1: Acquaintance
Mao Zedong's academic achievements are inseparable from the guidance of Cai Yuanpei, and when it comes to the relationship between Mao Zedong and Cai Yuanpei, we must first start from the relationship between Cai Yuanpei and Yang Changji. Yang Changji, trumpet in the arms, Hunan Changsha Bancang Chongren. In the early years, after the middle school talent, he taught in the countryside.
Yang Changji
Yang Changji and Cai Yuanpei began to contact the Chinese Education Association hosted by Cai Yuanpei in Shanghai in 1902, and the following year, Yang Changji went to the Hongwen College in Tokyo, Japan, and later to the University of Le berberdeen in Scotland, and then to Germany after completing his studies.
When Yang Changji was in Scotland, his fellow nationality Yang Dusheng and fellow villager Zhang Shizhao were all here, at this time, Cai Yuanpei was also studying in Germany, Yang Dusheng was Cai Yuanpei's comrade-in-arms when he tried to make bombs for the common revolution, and Zhang Shizhao was a student of the Patriotic Society presided over by Cai Yuanpei.
Zhang Shizhao
Moreover, Cai Yuanpei and Yang Changji are fellow scholars of ethics and philosophy, and it is convenient for them to communicate together in Western Europe, and various factors have promoted the exchange between the two.
Cai Yuanpei
After the Xinhai Revolution, Yang Changji returned to China and taught at the Hunan First Normal School. He especially appreciated Mao Zedong and often said: "I saw two of the best students, one was Mao Zedong and the other was Cai Hesen." Mao Zedong, in particular, will certainly be able to become a pillar of the country in the future. ”
Mao Zedong also said: "In his youth, Yang Changji had a profound influence on me."
When Yang Changji taught courses in ethics and philosophy at the Hunan First Division, he vigorously promoted Cai Yuanpei's translations, and also made Cai Yuanpei's translation of "Principles of Ethics" a textbook.
Principles of Ethics
Mao Zedong recalled: "I read a book on ethics translated by Cai Yuanpei. Inspired by the book, he wrote an article titled "The Power of the Heart." ...... From his idealistic point of view, Teacher Yang Changji highly appreciated my article. He gave me a hundred points. ”
The Power of the Heart
When Mao Zedong read this book, he made annotations to almost every word and sentence of the book, and he wrote more than 150 annotations, some of which expressed their approval, such as "the purpose of the word" and "this statement is in harmony with my greatness"; There are objections expressed, such as "this section is not appropriate", "should not be based on this", etc.; There are doubts expressed, such as "there is a doubt about this".
Some comments are more than 800 words long. The original book is only 120,000 words, and the annotations he wrote on this book are about 1. 20,000 words.
Take two comments as an example.
On page 106, chapter 4, paragraph 1, the original text reads, "All the causes and civilizations of the world are indispensable to resistance and victory." ...... The world in which Fu Wu dwells, so different from the fairyland, is having all kinds of resistance, so there are actions corresponding to this resistance. ”
His annotation was: "The river is out of Tongguan, because of the resistance of Taihua, and the water power is increasing its fierceness; The wind returned to the Three Gorges, because there was a Wushan Mountain as a partition, and the wind increased its anger. ”
On page 183, verse 2, paragraph 10, the original text reads: "Man who believes in good and powerful, and who believes in God, is sufficient to encourage his courage and increase his hope." I dare to speak of the world, there is no such faith, and those who can establish great causes have not yet been. All religions are based on faith. His commentary reads: "(Sect) teaching is indispensable, and faith (yang) is indispensable."
2: Cai Yuanpei assisted Mao Zedong in Peking University
In the spring of 1918, Cai Yuanpei hired Yang Changji to Peking University as a professor of philosophy and ethics, and Yang Changji moved his family to Beijing.
In the same year, Mao Zedong graduated from Hunan Normal School and arrived in Beijing in August in order to organize members of the Xinmin Society and Young Hunan youth to study in France.
