Cai Yuanpei.
Most people see Cai Yuanpei as a passionate and idealistic education reformer. As depicted in the TV series "The Age of Awakening", the stars of Peking University during Cai Yuanpei's presidency shone brightly, but the environment of his time and his life experience were very complicated, and his ideal of "education to save the country" was also a wall in reality.
At many moments in his life when his ideals were frustrated, Cai Yuanpei chose to resign. According to some statistics, Cai Yuanpei has served at Peking University for 10 and a half years and resigned at least 7 times. Before becoming the president of Peking University, Cai Yuanpei also voluntarily resigned from the positions of editor and chief of education of Hanlin Academy. However, resignation is not a passive means of Cai Yuanpei's escape, but a struggle to adhere to principles, and it is also a responsibility and protection for the school.
"Education to save the country" is the ideal that Cai Yuanpei has practiced all his life, and "retreating to advance" is his way of dealing with the world in the real world.
He left the Hanlin Academy and returned to his hometown to run education
Before the age of 30, Cai Yuanpei's life can be said to be a rule-by-law. Cai Yuanpei was born in the late Qing Dynasty and received a traditional etiquette education from an early age. Like most intellectuals in the feudal period, Cai Yuanpei "learned and excelled": at the age of 17, he was a middle talent, at the age of 22, he would try to become a gongshi at the age of 23, and at the age of 25, he participated in the temple examination, won the thirty-fourth jinshi of the second class, and was named a Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy.
With Cai Yuanpei's level of knowledge and ability, his career prospects should be bright.
However, in 1898, Cai Yuanpei resolutely "took his family out of the capital" and returned to his hometown of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, to engage in education, becoming the prime minister (that is, the principal) of a new local school.
His identity change seems to be sudden, but it is actually an inevitable choice after the collision of the change of the times and personal ideals. In the face of major changes that had not occurred in three thousand years, Cai Yuanpei pinned his hopes on the Qing court to take the initiative to reform, but the fiasco of the Penghu Reform Law made him clearly understand the reality, which directly led to the rapid transformation of his thinking from a feudal scholar to a bourgeois democratic fighter.
He chose to devote himself to education because Cai Yuanpei has always cherished the ideal of "education to save the country". "To improve society, the first thing is education", Cai Yuanpei firmly believes that education has an important role in improving society and saving the survival of the dead, and even believes that "if the country does not have education, then people will be close to animals and animals and the country will perish". During his tenure at Hanlin Academy, Cai Yuanpei was extensively involved in Western studies, exposed to new things abroad, and completed ideological transformation and identity reshaping in a subtle way.
Serving as the premier of Shaoxing Chinese and Western Academy was the beginning of Cai Yuanpei's ideal of engaging in modern education and practicing education to save the country. One of his important initiatives at that time was to add Western disciplines. Jiang Menglin, who served as president of Peking University, later recalled that he first learned when he was studying at the Chinese and Western Academy that the earth was round, not flat.
However, in running schools, Cai Yuanpei deeply felt that different regions have many shortcomings of the education system, such as "different purposes", "no poor class", "no public funds", etc. In addition, after introducing new intellectuals to the academy, Cai Yuanpei once said that the old and new schools "see different things, refute each other, new mouths, and the old ones often see each other." This situation is well known to all students, and the old ones are humiliated." The contradiction between the old and new factions deepened day by day, and in the end, Cai Yuanpei "resigned in anger." It was also the first time in his life that he resigned to stay true to his principles.
After that, Cai Yuanpei went to Hangzhou, Shengxian and other places to engage in educational activities, and continued to practice the belief of "education to save the country". In 1902, Cai Yuanpei, Ye Han, Jiang Zhiyou and others founded the Chinese Education Association in Shanghai, with Cai Yuanpei as the chief secretary. The Education Council proposes to "educate young men and women in China, develop their intellect, and enhance their concept of the state as the basis for the restoration of state power in other days."
