1 965438+September 20061day, Cai Yuanpei, who had almost realized his fate, received a telegram and was still in France. The telegram was sent by Fan Yuanlian, then Minister of Education. The cable said: "The state affairs are getting peaceful, and education is urgent. At present, it is the highest institution of learning in the capital, led by Yolai Daxian, and is a model for others. People at home and abroad admire you. Urge me to Beijing by a special telegram.
The presidency of a university. Return to China as soon as possible to comfort the future. The departure is just around the corner. Please send a telegram first. "Cai Yuanpei received this telegram urging him to return to China as the president of Peking University. He meditated for a long time, and his mood fluctuated and it was difficult to calm down at the moment.
Cai Yuanpei, who was born as an academician in the Qing Dynasty, later became a loyal revolutionary. As early as 15 years ago, he embarked on the road of democratic revolution and education to save the country. He went abroad to study in France when he was nearly 50 years old, with the purpose of integrating Chinese and English cultures, cultivating masters and talents, and educating to save the country and strengthen the country. In France, he and Wu Faqi work-study program and Sino-French education association, and fought for China.
State-owned young volunteers go to France to work and study to create conditions. Work-study program in France had a great influence on the progressive intellectuals in China at that time, and many people actively participated in it. Some of them began to receive Marxist education in France, and gradually grew into Marxists and outstanding leaders of China's * * * production party. Although the work-study program in France has made progress, Cai Yuanpei is not satisfied. He always feels that "education operated abroad seems to be less practical than domestic education". Now the opportunity has come, Yuan Shikai, who was in absolute power, has fallen, and the country has a new turn and hope. Although Peking University had a bad reputation at that time, it was, after all, the first national university organized by the central government in China, and it was the highest institution with a decisive influence on national education. He can use Peking University as a base to show his ambition and realize his long-cherished wish. After some consideration, Cai Yuanpei initially intends to accept Fan Yuanlian's invitation and return to China as the president of Peking University.
19 16 10 On October 2nd, Cai Yuanpei and Wu Congmasai returned home by boat, and1October 8th 10 arrived in Shanghai. Cai Yuanpei's friends have different views on whether he should be the president of Peking University, and some revolutionaries also have differences. Many people advised him not to enter Peking University, which is a troublesome place. Otherwise it will ruin his reputation. Sun Yat-sen, who is well aware of Cai Yuanpei, advocated him to go, thinking that old comrades like Cai Yuanpei should go to Beijing to preside over national education, which was shrouded by emperors and bureaucrats of past dynasties; Spread revolutionary ideas. Sun Yat-sen's support and entrustment strengthened Cai Yuanpei's determination to serve and transform Peking University. At that time, he said: "I think Peking University is notorious, but the improvement plan is not impossible to try, so I agreed to take the exam." Later, I used the phrase "I will go to hell if I don't go to hell" to express my resolute attitude. 19 16 12.22, Cai Yuanpei went to Beijing as the president of Peking University with the purpose and determination to rectify and reform Peking University.
19 16 12.26, Cai Yuanpei was officially appointed as the president of Peking University. 1917 65438+14 October, Cai Yuanpei took office in Peking University, and since then, he has started his most accomplished and admirable glorious course in his life.
Cai Yuanpei, who has both innovative spirit and democratic style, is completely different from his predecessor from the moment he stepped into Peking University. On his first day at school, the school staff lined up at the school gate to pay tribute to him respectfully. He took off his hat and bowed to the school staff seriously, contrary to the arrogance and disregard of previous principals. After that, he went in and out of school every day, and the school police saluted him. He took off his hat and returned the gift. This new thing surprised the faculty and students of the school, which was tantamount to blowing a strong wind of equality and democracy to northerners with serious feudal habits, indicating that the school will embark on a new journey in the reform.
1917 65438+19, the opening ceremony was held in Peking University, and Cai Yuanpei delivered a speech as the principal. In view of the unhealthy trend of Peking University at that time, he emphatically put forward three requirements: "establishing purpose", "sharpening virtue" and "loving teachers and friends", and made clear the nature of a university: "A great scholar is also a person who studies profound knowledge". It is pointed out that "college students should take academic research as their bounden duty, not the university as a ladder to promote and make a fortune", and students should put "learning with purpose" in the first place. This speech aroused strong repercussions among teachers and students.
