The great volunteer of Mr. Cai Yuanpei lies in the fact that he wanted to create talents for China all his life, and the road he took all his life was the education and patriotic avenue. He educated without forgetting patriotism, patriotism without forgetting education.
In the history of modern China, the noblest intellectuals of personality is Cai Yuanpei. He has had a great impact on education, academics, ideology and even politics. He has done his best to fulfill his responsibilities as an intellectual, and has always been inclined to innovative and aggressive things, and has the merit of pioneering and leading, which is worthy of a generation of masters.
Without Cai Yuanpei, there would be no May Fourth Movement. When it comes to the May Fourth Movement, it will be associated with Cai Yuanpei, without the students of Peking University to advocate the trend, promote cultural reform, there is no May Fourth Movement; without the President of Peking University's enlightened and enterprising, to support the actions of students, there is no May Fourth Movement. The president of Peking University at that time was none other than Cai Yuanpei, who was also the first chief education officer of the Republic of China after the Xinhai Revolution.
The activities of Cai Yuanpei after he became the president of education are better known, while those of Cai Yuanpei before the Xinhai Revolution are less known. Undoubtedly, his contribution is mainly after the Republic of China. However, if we want to explore his cultural, ideological and political activities in the second half of his life, his ideological tendencies and political activities in the first half of his life cannot be ignored. Cai Yuanpei is a successful and typical representative of the transition between old and new in modern Chinese history.
Cai Yuanpei was born in Tongzhi six years (1867), his hometown is Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and Lu Xun's hometown. Shaoxing is known as the origin of the "master". Shaoxing's cultural flavor is very heavy, is a place full of literati. Cai Yuanpei's birth name was A Pei, and he was called Yuanpei when he joined the school, and his character was Zimin. His father was a bank manager, and the Cai family has been in business for several generations, with no one in his ancestry studying for a degree.
Cai Yuanpei was six years old into the family school reading, from the "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters" read, read the "Four Books", "Five Classics". Afterwards, his teacher taught him the "eight-legged essay", also known as the "system of art" or "current literature", as a means of coping with the imperial examinations. By the third year of Guangxu (1877), Yuanpei was eleven years old, his father died, because his father was a generous person, a loan must be answered, after the death of the debt, the proprietor ordered compensation. His friends tried to raise money to help him, but Zhou, Yuanpei's mother, refused to do so. From this, Yuanpei generous temperament, is the inheritance of the father, and do not take, do not speak rashly, it has been taught by the mother.
Cai Yuanpei fourteen to seventeen years old three or four years, Yuanpei taught in the same county, an old scholar Wang Maoxiu, under the influence of Wang's teacher, the most worship of Song Confucianism. In the period of study, Guangxu nine years (1883), Yuanpei seventeen years old enrolled in the complementary Zhusheng (Xiu Cai), give up "lifting industry", specializing in elementary school and scripture, a wide range of free reading, and no longer go to the Wang Maoxiu study. After leaving the private school, two years at home to set up a library to teach, and went to Hangzhou to participate in the township examinations (exams), the first failed. From the age of twenty, he stopped teaching and studied at the home of his fellow villager Xu Shulan. Xu's family had built the "Gu Yue Collection Building", which had a lot of books, so he had the opportunity to read a lot of books. He was a scholar and a philosopher who favored exegesis and philosophy, and he favored Confucianism, Literature, Art and Literature in history, which was a popular method of study at that time.
The fifteenth year of Guangxu (1889) at the age of twenty-three, Yuanpei to participate in the rural examination in Zhejiang, won the graduate. The following year went to Beijing to participate in the examination, the examination, to become a tribute, must be qualified by the temple test for a scholar, but Yuanpei did not participate in the undergraduate temple test, after two years to become a scholar. Liang Qichao countryside test and he was the same year, but will try the exhaustive test of fame and fortune, visible in the imperial examinations on the road, Cai Yuanpei than Liang Qichao much smoother. It turns out that the examiner Wang artemisin appreciated his article, admitted him, so there are people called Yuanpei is "artemisin disciple". He was the thirty-fourth scholar in the second grade, and the examiner, Sir Robert Kotewall, admired him and praised him as "a young man with a clear understanding of the scriptures, and his writing is extremely ancient and elegant, and he is also a great talent".
