Zhang Yi: Researcher of Hegel's philosophy

Zhang Yi, the character Zhenru, also known as Wei Zhi, the name of the spectrum runjin. He was born on August 11, 1887 (June 22, 13th year of Qing Guangxu) to a peasant family in Maliing Township, Xuyong. Due to his family's poverty, he participated in field labor from an early age and was taught to read by his father and brother. In 1906, Zhang Yi was sponsored by relatives and friends to be admitted to Yongning Middle School. At that time, Xuyong was an important base for the activities of the revolutionaries, and Yang Cangbai, Zhu Zhihong, xiang Chu, and other members of the Sichuan branch of the League were all hired to teach at the school and instill revolutionary ideas in the students. Zhang Yi "entered the school not long ago, his thinking suddenly changed" and gradually turned toward revolution. In 1907, he was introduced by Yang Cangbai to the League. Zhang Yi studied diligently and achieved excellent results in school, and he had not yet died, that is, he was admitted to the science department of Sichuan Yi and other schools.

Zhang Yi's graduation certificate

In 1908, Zhang Yi arrived in Chengdu. Revolutionaries are gathering here to carry out their activities. Soon after Zhang Yi entered the higher school, he joined the Yixin Society organized by Yang Cangbai, Zhang Peijue, Xiong Kewu, Huang Fusheng, xiang Chu and others. At the same time, he also contacted the comrades of the Army Elementary School and other schools to organize the Mian Society, and secretly discussed the state of the country. In this way, whereever the revolutionaries have a plan, Zhang Yi must participate. During the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, Zhang Yi was ordered to travel to Renshou, Qingshen, Zigong, and Jingyan to propagate and instigate an uprising, and rushed to Chongqing in time after the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, the Chongqing revolutionaries were urgently planning an uprising plan. Yang Cangbai and Zhang Peijue listened to Zhang Yi's report on the situation in southern Sichuan, sent him to the eastern Sichuan area, and got in touch with the revolutionaries in the Ejun army who had followed Duan Fang into Sichuan. Zhang Yi completed his mission and returned to Chongqing, and then participated in chongqing independence activities. On November 22, 1911, the Shu military government was established, and Zhang Yi was appointed as the confidential secretary of the Governor's Office and the acting bomb team leader. In 1912, the military governments of Chengdu and Chongqing merged, and he served as the confidential secretary of the Civil Affairs Minister's Office. He deeply felt that his character and talent were not good at political work, and he was determined to pursue education and academic research. At that time, all provinces sent revolutionary youth to study abroad, and Zhang Yi was also admitted to Sichuan Province in 1913 to study abroad.

In early October 1913, Zhang Yi arrived in the United States and entered the University of Michigan. He considered: "Why are Western countries rich and strong, in addition to the development of science, their social thinking must be different from China's, and they want to explore the mysteries of their ideas, so they choose to study philosophy." There are many schools of Western philosophy, and Zhang Yichu has no definite views. In the first two years, he studied "Realism" and "Practical theory" from Professor Cyrus and Professor Rowede. In the third year, he listened to Professor Wen Lai's lecture "Kant and Hegel Philosophy and Its Influence on European and American Philosophy", which was outlined and fascinating, so he became fascinated by the study of Hegel's philosophy and took this as the goal of his lifelong struggle. He spent six years at the University of Michigan, from undergraduate to graduate school, with excellent grades, and successively obtained bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

Zhang Yi learned that the academic level of the United States at that time was inferior to that of Europe, but in the summer of 1919, he entered the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom to study anhui and continue his further studies. In order to explore the origins of Kant and Hegel's philosophy, he went to Germany in 1921 to conduct multifaceted research at the University of Erlangen and the University of Berlin. In 1923, he wrote his dissertation in English, "The Development, Significance, and Limitations of Hegel's Ethical Doctrine," which he sent to the Oxford University Research Institute for review. After a public defense, Zhang Yi received his Doctor of Philosophy degree with honors. This paper, published in 1925 by the Commercial Press, Chinese book entitled "Hegel's Ethical Inquiry", has been highly valued by European and American philosophical circles. Professor Smith of the United Kingdom wrote the preface, pointing out: "It is particularly interesting that Professor Zhang discussed Hegel's views on the family and the state. Here he surpasses Hegel with his criticism, eliminating the prejudices on which Western thought and institutions in general are based. Dr. Rasson, who also commented on the book in Kant's Studies, argues that Zhang Yi's assessment of Hegel is "more fair than that of many German authors." ”

In 1924, Zhang Yi returned to China and was hired as a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Peking University. Two years later, he taught at Xiamen University and served as the director of liberal arts and vice president. In 1929, the political situation in the north improved slightly, and he returned to Peking University as a professor and head of the philosophy department. In addition to the history of Western philosophy, he teaches philosophies from Leibniz to Hurlbut. He taught the philosophy of Kant and Hegel, and strived to promote its essence and pick up its dross, and directly expressed his independent opinions, which was quite popular with students. He Lin once congratulated Zhang Yi on his 60th birthday in the "Dedication": "Mr. Zhang Zhenru is a pioneer in the Chinese philosophical circles who specialize in the study of Western classical philosophy, a fan of the simple study style of the Department of Philosophy of Peking University that has paid attention to the objective study of the history of philosophy and philosophical masterpieces for many years, and the first person in Chinese universities to teach Kant and Hegel philosophy in a specialized and formal manner." During this period, he also published many philosophical papers in newspapers and periodicals, such as "Reading the Hundred Years of the Death of Mr. Krona, Zhang Junjie, Qu Junnong, he Linzhu", "Answering Mr. Zhang Junjie on Hegel's Philosophy", "Yu and Mr. Zhang Junzhu Discussing the History of Hegel's Philosophy", "Hegel and Religion", "From the Philosophical Weekly Essay to St. Louis's Philosophical Movement", etc., which have had a great influence at home and abroad.

In 1935, Zhang Yi went abroad on vacation to investigate the tendencies and developments of European and American philosophical research. In 1936, he returned to China and was invited by Ren Hongjun to serve as a professor and dean of literature at Sichuan University, and a year later he acted as president. During this period, he tried his best to strive for education funds, actively increased equipment, expanded faculties, advocated automatic learning and free research, adhered to the combination of academic and application, and took measures to improve the cultural standards of students, so the academic atmosphere of the whole school became increasingly strong, student achievements were significantly improved, and teaching and scientific research were developed. At the same time, he also recruited famous teachers, and for a time celebrities and scholars gathered together, which became a grand view. At the end of 1938, he left Sichuan University and taught at Wuhan University. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he once returned to Peking University and returned to Sichuan in 1948 due to illness.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Yi successively served as a librarian of the Sichuan Provincial Museum of Literature and History, a member of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and returned to Peking University to guide young teachers and graduate students. In June 1969, Zhang Yi died of illness in Beijing.