Hunan Normal University
He recalled: Beijing "spends too much money" and "you have to find a job right away." Yang Changji "introduced me to the director of the Peking University Library, who was Li Dazhao. "Gave me a job as a library assistant, the salary is not low, eight dollars a month."
Mao Zedong served at Peking University during Cai Yuanpei's own presidency. According to the custom, it is roughly said that Yang Changji introduced li dazhao to the principal with the position of library director, and then Cai Yuanpei wrote a note of assignment and informed the school accounting department to pay monthly salaries.
Li Dazhao
Mao Zedong registered and managed the newly arrived newspapers and periodicals in the Red House of Peking University and registered the names of readers, although the work was trivial, the treatment was not very high. But he made full use of this excellent learning environment to read a wide range of books and newspapers and study various doctrines.
Peking University Red House
Li Dazhao also got along with Mr. Li Dazhao day and night, Li Dazhao collected many Marxist books, studied them himself, and widely disseminated them to others, Li Dazhao attached great importance to Mao Zedong, believing that Mao Zedong was an outstanding leader of the young people in Hunan, and it was at this time that Mao Zedong began to accept Marxism.
As Mao Zedong later recalled: "When he was working under Li Dazhao as a library assistant at the National Peking University, he rapidly developed in the direction of Marxism."
Mao Zedong took advantage of the opportunity in the Peking University Library to regularly observe various courses at Peking University and to participate in academic groups such as the Journalism Research Society and the Philosophy Research Society.
Mao Zedong
On October 14, 1915, the Peking University Journalism Research Association was established, and on February 19, 1926, a reorganization meeting was held, and the members of the meeting, Mao Zedong, Xu Gongdian and others, Cai Yuanpei personally attended the speech and was elected as the president.
The first study session was held on October 16, 1919, and 32 people, including Mao Zedong and Luo Zhanglong, received certificates for half a year.
Cai Yuanpei delivered a speech at the end of the term, saying that "the journalism research of this university is the first time in China, so it is the first end of Chinese journalism research."
3: Engineering-Learning Mutual Aid Group
Mao Zedong, with the support of Cai Yuanpei, participated in the Peking University Civilian Education Lecture Group, which held its inaugural meeting in Cai Yuanpei's president's office on March 23, 1919, with 39 members. Members of the regiment often went to the downtown areas and suburbs to give lectures to workers and peasants, propagating patriotic ideas and cultural and scientific knowledge.
Li Dazhao also introduced Mao Zedong to the Young China Society, and Cai Yuanpei was very supportive of the work of this society, especially the work-study mutual aid group it initiated, and expressed his deep appreciation, believing that "its purpose and organizational method are very substantive." He suggested changing the name to "Engineering-Academia Mutual Aid Group." On the "Fundraising Notice" of the regiment, he led the initiation under his name.
Chinese Society for Boys and Chinese Studies
Through Yang Changji's introduction, Mao Zedong visited Cai Yuanpei, Hu Shi, Tao Menghe and others. Mao Zedong also invited Cai Yuanpei, Hu Shi, and others to a symposium with members of the Xinmin Society in Beijing, "in the form of asking questions for members, asking for answers, and talking about many academic and life outlook issues."
Mao Zedong believed that the work-study campaign initiated by Cai Yuanpei, Wu Yuzhang, Li Yuying, and others was a great way to cultivate and improve the youth of Hunan, so he had been vigorously publicizing this activity and personally went to Beijing to contact the Huafa Education Association with Cai Yuanpei as its president about studying in France.
In addition, according to the requirements of the Education Association, he also helped students draft a work-study plan for studying in France, and tried his best to help students learn French, plan travel expenses, prepare travel equipment, and apply for passports to go abroad.
As for himself, in a later interview with the American journalist Snow, he said: "Although I helped organize this movement", "I don't want to go to Europe." I don't think I know enough about my country, and it would be more beneficial for me to spend my time in China. ”
In March 1919, Mao Zedong sent away the first batch of Hunan students who went to France to study.