In the nineteenth year of Guangxu (1893), the second year after he received his bachelor's degree, at the age of twenty-seven, Cai Yuanpei was authorized to be a member of the Hanlin Academy, and to compile and revise the history of the country. The new Hanlin is qualified to write to the provinces to sell money, which is called "playing the autumn breeze". In July, Cai Yuanpei had a trip to the south, first in Guangzhou to stay, after winter, and then to Chaozhou relatives, living in Wen Xian Street, No. 10, Yuan issued store. Had written a couplet for the owner, the couplet is "over the matter of a false view of a yes, and people and gas to observe the group," which shows that Cai Yuanpei's attitude towards people, has always been a false view of a valley, treating people and gas.
The following year, and then to Beijing to participate in the "scattered Museum" examination. After a certain period of time, because of the common people's scholar, must participate in the screening examination, called the scattered Museum, qualified to be awarded to the editorial, unqualified to be appointed as a county. Cai Yuanpei successfully passed the scattered Museum examination, and rose to supplement the Hanlin Academy editorial. In June of the same year, the "Sino-Japanese War" broke out, the capital was tense, he was in the United Kingdom, Germany to Royal Japanese sang, and Wen Ting style signed together. This year, he also did half a year in Li Ciming Beijing apartment schoolteacher. In November, the great writer Li Ciming died, Yuanpei for his posthumous work "Yue Aman Hall Diary" in print.
At this time, Kang and Liang's reforms were in full bloom, and Cai Yuanpei's thinking was also biased towards the reforms. He set up a "East Literature Society" with friends in the year of the Hundred Days of the Past to study Japanese. Learning Japanese was a quick way to acquire foreign knowledge. Cai Yuanpei's early knowledge of the West, in addition to some from the Chinese translation of Western books, mainly from Japanese books.
At that time, Kang, under the door of Liang, he most admired Tan Sitong, and Liang Qichao with the relationship between the same year in the year of the examination, according to say that he will be with Kang, Liang with the line of the new line, the situation can be expected. However, his character is ashamed to be attached to the hot people, Yang Rui want to pull together, but he refused. September, the Hundred Days Reform coup happened, the conservatives control the whole situation, the Hundred Days Reform of all the new policies, in addition to the Beijing University College is still retained, all in the twinkling of an eye were overthrown.
Cai Yuanpei was sympathetic to the reformists, and he was y convinced that the failure of the reform was "due to the failure to cultivate the talents of the reformers first, and wanted to use a few people to seize power, and to exclude the old and the stubborn, and could not help but see the situation is difficult". Although he is not Kang party, because of sympathy for the new, and have deep friendship arrested, inevitably suspected of being a figure of the new school, had to leave his post and return to the south. This is the turning point of Cai Yuanpei's life, he has seen that the Manchu government has no hope.
Cai Yuanpei returned to the south, that is, in Shaoxing gentleman Xu Shulan organized by a middle school called "Chinese and Western School" as a school supervisor (principal). This is the beginning of Yuanpei's service in the new school. The school was divided into high school, junior high school and high school "Sansai". Subjects were divided into arts, mathematics and science, and foreign languages were English, French and Japanese. Cai Yuanpei and Huang Zhongyu and children of the faculty was then Shaoxing a choice, students in the future is talented. Such as later served as president of Peking University, that is, Cai Yuanpei's successor Jiang Menglin, and the school's geology professor Wang Lie, is that time the first fast of the elementary school students; Central Academy of Sciences Secretary Ma Jiguang and Zhejiang Education Shen Guanglie, is the third fast of the high school students.
In the Chinese and Western academies, the old and the new is very obvious, Cai Yuanpei because too much in favor of the new school, the old school of the Hall of Dong time to add pressure. Finally, he resigned angrily to show that he was not willing to compromise with the old forces.
Cai Yuanpei is still in the Chinese and Western schools supervise the appointment, the original wife gave birth to his second son, called Wuji, but soon Wang that is due to postpartum disorders, and the world long death. Before the first anniversary, there were many matchmakers asking for a renewal, and Yuanpei put forward five conditions: first, the woman must not be foot-bound; second, she must be literate; third, the man must not take a concubine; fourth, after the man's death, the woman could remarry; and, fifth, the couple could be divorced if they didn't get along.
