Why Boy Scouts? The prevalence of the Scouting movement for child training in Republican China, 1911-1925

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the militarisation of school life was the primary motivation and the ideological basis for the introduction and promotion of the Boy Scouts in China. Church schools used Scouting to expand the influence of the schools themselves and even their religion. Chinese and western educators in Republican China jointly promoted the process of 'sinicisation' of Scouting, allowing young children to experience the fun while winning the recognition of the general public. Compared with the original British Scouting, this 'sinicisation' is mainly reflected in the Scout Motto, Oath and Law rather than organisation and training content. Early Scouting in Republican China further proves that Scouting is both military and educational. It was also its dual role that contributed to the Kuomintang's decision to directly lead the Boy Scouts in 1926.