The first batch of students to go to France
4: The teacher died of illness
During the May Fourth Movement, Mao Zedong took advantage of the internal contradictions among the various departments of the Beiyang warlords to militarily dismantle Zhang Jingyao. On December 18, 1919, he came to Beijing again to organize a civilian news agency to issue a press release exposing Zhang Jingyao's crimes.
On the 30th day of coming to Beijing, his mentor Yang Changji died of a long illness and passed away.
Together with Mao Zedong, Cai Yuanpei issued a notice for Yang Changji to seek financial support for his children:
Honorifics: Mr. Yang Huaizhong of Hunan Province, died of illness at 5:00 p.m. on January 17 of this year at the German Hospital in Beijing. Mr. Pure conduct, dedication to learning, fellow people and so on to hear of his death, and mourn. ...... The gentleman has no intention of becoming rich and wealthy, and his salary is only a few acres of thin land, and his daily livelihood is still repaired, and the remnants of the deceased have not been able to survive on their own. ...... Fandom and others intend to raise funds for their survivors to live. Accumulation of surpluses, or savings, or production, so that their orphan children are slightly dependent. The gentlemen of the Fu Ji know the friendship and add help, and this is also the same as the people who feel the hope. You guys look at it. Endless.
Mao Zedong guarded the spirit of his mentor and helped his family to do funerals together, and in order to make the coffin go south smoothly, Cai Yuanpei specially wrote a codex to Peking University for a lesson in literature and asked for mr. Yang Changji's coffin passport to be quickly processed.
5: Academic collision of the two
In October 1920, the Hunan Provincial Education Association held an "Academic Lecture", inviting Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Binglin, Wu Jingheng, Zhang Dongsun, as well as Dewey, Russell and others to give lectures.
Cai Yuanpei's lectures "Hope for Students" and "The Value of Fine Arts" are extremely precious historical documents, which were also published in changsha's "Ta Kung Pao" at that time.
Ta Kung Pao
In July 1921, the Communist Party of China was founded, and Mao Zedong founded a school to study Marxism, Hunan Self-Study University, which focused on individual self-study and collective discussion. There is a library in the school, which collects progressive books and newspapers that can be collected at that time for students to read.
Cai Yuanpei was overjoyed to see the "Outline of the Organization of Hunan Self-Study University". He also enthusiastically wrote an article entitled "Introduction and Explanation of Hunan Self-study University", which was published in New Education Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 1, and was widely disseminated.
Hunan Self-study University Admission Instructions
He also repeatedly stressed that Hunan "the organization of self-study universities" and "the leaders of the Academy of The United Kingdom and the Institute of Western Studies can use them, and they can be used by the models of the newly established universities in various provinces."
However, the good times did not last long, the Japanese army vigorously attacked Our country, since the date of the "April 12" incident in 1927, Mr. Cai Yuanpei has been relying on his prestige to rescue revolutionary volunteers and resolutely advocate anti-Japanese resistance. The Communist Party also attached great importance to Cai Yuanpei, and Mao Zedong personally came to speak, and Cai Yuanpei was elected as an honorary member of the presidium.
April 12 Incident
However, on March 5, 1940, Cai Yuanpei died in Hong Kong. Mao Zedong sent a telegram from Yan'an to the family of Cai Yuanpei: "Mr. Xiaomin, a tycoon in the academic circles, a model for the world, return to Daoshan, and mourn the pole!" Condolences are expressed, and prayers are still praying. Mao Zedong knocked. yang. ”
"Academic heroes, models in the world," "Really good people", this is Mao Zedong's evaluation of Cai Yuanpei, this evaluation fully expresses the infinite respect and endless nostalgia of Mao Zedong and the vast number of intellectuals for Cai Yuanpei.
Mr. Cai Yuanpei dedicated his life to the education cause of the motherland, and made great contributions to the development of China's education cause, which is worthy of the admiration of future generations!