Men marrying concubines was considered natural at the time, while remarriage and divorce were shocking. In this case alone, we can already know that Cai Yuanpei's emphasis on gender equality and the breaking of traditional social customs, and how greatly he was influenced by the Restoration Movement. Because the conditions were too harsh, after several matchmaking, it was difficult to find a suitable woman as a step-mother. A year later, visited the daughter of Jiangxi Huang Erxuan Huang Zhongyu, days foot, work book, talented, so married in Hangzhou.
Their wedding is unique, the form of chic, congratulatory speech is also harmonious, some people know that he advocates equality between men and women, deliberately said at the congratulatory banquet: "If Mrs. Huang's learning is higher than Mr. Cai, Mr. Cai should be treated as a teacher, not only equality? If Mrs. Huang is not as good as Mr. Cai, then Mr. Cai should be treated as a disciple, and how equal?" Cai Yuanpei replied: "In terms of learning behavior, inherently sequential, in terms of human character, always equal." Said the whole room without any approval.
Cai Yuanpei left the Chinese and Western schools, still dedicated to the cause of education. Gengzi, Xinchou between, that is, 1900 ~ 1901, for the Shaoxing overseas farmers to set up a small school. And in zhejiang province city to change a school for teacher training school, but for the local big gentry and when the road and unsuccessful. In the spring of that year, he was transferred to the Nanyang Public School as the chief teacher of the special class.
Shanghai Nanyang Public School was the predecessor of Jiao Tong University, founded in Guangxu twenty-third year (1897), divided into the Normal School, the upper school, the middle school and the outer school of the four departments, the outer school that is the elementary school. In the spring of Guangxu 27 (1901), an additional "special class" was opened, which enrolled 42 private school students and aspirants to Western learning, and was scheduled to teach them foreign languages and worldly knowledge, and those who excelled were guaranteed to be admitted to the "Economic Special Section". Cai Yuanpei was the chief instructor of this special class.
At that time, the students of the special class wanted to learn Japanese, Yuanpei used his half-baked Japanese to teach the students to choose to read politics, law, diplomacy, finance, economics, philosophy and other disciplines of the professional book, requiring students to write a daily journal. The main idea was "to inspire young people's desire for knowledge, so that they could broaden their absorption from their own concepts into the country, and expand it into the world. Also, as the state is based on the people, and the people are still ignorant, the youth should cultivate their talents to develop the masses, so that one person can realize himself, and all people can realize themselves as well. His edict, a thousand words, a patriotic". Among the many students, he most appreciated Shao Lizi, Li Shutong, Huang Yanpei, Wang Shiliang, Hong Yunxiang and others.
Cai Yuanpei had become increasingly active in Shanghai's cultural and educational circles. He was engaged in two things related to the new education: one was the organization of the "Patriotic Girls' School" and the other was the launch of the "Chinese Education Association".
The Patriotic Girls' School was initiated by Mrs. Huang Zhongyu, the wife of Cai Yuanpei, with the sole support of Mrs. Luo Jialing, the wife of a wealthy Jewish merchant in Shanghai, and then rented by Cai Yuanpei and Chiang Kuan-yun, and was formally established in the winter of the 27th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1901). The number of students in the early days was only about ten. China Education Association by Yuanpei and Shanghai literacy Ye Han, Jiang Guanyun, Huang Zongyang and other people **** with the planning, by Cai Yuanpei as president, was established in Guangxu 28 (1902), advocating innovation, because there is no economic support, the early only engaged in the text of the advocacy only.
In the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu, Yuanpei was thirty-five years old and began to study Latin, with the Catholic Ma Xiangbo as his teacher. Cai Yuanpei believed that Latin was the root of the languages of European countries, and that most of the languages of the countries originated from Latin, and that if he did not know it well, he would not be able to understand all the ancient cultures of the West. He also selected and sent 24 students to study with him from Ma Xiangbo. Later, Ma Xiangbo used this group of students as the basis for founding the AURORA College, which is the origin of AURORA University.
