During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Chu culture with strong local style spread within the territory. On the basis of absorbing the Central Plains culture, it gradually integrated with the original indigenous culture, showing its unique charm and brilliance.
In 1044 (the fourth year of Qingli in the Northern Song Dynasty), Shaozhou Prefectural School was founded on the left side of the prefecture. Later, various counties and counties established schools one after another, promoted Confucianism and emphasized education, and the string songs were passed down from generation to generation.
In 1313 (the second year of Emperor Qing’s reign in the Yuan Dynasty), Miao chieftain Yang Zaicheng donated money to establish the Chengbu Confucian Academy, which was the first academies within the territory. Later, Baoqing Lianxi Academy and others were successively established to “introduce talents, It is beyond the reach of Guangzhou University.” The fragrance of books continues and the evolution of civilization not only creates generations of students, but also catalyzes and promotes local culture. By the Qing Dynasty, the creations of literati in the territory were in full swing, and folk art also flourished. "Enlightenment of Rhythm" written by Che Wanyu in the early Qing Dynasty is a well-known enlightenment textbook on phonology and is popular all over the country. During the Qianlong period, woodcut New Year paintings in Xixiangtantou, Shaoyang entered their heyday. Works such as "The Mouse Marries a Girl", "Harmony Brings Prosperity", and "Get Rich Every Year" spread to more than 10 provinces in Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi, and were exported to Southeast Asian countries. . Wei Yuan was not only a famous enlightenment thinker in the late Qing Dynasty, but also a poetic hero of his generation. He was as famous as Gong Zizhen and was known as "Gong Wei". The famous local chronicler and modern geographist Zou Hanxun, the poet of the Han and Wei dynasties, Wei Yuan and Daozhou He Shaoji are known as the "Three Heroes of Central Hunan". After the Opium War, the west wind spread to the east, and the horizons of the people in the city gradually opened up. Not only did literati such as Deng Fulun and Deng Yi dare to face up to the reality of foreign and domestic troubles, their poems were full of deep concern for the times and the country; Hunan culture's advanced ideas of advocating practical learning and practical application of the world were also promoted in the education sector.
In 1898 (the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), three academies including Aoshan in Wugang shifted their focus to practical learning; the Teng's Girls' School founded in Shaoyang County was the prototype of a new style of school. After that, some free schools and academies in the territory were gradually converted into primary schools, and Baoqing Mansion Middle School was established accordingly. The new schools gradually replaced the old Confucian education, and the feudal imperial examination system that lasted for more than a thousand years came to an end.
In the early years of the Republic of China, cultural and educational undertakings within the country gradually moved closer to current affairs, extending from school education to public education. After the "May 4th" movement, bookstores in the territory began to spread progressive books of the New Culture Movement. Civilized dramas, free-style poetry, vernacular novels, and essays emerged one after another, prompting Shaoyang's modern culture to join the tide of propaganda against imperialism, anti-feudalism, and democratic revolution. .
During the Anti-Japanese War, a number of progressive newspapers and schools such as "Observation Daily" founded by the Hunan Provincial Working Committee of the Communist Party of China moved to Shao. Cultural celebrities such as Lu Zhenyu, Wang Xiyan, Ai Qing, Zhang Tianyi, Jiang Muliang and others were all there. Engage in propaganda and education work within the territory to resist the war and save the nation. The craze for anti-Japanese war literature started by newspapers such as "Observation Daily", "Li Bao", "Zhen Bao" and other newspapers not only played a role in awakening the public, but also created a number of literary, artistic and journalistic talents. During this period, education also developed, and a system of establishing schools according to townships was implemented, that is, central primary schools were established in rural areas and national primary schools were guaranteed.
By 1941 (the 30th year of the Republic of China), there were 156 national central primary schools in the territory, 1,709 national primary schools in Bao, and the enrollment rate of school-age children reached 48%. Later, due to the invasion of the territory by Japanese troops and the anti-people civil war launched by the Kuomintang, the cultural and educational undertakings within the territory were severely damaged. Social and cultural groups and facilities were either closed due to the war or were destroyed by the war, and school education was not restored to pre-war levels. According to statistics from the six counties of Shaoyang, Wugang, Xinning, Chengbu, Xinhua, and Suining in the 1990s, among the total population of 3.36 million, there were 1.21 million illiterate young adults, accounting for 36% of the total population. 82%.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, social undertakings such as culture, education, science and technology, health, sports, news, and broadcasting have made great progress. On the basis of taking over and transforming the original schools, the Communist Party of China and the People's Government continued to expand the scale of running schools, widely persuaded and encouraged children of workers and peasants to enroll in schools, and at the same time carried out illiteracy eradication activities. Basic education, higher education, vocational education, and adult education flourished. develop. Traditional culture and art have been promoted, cultural undertakings such as drama, movies, and books have become increasingly prosperous, and the construction of various cultural facilities such as theaters, cinemas, cultural palaces, cultural centers, libraries, and clubs has been advancing hand in hand. Excellent traditional repertoires of Flower Drum Opera and Qi Opera such as "Fighting Birds" and "Zhaojun Leaving the Fortress" have been excavated and sorted out, and new ones brought forth from the old. A group of writers and artists such as Li An, Xie Pu and Chen Baiyi have entered the literary and art circles with their creations with strong local flavor.