In the year when Cai Yuanpei became president, Peking University held an activity to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its founding. The lyrics commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the school wrote, "I am happy and talented. I try to tell my peers: I remember that this hall was built in the Qing Dynasty with beautiful scenery, and the door of the old owner has been changed. In spring, the podium is raised and the spring breeze is different. Things have changed, the wind and thunder are everywhere, and the string sounds are recited without hindrance. How much is it so far, peach and plum cultivation; Nice to meet Mr. Cai at this time. I have calculated it carefully from the beginning, and it has been 20 years. " "I'm glad to meet Mr. Cai at this time" reflects the sincere welcome and ardent expectation of teachers and students of Peking University to Cai.
From then on, Cai Yuanpei promoted the advantages and eliminated the disadvantages in Peking University, and made the stale Peking University become a vibrant Peking University, a veritable Peking University. Someone commented: "Mr. Cai is a leading scholar and a famous philosopher. After taking office, he vigorously reformed and opened wider to the outside world. Based on its historical accumulation, he cultivated domestic talents, and made the Peking University School, which had been silent for several years and tasteless, stand out, admire and be unique ... Scholars in all provinces know the rising wind, and they all have burdens and belong to the Tao, while there are scholars in 22 provinces. " During Cai Yuanpei's long school, a new atmosphere and a new situation finally appeared in Peking University.
Second, hire famous teachers to reform the old system.
Cai Yuanpei's Peking University is no different from old wine in a new bottle: after the Revolution of 1911, the name of the school was changed from Shi Jing University Hall to Peking University, but its essence has not changed much, and feudalism still dominates. The school is like a yamen, with little academic atmosphere; Some teachers have no education and just want to be officials. Some teachers are stubborn and old-fashioned and don't allow new ideas to come in. Students are mostly bureaucrats.
Some of them spend thousands of silver dollars every year, waiting for pages, playing mahjong, eating Huasan, playing famous roles and visiting brothels. They are not interested in studying, but they try their best to get a job as an official. Facing Peking University, Cai Yuanpei began to reform from two aspects: one is to hire eager teachers to stimulate students' interest in learning; The second is to reform the school's leadership management system, teaching content and teaching methods, and inject democracy and scientific spirit.
Cai Yuanpei, who has accumulated many years of experience in running a school, knows that the most important thing is to have a large number of truly talented and enthusiastic teachers to run Peking University well. He believes that "chaos in learning classes" and "corruption of discipline" are two major drawbacks of Peking University. "To save the first disadvantage, we need to hire a pure scholar, a professor and a * * * with students to transform the university into an institution for purely studying knowledge. In order to save the second shortcoming, we should hire student model figures and adopt a rectification style of study. " To this end, before others entered the school gate of Peking University, they began to recruit talents and recruit talents from Luo Zhi, leaving many anecdotes such as "three visits to the cottage" to hire Chen Duxiu as a senior liberal arts student at Peking University and Liang Shuming without a college degree to teach at Peking University.
1916 65438+February 26th. It was the day when the Ministry of Education officially appointed Cai Yuanpei as the president of Peking University. Early in the morning, he rushed to a hotel in Qianmenwai Street, Beijing, and visited Chen Duxiu, who became more and more famous for founding New Youth and propagating democratic and scientific ideas. Cai Yuanpei knew something about Chen Duxiu a long time ago, and thought that he should start from rectifying the liberal arts and then rectify himself.
The ideal assistant of Peking University. He listed Chen Duxiu as the first choice for recruiting talents, and specially visited him personally. Cai Yuanbi was thirsty for talents, but Chen Duxiu refused to do New Youth and other reasons. Therefore, Cai Yuanpei followed Liu Bei's "three visits to the cottage" and visited Chen Duxiu almost every day. Sometimes he comes early, and before Chen Duxiu gets up, he tells the waiter not to wake Chen, and sits on the bench and waits at the door. Faith can move mountains. Because Cai Yuanpei sincerely recruited talents, he promised Chen Duxiu to take "New Youth" to Peking University to solve practical problems, and Chen Duxiu agreed to take a post at Peking University, and was approved by the Ministry of Education as a senior liberal arts student at Peking University on June 5438+09 17+ 10/3. The liberal arts senior invited by Cai Yuanpei became the "Commander-in-Chief of the May 4th Movement" two years later.