This year, Cai Yuanpei traveled to Japan during his summer vacation, but encountered the "Seijo School Incident" in the Tokyo study abroad community. Chengcheng school is designed for Chinese students and the officer school preparatory class, Wu Jingheng by the order of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, led by the rapid teacher training students to study in Japan, nine of them to be enrolled in the Chengcheng school, the Qing Minister in Japan refused to send. Wu protested to the minister, was called Japanese police expulsion. Wu Jingheng returned to the ship and Cai Yuanpei met.
The two men "talked about the constitution is not possible, we all know that the revolution can not be". July 10th ship arrived in Shanghai, China Education Association colleagues launched a welcome meeting. In the meeting, it was resolved to set up its own school, teaching its own children, without the need to go to Japan to study.
So the Education Association had a plan to set up its own school.
Wu Jingheng into the Nanyang Public School teaching, but because of him a sensational incident of withdrawal. On October 17 of the same year, the fuse is a small ink bottle, caused by the special class of students sacrificed their qualifications to protect the economic special section, the rate of withdrawal, Cai Yuanpei also took the blame and resigned. And the reason is Wu Jingheng and the school authorities clashed, there are more than ten students were expelled, Wu also resigned.
This event had an immense impact on the academic world at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Cai Yuanpei and Wu Jingheng, Zhang Taiyan, Jiang Weiqiao, etc., in the second floor of the Chinese Education Association set up "Patriotic Society", 55 members, are Nanyang Public School of the former students.
Society members urged their sisters to attend school, since then, more and more students in girls' schools. After the establishment of the Patriotic Society, Cai Yuanpei and several other progressive and innovative ideas, from then on with a group of enthusiastic young students day and night, each other's influence on each other, the speech and ideas have developed dramatically, and soon stirred up a bigger wave, shaking Shanghai and even the whole of China.
In January, 1903, the Chinese Education Association's radical statements caused the old guard to use the "Declaration" to ridicule. Wu Jingheng advocated in the "Soviet newspaper", by Yuanpei, Zhang Taiyan and he took turns writing articles to confront them. In March, Zhang Shizhao and 31 other students of Nanjing Land Master's College withdrew from the school and joined the Patriotic Society with the assistance of Cai Yuanpei. At the same time, Zhejiang University Hall also broke out in the school tide, quit the students to build their own "new people's school", and telegrams to Cai Yuanpei and Wu Jingheng to go to support.
At that time, the sentiment of hatred of Manchu has been growing, Cai Yuanpei published "release hatred of Manchu" article, published in the "Soviet newspaper". The difference between the races, one is the blood, one is the customs, Manchu blood and Han mixed for a long time, its language and writing customs have also been assimilated into the Han. The so-called Manchu, but in politics has a hereditary title, regardless of industry and sit down to eat the privileges of a mark only. As long as the Manchus consciously give up their privileges, the Han Chinese will never have to kill all the Manchus.
The end of March, followed by the start of the campaign against Russia, Cai Yuanpei cut his hair, and volunteered to join the 96 students of the "anti-Russian volunteers", put on uniforms, morning and evening training, ready to resist Russia's encroachment on China's three eastern provinces. However, the Qing court not only did not understand the patriotic fervor of the young students, but thought they were plotting rebellion, and strongly suppressed, the result only forced the young people to the anti-Qing road.
In May, Zou Rong's "Revolutionary Army" and Zhang Taiyan's "Refutation of Kang Youwei's book on revolution" were published, especially sensational.
China Education Association president at this time by Huang Zongqing, but the society and society who is the main dispute. Zhang Taiyan advocated not to cooperate with the Society, Wu Jingheng more protective of members. Cai Yuanpei originally mild attitude, do not casually take sides, but has always maintained a peaceful attitude of Cai Yuanpei for Wu Jingheng's a mean word of anger, indignation: "I would have to go to study in Germany to go, I resigned from the Society and the Society."
Said to leave. Although the people to retain, but he was determined to go, slightly reorganized after traveling, on the 20th by ship to leave Shanghai, when the people went to see off.