The development of the broadcasting industry from scratch and the widespread circulation of various newspapers and periodicals have increasingly enriched and enlivened the cultural life of urban and rural people. A medical and health network has been gradually formed, the patriotic health campaign has been carried out in an all-round way, and some endemic and infectious diseases that threaten people's health have been controlled or eliminated, greatly improving the people's physical quality and health level.
The anti-rightist struggle in 1957 and the subsequent "Cultural Revolution" caused a large number of intellectuals to be harmed by the "left", and the development of social undertakings such as culture and education was also seriously affected. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Party committees and people’s governments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China at all levels within the territory have adopted a series of measures of strategic significance in the construction of culture, education, science and technology, health, sports and other undertakings. Respect knowledge, respect talents, and promote the simultaneous development of socialist spiritual civilization construction and material civilization construction. During this period, the historical task of popularizing primary education has been completed. The structure of secondary education has been reformed, and vocational and technical education has developed rapidly. At the same time, the layout of higher education has been adjusted, and an education system focusing on general education and comprehensively developing vocational education and adult education is taking shape. Cultural undertakings are flourishing again, old writers in the literary and art circles are rejuvenated, new authors stand out, literary societies and creative groups emerge one after another, creation is increasingly prosperous, and new works are published every year. The mountain opera "The Blind Date Pavilion" and the photography works "The Earth" and "Mountain Flowers" have won national or international awards. Art education and research have been developed with fruitful results. Television and audiovisual industries emerged and spread rapidly across urban and rural areas. A number of newspapers and magazines, such as "Shaoyang Daily", "Xinhua", and "Primary and Secondary School Music News", are brilliant and distributed throughout urban and rural areas. The scientific and technological team continues to grow, and scientific research achievements are promoted and applied. A total of 778 achievements have won municipal awards, 146 have won provincial awards, and 32 have won national awards. The construction of a large number of cultural, sports and medical and health facilities has created conditions for improving people's quality of life and health.
In 1990, the city had 3 colleges and universities, 8 secondary vocational schools, 9 technical schools, 59 rural vocational middle schools, 669 ordinary middle schools, and 4,692 ordinary primary schools. There are 3,719 college students, 292,600 middle school students, and 819,600 primary school students. There are 97 scientific research institutions, of which 57 are owned by the whole people and 20 are self-operated by enterprises. There are 94,106 scientific and technical personnel of various types. There are 290 cultural and artistic institutions, including 1 TV station, 1 radio station, 3 TV transmitting stations and relay stations; 2 gymnasiums and 10 stadiums. There are 923 medical and health institutions, including 461 hospitals with 12,126 beds.
In 2011, all three levels of compulsory education reached the standard. The construction of colleges and universities has achieved new development, and Shaoyang College has successfully applied for a master's degree. 712 school construction projects have been completed, school conditions have gradually improved, and Xiangfeng School in the urban area is about to be completed. The pace of scientific and technological innovation is accelerating. The integration of industry, academia and research is becoming increasingly close, with more than 130 companies carrying out technical cooperation with universities and scientific research institutes. Three companies were included in the construction of provincial engineering technology research centers, and 67 projects were included in national and provincial science and technology plans. 550 patents were authorized, and the "National Intellectual Property Pilot City" passed national acceptance. The output value of high-tech industries reached 23 billion yuan, an increase of 33%. The free opening of "Three Halls and One Station" was officially launched. All 101 construction projects of township cultural stations have been completed. There are 3,935 farmhouse bookstores, covering 71% of the city’s administrative villages. Chengbu Diaolong and Wugang Silk String were selected into the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. The rectification of the cultural market has been intensified, and cultural supervision work has been rated as advanced in the country. The city's mixed population coverage of radio and television reached 78.2% and 92.2% respectively. The city's cultural industry revenue has reached more than 2.6 billion yuan, gradually becoming a new economic growth point. A number of county and township hospitals have been renovated and the drug system has been fully covered. The prevention and control of major epidemics has been carried out, and the New Rural Cooperative Medical System universal benefit safety project and Double Ten and other actions to benefit the people have been launched.
In 2013, the city’s three general colleges and universities enrolled 8,100 students, an increase of 5.2% over the previous year, with 27,100 students enrolled and 8,300 graduates. Secondary vocational education enrollment of various types was 23,400, a decrease of 4.5%, with 67,100 students enrolled and 24,800 graduates. Regular high school enrollment was 41,100, a decrease of 1.9%, with 115,600 students and 33,700 graduates. The total enrollment of junior high schools and primary schools was 208,800, a decrease of 3.8%, with 881,200 students enrolled and 176,700 graduates.
Special education enrollment is 0.06 million, and the number of students in school is 0.23 million. There were 192,000 children in kindergartens, an increase of 9.2%. There are 60 private schools of various types, with 71,500 students enrolled. The enrollment rate of primary school-age children and the enrollment rate of graduates have both reached 100%.