Abstract: G. A. Hoadley’s A Brief Course in General Physics Experimental and Applied, which was translated by Zia Honglai as Wuli xue (Physics) and published by the Commercial Press in 1904, was introduced to China under the Gui-Mao Educational System (1904) in the Late Qing dynasty. Zia’s Physics was the first physics textbook which introduced student laboratory work into China. Based on Hoadley’s personal details and the publishing background of his book, this paper analyzes the forms, contents, instructional aims, apparatuses and operational norms of the experiments in the book. Combining the static text analysis and the dynamic interpretation of the instructional process, this paper also expounds on the experimental education thought in the textbook.

Key Words: Physics; Textbooks; Experimentation