Cai Yuanpei left Shanghai but about half a month, the sensational "Su newspaper case" will occur. Zhang Taiyan and Zou Rong was arrested, Wu Jingheng fled, the Patriotic Society was also affected and disbanded. When the case occurred, Cai Yuanpei ship arrived in Qingdao, received a telegram from his brother Cai Yuanjian, said "the Qing court has agreed with the German ambassador, electric Qingdao, German officials to arrest Cai Mou" clouds. Yuanpei had to return to Shanghai, and re-engaged in the activities of the Shanghai aspirants, at this time, coincided with the Russian troops in Fengtian, Cai Yuanpei and Liu Shipei and other initiated the "Comrades Against Russia", participated in the membership of more than a hundred people.
Guangxu thirty years (1904), Yuanpei published a "New Year's Dream" in the "Russian Alert", advocating that: "We naturally have a China in our minds, but we do not now realistically create a country, for fear that there will never be an opportunity." He also proposed three things that should be done in diplomacy: First, to restore the three eastern provinces. Second, to eliminate the spheres of influence of various countries. Third, the removal of the Concession. This article, quite reflecting his thinking at this time.
The Russian Comrades Association and "Alarm Daily" as the organ of the newspaper, the newspaper's editorial work was initially responsible for Wang Xiao Xu, then transmigrated to Cai Yuanpei. He presided over the June of this year, due to take over the principal of the Patriotic Girls' School, the editorial work was taken over by Wang Deyuan.
The Daily Alarm was banned and five people were detained for revealing the German conspiracy to run Shandong, which angered the German consul, and the revolutionary speech organs in Shanghai suffered another setback.
After Cai Yuanpei regained control of the women's school, in addition to his efforts to advocate in the field of writing and education, he established a deep relationship with the secret revolutionary movement in the country, and the "Military and National Education Society," which was founded in Tokyo in 1903 for rejecting the Russians, was reorganized to become a group of clandestine revolutionary activities, with the "Assassination Corps. The "assassination group" was organized by Yang Dusheng.
After Huang Xing, a member of the National Education Association of China, returned to China, he founded the "Huaxing Association" and planned to launch an uprising in Changsha and other places on the 70th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi in 1904. Yang Dusheng returned to Shanghai, don't have a "patriotic association", he served as president, Zhang Shizhao vice, Cai Yuanpei, Chen Duxiu, Cai E and so on also joined at the same time.
Tokyo original "Zhejiang Society" organization, chaired by Tao Zhencheng. After Tao returned to Shanghai, Yuanpei and others set up a new revolutionary group called the "Restoration Society" to expand the organization of the assassination mission. After that, the Tokyo branch of the Society of Light and Rehabilitation was officially established, and Lu Xun and others also joined it. After Yuanpei joined the Society, he invited Xu Xilin to join the Society and introduced Xu to Tao.
Cai Yuanpei involved in the assassination of the organization, specializing in the manufacture of bombs, leased a house to buy instruments and medicines, brought by Huang Xing more than a dozen cartridges, then filled with explosives. Wuyue hidden bombs, plans to assassinate the five ministers in Beijing station, unfortunately, the explosives mistakenly issued, actually died.
August 1905, stayed in Japan, 17 provinces of revolutionary aspirants in Tokyo initiated the "China League" to Sun Yat-sen as Prime Minister, vowed to "expel the Tartars, restore China, the establishment of the Republic of China, the average land rights. Under this organization, provincial chapters were established. Cai Yuanpei was the chairman of the Shanghai branch, and most of the members of the Restoration Society joined the League. Cai Yuanpei used the Patriotic Girls' School as a contact organization for revolutionary comrades, and provided teaching qualifications to revolutionary comrades such as Xu Xilin, Tao Chengcheng, Yang Dusheng, Huang Xing and so on as a social identity for revolutionary activities.
In the same year, Zhang Taiyan was released from prison, but Zou Rong died in prison. In Zou Rong memorial meeting, Cai Yuanpei public speech, denigrating the tyranny of the Qing court, contempt for human rights, the listeners were moved. Zou Rong's tomb in front of the completion of the memorial tower, Cai Yuanpei and made a speech, speech, especially the police, Chen Yingshi heard and feel sorry, back to sell real estate, determined to engage in revolutionary work, he later accomplished the cause of the real began here.