Soon, the Patriotic Society and the Patriotic Women's School were established one after another. The China Education Association, together with the Patriotic Society and the Patriotic Women's School, engaged in educational activities on the one hand and anti-feudal revolutionary activities on the other. In 1905, Cai Yuanpei joined the assassination group under the introduction of He Haiqiao, in an attempt to carry out the anti-Qing revolution through assassination.
Cai Yuanpei also recruited chemistry instructors from the Patriotic Girls' School to participate in the assassination group and develop cyanic acid poisons and explosives. It is said that after becoming the president of Peking University, perhaps out of nostalgia for his revolutionary career, Cai Yuanpei's glass cabinet in the principal's office also displayed bombs made that year.
While running a school and plotting anti-Qing activities, Cai Yuanpei came up with the idea of studying in Europe. He believed that to save China, we must learn, and the world's scholarship respected morality, so he had the ambition to go to Germany to study the army. In 1906, through the introduction of his fellow villagers, Cai Yuanpei went to teach at the Translation Hall of Beijing Normal University (the predecessor of Peking University), and at the same time prepared to study abroad. According to Chen Yixian, a student at the Translation Academy at that time, Cai Yuanpei was very popular with the students, "He talked about books, extremely lively and interesting, and everyone felt that they were happy to take his classes." ”
Insist on resigning as the chief and rectifyIng Peking University
After returning to China after completing his studies, the domestic situation has undergone tremendous changes under the Xinhai Revolution. After the establishment of the Republic of China, Cai Yuanpei served as the Chief of Education.
Soon after taking office, Cai Yuanpei put forward the educational policy of "five educations at the same time", that is, military and national education, materialism, civic morality, world outlook and aesthetic education. This is the first time that aesthetic education has been written into China's education guidelines and policies. In addition, he also promulgated the "University Order", which stipulates that universities should teach advanced scholarship, cultivate master's degrees, and abolish the tenets of loyalty and honoration in response to the needs of the country. The University Order later became the educational policy and organizational principle of Cai Yuanpei presided over Peking University.
However, with Yuan Shikai's abuse of power, Cai Yuanpei's educational reform came to an abrupt end. In July 1912, Cai Yuanpei went to the presidential palace and asked Yuan Shikai to resign in person. Yuan Shikai earnestly retained and said, I will stay for the chief on behalf of 40,000 people. Cai Yuanpei had already made up his mind and replied, Yuanpei also asked for the resignation of the representatives of 40,000 people. At this time, resignation is a means of political resistance for Cai Yuanpei.
In 1916, Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University, eliminating old habits and advocating progress, making Peking University the backbone of the "May Fourth" new cultural movement.
After resigning as chief executive, Cai Yuanpei went to France to study. Until 1916, the new Minister of Education of the Republic of China, Fan Yuanlian, sent a telegram to Cai Yuanpei, inviting him to return to China to serve as the president of Peking University.
In 1912, Kyoshi University was renamed Peking University, but it was essentially a "bureaucratic training center" known for corruption. Many of Cai Yuanpei's friends advised him that he "did not have to take office" and that his reputation was hindered by the lack of rectification and opposition. But Cai Yuanpei believes that "I don't go to hell who goes to hell" and is determined to take over Peking University.
In "The Age of Awakening", there are fragments of north masters and students going to brothels to find fun, which is not empty. At that time, the guests of the brothels in the eight hutongs in Beijing were mainly from "two courtyards and one church". The "two chambers" are the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the "one hall" is the Hall of Kyoshi University.
At the beginning of the establishment of the school, the students were all Beijing officials, so the students were called masters, and the supervisors and teachers were called middle halls or adults. Students do not learn any skills all day, take servants to attend lectures, take exams to deal with the past, and mix a diploma.
Therefore, when he arrived at Peking University, the first thing Cai Yuanpei reformed was the study style. On January 9, 1917, when Peking University was opened, Cai Yuanpei proposed in his inaugural speech that "university students, those who study advanced knowledge are also", requiring students to "hold the purpose and come for study; to strengthen virtue and love teachers and friends".
