-called Teacher's Day was probably fixed on a certain day at this point in time.