At that time, the revolutionaries in China were mainly focusing on the planning of assassination and riot, but the assassination work could not be carried out smoothly, and the guidelines and steps of the revolution could not be determined, so the prospect of the revolution was still very bleak. Cai Yuanpei's heart could not help but feel a sense of loss, so the desire to change his living environment became stronger and stronger. In the fall of that year, he heard that the Qing court had sent editors and reviewers to study abroad, so he decided to go to Beijing to cancel his leave and apply for studying in Europe. Before his departure, he entrusted his disciple Huang Yanpei with the post of officer of the League of Nations, and gave him secret documents and lists for safekeeping. Cai Yuanpei left Shanghai and traveled alone to Beijing, where he had been away for eight years.
In the fall of the thirty-second year of Guangxu (1906), Cai Yuanpei ran to Beijing with the intention of applying to go to Germany, but he could not be sent because the government was short of funds. Later, he taught at the Translation Institute, waiting for the time to go abroad. The Translation Hall was later merged with the Peking University Hall, which was changed into Peking University in 1912, so Cai Yuanpei's teaching in the Translation Hall was really the first time he served Peking University. His book "History of Chinese Sun Baoqi like Ethics" was written during this period.
April 1907, the Qing government sent Sun Baoqi as ambassador to Germany, Sun Baoqi allowed monthly subsidies Yuanpei tuition 30 two, and the Commercial Press and Cai Yuanpei contracted to send a monthly translation fee of 100 yuan. Basic living expenses have been solved, Yuanpei went to study in Germany with Sun Baoqi. This year Cai Yuanpei was already forty-one years old, as a foreign student, the age seems to be a little too old; however, he always wanted to strive for further study to enrich their own learning, this kind of spirit of learning, really admirable.
Cai Yuanpei studied in Germany until the success of the 1911 revolution, and then returned to China for four years. He entered the University of Leipzig, specializing in philosophy, during the school translation of the German philosopher Bauersen's Principles of Ethics, published by the Shanghai Commercial Press. When he first arrived in Berlin, he heard that Xu Xilin revolted in Anqing and was executed; soon after, Qiu Jin plotted to revolt in Shaoxing and was also arrested and killed, and the power of the Restoration Society was greatly destroyed.
At that time, Wu Jingheng, Li Shizeng, and Zhang Jingjiang published the weekly newspaper The New Century in Paris, France, which publicized anarchism, opposed constitutional monarchy, and advocated revolution. Cai Yuanpei by the influence of anarchist ideas, in Germany also make spiritual echo. On April 27, 1911, the Guangzhou Uprising led by Huang Xing failed, but it stirred up the whole country, and the revolutionary sentiments rose even higher since then; on October 10, the Wuchang Uprising took place. After the restoration of Wuchang, the E Military Government was established.
Cai Yuanpei got Wu Jingheng sent a letter in London, then knew the news of Wuhan. In his letter to Wu Jingheng, "I fear that I can not stay here for a long time", suggesting that he intends to go back to China to fight, *** with the intention of the struggle. Later, he received a telegram from Chen Yingshi urging him to return to China. So the end of four years of study, take the Siberian way back to the east. Arrived in Shanghai on the day, it is Huang Xing from Wuchang to Shanghai, that is, around December 1, Sun Yat-sen has not yet returned to China. He did not have a place to stay for a while, and Jiang Weiqiao left him to live in the Patriotic Girls' School.
On December 4, representatives of the provinces resolved to take Nanjing as the seat of the provisional government, Huang Xing was elected marshal, Li Yuanhong was elected deputy marshal. Sun Yat-sen also returned to China at the end of the year, immediately elected to the provisional president, to January 1, 1912 for the Republic of China on New Year's Day, and thereafter changed to the solar calendar. Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated in Nanjing on that day and started to organize his cabinet. Provincial delegates will formally meet, through the list of state ministers, the chief of each department in order: the army Huang Xing, the navy Huang Zhongying, foreign affairs Wang Chonghui, finance Chen Jintao, justice Wu Tingfang, interior Cheng Dequan, education Cai Yuanpei, industrial Zhang Jian, transportation Tang Shouqian, the Republic of China's first provisional government has been fully established.