In order to improve the moral cultivation of teachers and students and stop the corrupt atmosphere, Cai Yuanpei initiated the organization of the Peking University "Entering Virtue Society", requiring members to quit bad habits such as prostitution and gambling and cultivate their self-cultivation. For a time, the "JindeHui" became the largest group in the north.
In just one year of taking office, Cai Yuanpei was eclectic and demoted talents, and successively invited Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, Qian Xuantong, Zhou Zuoren and others to teach at the school. In his view, a teacher's knowledge has nothing to do with his education, age, and qualifications.
Cai Yuanpei's most significant influence is to lay the spiritual tradition of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" for Peking University. He advocated that "no matter what kind of school, if it is reasonable and reasonable, it is not yet up to the fate of natural elimination, and even if it is contrary to each other, it is also allowed to develop freely." ”
As in the TV series, after Cai Yuanpei introduced a large number of cadres of the new cultural movement, the "new faction" headed by Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi confronted the "old faction" represented by Gu Hongming and Lin Shu.
Cai Yuanpei himself is clearly biased towards the reformer, but he can win the respect of conservatives such as Gu Hongming and Liu Shipei because of his tolerance of academic ideas. Cai Yuanpei once said to the students who supported the new school: "I hope that you will learn Mr. Gu's English and Mr. Liu's Chinese studies, and I don't want you to also support the restoration or constitutional monarchy." ”
Cai Yuanpei is happy to see the situation of hundreds of academic schools competing, but his tolerance also has a bottom line. In order to suppress the reformers, Lin Shu published novels "Jingsheng" and "Demon Dream", slandering Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, Qian Xuantong, and Cai Yuanpei. In March 1919, he published the "To Cai Heqing Taishi Book", accusing the Peking University faculty members of "covering Kong Meng, shoveling Lun Chang, and abolishing ancient books". Cai Yuanpei wrote the "Reply to Lin Qinnan Letter", which refuted Lin Shu's unreasonable accusations and publicly reiterated his ideas for running the school.
Cai Yuanpei's free and inclusive style provided favorable conditions for the spread of various ideas, so that Peking University became the center of the new cultural movement, the cradle of the May Fourth Movement, and the earliest base for the dissemination and study of Marxism in China.
Hovering between reading and saving the country
Cai Yuanpei's reform achievements at Peking University are obvious to all, but he is bent on decoupling academic activities from politics, which is difficult to achieve in the environment at that time. Cai Yuanpei resigned seven times during his tenure as president of Peking University, three of which were due to the "student movement."
In the article "My Experience at Peking University", Cai Yuanpei wrote: "I have always had a prejudice against the student movement, thinking that students in school should take their study as the greatest purpose and should not be any kind of political organization. Those who are over twenty years old and have a special interest in politics can participate in political groups individually and do not have to be involved in school. ”
In 1919, the May Fourth Movement broke out. In fact, Cai Yuanpei agreed with the students' march, but he did not expect that on the day of the demonstration, the excited students burned Cao Rulin's house and beat Zhang Zongxiang. 32 students were arrested in a fierce confrontation with the government, with Peking University students making up the majority.
On May 7, under pressure from public opinion, the government released the arrested students. However, the Beiyang government believes that Cai Yuanpei is the "mastermind behind the scenes" of this movement, and some cabinet members proposed to dissolve Peking University and replace Cai Yuanpei.
In order to avoid further disputes between students and the government, Cai Yuanpei resigned. In "The May Fourth Movement and Peking University," Yang Han recalled that when Peking University students gathered in the auditorium of the Three Colleges on the evening of May 4, Mr. Cai said that when this happened, he would resign as president, but he must be responsible for releasing 32 students on bail. Sure enough, after the arrested students were released, Cai Yuanpei did not quit in the early morning of May 9.
