Chapter 151 run a school

Cai Yuanpei devoted his whole life to education, running numerous schools.As early as 1885, when he was 17 years old, he began to set up a library to teach. Cai Yuanpei spared no effort in cultivating the youth in his hometown. He successively hosted Shaojun Chinese and Western School, Shaoxing Fu School, Yuejun Public School, and Mingdao Girls' School. He was once an honorary director of Jishan Middle School. In 1898, Cai Yuanpei returned to Shaoxing from Beijing and served as the supervisor (principal) of Shaoxing Chinese and Western School in the winter of this year.Founded in 1887 (the 13th year of Guangxu), the Chinese and Western School is the earliest school in Shaoxing, the predecessor of Zhejiang No. 5 Middle School.This is an old school, and Cai Yuanpei runs the school here, and the difficult situation can be imagined.There were originally two foreign languages, English and French, in the curriculum of the Chinese and Western School. After Cai Yuanpei arrived at the school, he added Japanese and hired a Japanese, Nakagawa, to teach in Shaoxing.Among the teachers in Chinese and Western schools, there are two schools: the old and the new: the new school teachers include Du Yaquan, Shou Xiaotian, Hu Daonan, Ma Tianxi, etc.; the old school teachers include Ren Qiutian, Xue Guixuan, Tao Feiran, Zhou Fengbao, etc.The English teacher is Xu Hanxi, and the mathematics teacher is He Yucai.The struggle between old and new teachers is fierce.There are often disputes over the issue of innovation in the school.Cai Yuanpei was of course on the side of the new school, and all the students sympathized with the new school.For this reason, Cai Yuanpei was warned by the school director, so he resigned angrily and left the Chinese and Western School in 1899.

In the summer of 1901, Cai Yuanpei went to Shanghai to act as the principal of Chengzhong School.In September of the same year, he was hired as the chief teacher of the special economics class of Nanyang Public School. In 1902, Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Zhiyou founded the China Education Association in Shanghai and served as the president, founded the Patriotic Society and the Patriotic Women's School, and were promoted as prime ministers.The following year, the activities of the Patriotic Society aroused the vigilance of the Qing government, and the Qing government ordered an investigation.Cai Yuanpei traveled to Qingdao, Japan, Shaoxing, Shanghai and other places. On the one hand, he was learning German and preparing to study in Germany to avoid the limelight. On the other hand, he was still engaged in education and revolutionary activities.

In June 1915, the fourth year of the Republic of China, when Cai Yuanpei was 48 years old, he, Li Shizeng, Wu Yuzhang and others initiated the Chinese Law Education Association, advocating work-study programs in France, hoping that this organization would help more Chinese to study in Europe. Later, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping With the help of this organization, Deng Jun successfully studied in France. On December 26, 1916, Cai Yuanpei was appointed as the president of Peking University.From 1912, when the Capital University Hall was renamed Peking University, to 1917 when Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University, in just five years, Peking University changed four presidents like a lantern: Yan Fu, Zhang Shizhao, He Yushi, and Hu Renyuan.They are all well-known elite figures in the cultural and educational circles of the Republic of China. Although they have tried their best in eighteen martial arts, they just cannot be the president of such a university that was born out of the old system, and it is difficult to make a difference.Before taking office, many of Cai Yuanpei's friends believed that Peking University was corrupt, and that if he took office, his reputation would be hindered.Sun Yat-sen believed that "there should be a spread of revolutionary ideas in the north, and old comrades like Cai Yuanpei should go to Beijing, where the atmosphere of emperors and bureaucrats has been shrouded in history, to preside over national education." Cai Yuanpei accepted the order generously.

At the beginning of 1920, Cai Yuanpei, Li Shizeng and Wu Jingheng used Boxer indemnities to establish Sino-French University in Beijing.Cai Yuanpei served as the principal.At the end of the same year, Cai Yuanpei was sent by Peking University to investigate in Europe, and together with Herriot, the mayor of Lyon, France, and Lepine, the dean of the University of Lyon's School of Medicine, established the Association of Chinese and French Universities in Lyon, and decided to establish the Chinese University of Lyon. University of Law. There is an anecdote that shows that Cai Yuanpei ran many schools: Peking Kongde School had a lawsuit with a certain university due to disputes over geographical boundaries.During the court proceedings, it was found that the plaintiff was "Cai Yuanpei, the principal of a certain university" and the defendant was "Cai Yuanpei, the principal of Kongde School".It is rare.