After the decision of the ministries, Cai Yuanpei, the general director of education, because of his long stay in Europe, was unusually isolated from the domestic education situation, and asked Jiang Weiqiao to help. The two and together with another accountant and staff, arrived in Nanjing on the night of January 4, living in a small hotel. 5, Cai Yuanpei officially inaugurated, attended the provisional government's first State Council. After the meeting, Cai Yuanpei to visit Sun Yat-sen, asked for advice on the Ministry of Education office, Sun replied: "Office housing to find your own." Running around for days, no way. Appropriately encountered the Jiangsu Governor's Office of the Secretary for Internal Affairs, Ma Xiangbo, on the commercial borrowing of the Secretary for Internal Affairs, Beiting Lane, three empty rooms upstairs as the office, and then moved in. Its simple situation, can be imagined.
January 19, the Ministry of Education was formally established, when the country is still very chaotic, the North-South peace is underway, the Qing emperor has not yet abdicated, the provisional government's decree was not effectively implemented. Under these circumstances, Cai Yuanpei took the first step toward education in the Republic of China.
Since the age of forty-five, Cai Yuanpei returned to China to serve as the director general of education, and later, during the era of the Beiyang government, he stayed in Beijing as a member of the Kuomintang and served as the president of Peking University. The most important contribution of his life was his tenure as president of Peking University, where he established a democratic school spirit that has a long history and great influence.
Peking University, as the epicenter of the May Fourth Movement and the birthplace of the new China, has had a significant impact on modern China. The "spirit of Peking University" is the "spirit of Cai Yuanpei", the father of Peking University, who died in 1940 at the age of seventy-two. His career before the 1911 Revolution is a record of China's struggle before the dawn. He was a typical figure who came from the transition period between the old and the new, and his exemplary words and deeds and great personality were so touching that no one would have any doubt nowadays. Wu Jingheng once said:
Mr. Cai usually treats people, there is no disrespect for good people, and there is no lack of forgiveness for bad people. This person as long as there is a little bit of merit, always treat him very well. His only volunteer, we must hope that China out of some great great scholars. Because he held this kind of willingness, there were many things in the past that he did not want to do.
Cai Yuanpei's personality, Wu Jingheng also said:
Mr. Cai's person, really called "gentleman and different", he and which one are very peaceful, but he has a "self". Never because of the people and gas, will be the same as the clouds. Mr. Cai went to the place, who got along with him, as in the past, like Cheng Mingdao, such as sitting in the spring breeze. However, although sitting in the spring breeze, very feel a serious atmosphere. If we compare it to the ancients, Mr. Cai is very much like the Duke of Zhou, "no arrogance, no meanness", "a Mu three hold hair, a meal three spit feed". When it comes to anything, Mr. Cai is like the Duke of Zhou, "not arrogant and stingy", "holding his hair three times a day and spitting out three times a meal", and "looking up and thinking, night and day, and sitting down and waiting for the day". The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new one, and you'll be able to do that.
Wu Jingheng said Cai Yuanpei, in the attitude of people, to themselves is "not arrogant, not stingy", to people is "and different", as long as the person has a skill, no not to take its long, never ask how its shortcomings. However, he always forget, is his own advocacy: encourage the creation of great scholars out. There is an example to support this.
During the May Fourth period, the old and the new literary disputes and the resistance to the vernacular and the written word were both served by the two schools of thought at Peking University. Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu, who advocated the vernacular school, and Lin Qinnan and Yan Fu, who advocated the vernacular school, all taught at Peking University. The president of the university at that time was Cai Yuanpei. Although he was inclined to innovative and aggressive things, he thought that these old farts did have a skill, so he also employed them to teach in Peking University. So, Cai Yuanpei as president of Peking University in the period, do not ask the person has a braid no braid, only to see if he has no learning, as long as there is a little bit of strengths of the people, he did not not value him. This attitude is the so-called "respect for the wise and tolerate the crowd, good and reserved can not".
Mr. Yuanpei's great volunteerism lies in his lifelong desire to create talents for China, and the road he took in his life was the patriotic road of education. No wonder he founded the first girls' school, named "Patriotic Girls' School", he set up the first society, named "China Education Association". He education not forget patriotism, patriotism not forget education.