When Cai Yuanpei was talking with a friend on his way south through Tianjin, he explained the reason for his resignation, "I am going here to protect the students on the one hand, and on the other hand, not to embarrass the government, so that I can save the university." I can say that I am at ease. ”
The masters and students of Beijing have repeatedly petitioned the Ministry of Education to retain President Cai, and teachers and students from other colleges and universities have also expressed their solidarity. On June 15, Cai Yuanpei issued a "Declaration on Refusing to Re-elect President of Peking University" to vent his dissatisfaction with the warlord rule. He said, "I absolutely can no longer be the president appointed by the government," and "because the president of Peking University is a simple and semi-bureaucratic nature, there are many bureaucratic relationships, where there are submissions, where counseling is used, and every day there are a lot of boring and routine public servants..."
Later, the representatives of the Masters and Students of Beijing went to Hangzhou to plead, and Cai Yuanpei was willing to return to the school. Before returning to school, he published the "Letter to Peking University Students and National Students", which affirmed the effectiveness of the May Fourth Movement and advised students that specializing in academic research is the long-term solution to save the country, and the cart before the horse should be reversed.
Reality, however, is a different story after all. In the social environment at that time, it was not only difficult for students to balance academics and national salvation, but also could move towards "political radicalism".
Jiang Menglin recalled that after the Victory of May Fourth, some students at Peking University were "intoxicated with power and selfish to the extreme", such as asking the school to subsidize travel expenses during spring break, funds for student activities, and free handouts.
Due to the problem of education funds, Cai Yuanpei has repeatedly submitted his resignation. In October 1922, there was a wave of lecture notes at Peking University. At that time, Peking University's tuition fees were very low, and the government often defaulted on running schools. In order to reduce the cost of open source, the members of the school council jointly proposed to charge students a handout fee. Unexpectedly, dozens of students went to the principal's office to protest, aggressively, and did not listen to Cai Yuanpei's detailed explanation at all. Cai Yuanpei was so angry that he rolled up his cuffs and saw that he was going to "duel" with the students, which shocked the troublemakers. Cai Yuanpei was distraught and wrote his resignation on the same day, and only after Hu Shi mediated did he return to school and resume his post.
In January 1923, Luo Wengan, the former professor of finance at Peking University, was unjustly arrested. Dissatisfied with the administrative interference in the judiciary, Cai Yuanpei issued a resignation statement. He explained his motives and positions in the I Ching, "The little man knows and then does not know how to retreat". He said that in the face of the forces of darkness, the "retreat" of intellectuals is sometimes more important than the "advance."
The government retained his position as principal, and the school was represented by Jiang Menglin. In 1927, Cai Yuanpei's name as principal was officially abolished.
Statue of Cai Yuanpei on the campus of Peking University.
Cai Yuanpei was not satisfied with the reform results during his term of office. In his later years, when recalling the experience of rectifying Peking University, he pointed out that he mainly did several things at Peking University: the first was to set up a research institute, the second was to open up women's bans, and the third was to advocate a new cultural movement. It is a pity that these ideals have not been fully realized. It can be seen that the power of individuals or a small number of people is ultimately limited. Hu Shi later summed up the achievements of Peking University in those years with "there is more than enough to open the atmosphere, but not enough to create scholarship".
It is undeniable that Cai Yuanpei's educational reform has lasted for a long time and has far-reaching impact, which has greatly promoted the development of Chinese society. The American philosopher Dewey commented: "As the president, and can lead that university to play a turning role in a nation and an era, I am afraid that I can't find a second one except Cai Yuanpei." ”
Mao Zedong praised Cai Yuanpei as "a titan in academic circles and a model in personnel." "The vicissitudes of the sea are moving and the wind and thunder, and the string recitation is unimpeded." How much peach and plum cultivation has been spent so far, I am glad to meet Mr. Cai at this time. On the 20th anniversary of the founding of Peking University, some alumni expressed their gratitude to Cai Yuanpei through lyrics. To this day, on the campus of Peking University, Mr. Cai Yuanpei's sculpture is always full of flowers.