Today (May 13), in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Daxia University, one of the predecessors of East China Normal University, East China Normal University held a seminar on the publication of the new book "Illustrated Daxia University". The book comprehensively and systematically presents the history of Daxia University in the form of more than 500 historical pictures by collecting and sorting out the relevant historical archives and library materials of Daxia University. This is another achievement compiled by the university's archives under the guidance of the concept of "image evidence of history" after the publication of "Illustrating East China Normal University" in 2021.
The book is divided into four chapters according to the historical development stage of Daxia University. The first article, "Teacher-Student Cooperation, Daxia Zhaojian (1924-1927)", shows the arduous process of teachers and students cooperating in the establishment of Daxia University in Shanghai under the guidance of the "three hardships" spirit of "teachers teaching hard, staff working hard, and students studying hard" after the outbreak of Xiamen University in 1924. The second part, "Revival of the Nation, the Hero of the University (1927-1937)", reflects the construction of the new campus on Zhongshan North Road under the leadership of President Wang Boqun of Daxia University, and the struggle to implement national rejuvenation education in the context of the deepening national crisis. The third chapter, "Education Saves the Country, String Songs (1937-1946)", presents the magnificent chapter of teachers and students of Daxia University who successively moved to Lushan, Jiangxi, Guiyang, Chishui, Guizhou and other places during the Anti-Japanese War, and insisted on education to save the country in the midst of displacement. The fourth part, "Demobilization of Shenjiang, Educational Power (1946-1951)", tells the historical choice of Daxia University to return to Shanghai after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and finally participated in the merger to form East China Normal University.
According to the book, on September 20, 1924, the first opening ceremony of Daxia University was held in Panjia Garden, Binglang Road (now Anyuan Road), and a university born in Shikumen was officially born. It was the first university in mainland China to implement the tutor system, and its original intention was to improve the current situation of indifferent teacher-student relations at that time, to guide students' learning, life, employment and other aspects, and to improve the level of running the school. In the 27 years since its establishment, Daxia University has cultivated more than 20,000 students, including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (members of the Academy) Liu Sizhi, Guo Dali, Zhou Yang, Hu Hesheng, Chen Ziyuan, Li Ruilin, Liu Boli, famous scholars Wang Yuanhua, Ma Chengyuan, Chen Xulu, children's writers Chen Bochui, Huang Yiqing, Ren Rongrong, translators Ge Baoquan and Luo Yujun, political activists Wu Liangping, Feng Baiju, Du Xingyuan, Ye Gongqi, Hua Liankui, Xu Weicheng, famous educators Sun Kangzeng, Lin Disheng, Wu Jue, Jiang Jingbo, dramatists Chen Liting, Ouyang Shanzun and so on.
Even during the war years, the university continued to sing and contribute to the Southwest. From November 1937 to June 1946, Daxia University was established in Guizhou for nearly 9 years, making it the earliest and longest university in Guizhou during the Anti-Japanese War, and made unique contributions to the educational, socio-economic and cultural undertakings of Guizhou and even the southwest region. The university has a glorious revolutionary tradition. In 1930, Wu Liangping, a 1924 student of Daxia University, translated Engels's "Anti-Duhring Theory", which was praised by Chairman Mao Zedong as "no less meritorious than Dayu's water control". In 1935, Tian Han, a pioneer of modern Chinese drama and a professor at Daxia University, composed "March of the Volunteers". In the summer of 1951, the Ministry of Education of the CPC Central Committee approved the establishment of East China Normal University on the site of Daxia University on the basis of two private universities, Daxia University and Guanghua University. On October 16 of the same year, the establishment and opening ceremony of East China Normal University was held, and Meng Xiancheng, Minister of Education of East China, announced the official establishment of East China Normal University.
"This book "Illustrating Daxia University" is another new achievement made by the archives of East China Normal University after "Illustrating East China Normal University", after using images to prove history in the history of the university." Tang Tao, director of the archives of East China Normal University and editor-in-chief of the book, introduced that image evidence of history is a research method to understand and reconstruct history. At present, school history researchers in domestic universities are also trying to use images to express history, "but on the whole, this intuitive, vivid and warm image history method is still a new topic and a new method for the vast majority of universities in mainland China." To this end, the Archives of East China Normal University held the "Pictorial History: Visual Narrative of University History and the Publication Seminar of "Illustrating East China Normal University" in June 2023 to discuss with school history experts from all over the country on the application of image evidence history in the study of school history, so as to promote the dissemination of school history and culture.
East China Normal University has always attached great importance to the excavation and sorting of the history of the university. In recent years, the archives of the university have successively compiled and published more than a dozen works on the history and characters of Daxia University, such as "Chronicle of Daxia University", "Daxia University and Chishui", "Daxia University: 90 People in 90 Years", "Wang Boqun and Daxia University", etc., and actively explored cultural cooperation between the university and the locality.
Mei Bing, Secretary of the Party Committee of East China Normal University, Dai Liyi, Vice President of East China Normal University, Qiu Mengyu, Editor-in-Chief of Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, and 15 experts from Shanghai Archives, University of Science and Technology of China, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University and other institutions attended the seminar.