Since then, Cai Yuanpei has hired a number of innovative and knowledgeable new figures such as Hu Shi, Li Dazhao, Qian, Liu Bannong, Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren to teach at Peking University. In addition, Ma Xulun, Shen, Chen Yuan, Chen Daqi, Xiao, Shen Jianshi, Xu Beihong, Xiong Shili, Ma Yinchu, Tao, Wang Shijie, Zhou Yusheng, Chen Qixiu and other well-known domestic experts and scholars were also employed as professors and tutors of Peking University University of Arts and Sciences. In science and engineering, Cai Yuanpei hired Xia Yuanli, the first physicist who introduced Einstein's theory of relativity in China at that time, as a science senior, and also hired famous scholars Li Siguang, Ding, Guang, He Jie, Weng, Wang Xinggong, Ding Wenjiang, Yu Tongkui, Zhu Jiahua, Feng Zugou and foreign experts Glip as professors. For a time, Peking University was full of famous teachers, talented people, strong academic atmosphere and unprecedented active teaching and scientific research. According to the statistics at the beginning of 19 18, there are 90 professors in the whole school. In terms of age, 43 of them are under 76, accounting for 56.6%. Only 6 people are over 50 years old, accounting for 7.9%. Xu, the youngest professor, is only 2 1 year old, while Hu Shi and Liu Bannong are only 2078 years old. Chen Duxiu is only 38 years old. Such a young and energetic team of teachers has swept away the stale atmosphere of Peking University in the past, making Peking University a "pioneer of constant innovation and constant innovation movement" as Lu Xun said.
Cai Yuanpei not only actively recruited students and enthusiastic teachers, but also made a series of reforms in Peking University's leadership system, department setup, teaching system, curriculum content and enrollment system by drawing lessons from the model of western universities.
In the aspect of school leadership system, according to the principle of professor running the school, a Council composed of the president, the science director and the professor representatives was established as the highest legislative body and authority of the school, which changed the situation that in the past, all school affairs were handled by a few prime ministers such as the president, the superintendent and the general affairs director, and even the science director had no right to ask. Professor representatives are elected, and the school
The president is the ex officio speaker of the Senate. Since then, in addition to the Council, the Executive Council has been established as the administrative executive organ of the whole school, and the principal is also the speaker of the Executive Council; Set up an academic affairs office and an academic affairs office, which are composed of department heads, and choose a dean from them to lead the teaching work of the whole school in a unified way; Set up a general affairs office and a general affairs officer to be in charge of the personnel and work of the whole school.
Work.
In the setting of departments, it is necessary to expand arts and sciences, adjust law, merge business and engineering, reform preparatory courses, abolish the door and change departments, integrate arts and sciences, establish research institutes, and establish three-level academic system of preparatory courses, undergraduate courses and research institutes. By 19 19, the whole school has mathematics, physics, chemistry and geology; There are three departments: Philosophy Department, China Literature Department, English Literature Department, French Literature Department, German Literature Department, Russian Literature Department, Literature Department, Economics Department, Law Department 13, and three research institutes of liberal arts, science and law.
In the aspect of teaching system, changing the grade system to the elective system can arouse students' enthusiasm and initiative, which is conducive to teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. At that time, it was stipulated that preparatory students could graduate after studying 40 units (that is, later credits), and undergraduates could graduate after studying 80 units. In determining the selected subjects, undergraduates and preppie professors will be responsible respectively. For freshmen, a freshman steering committee will be set up.
Members will serve as consultants for their registration and course selection. The course selection system was first implemented in Peking University at 19 19, and has been adopted by other universities in China since 1922.
Pay attention to the rescue of basic theory and knowledge in educational content and curriculum, and insist on strengthening theoretical research; Communicate the teaching contents of arts and sciences, so that students can master more comprehensive and rich knowledge; Attach importance to students' aesthetic education and put forward that aesthetic education should replace religion; Attach importance to student sports, the first student army; Advocate the integration of Chinese and western cultures and adopt the latest theories of world science; Advocating absorbing foreign excellent culture, but opposing simple imitation, focusing on mastering advanced scientific methods; Attach importance to students' foreign language learning and offer esperanto courses; Reform the history curriculum and attach importance to scientific methods and archaeological work; Actively invite foreign experts to give lectures at the school, and pay attention to sending teachers and students to study abroad.
In the aspect of enrollment system, it advocates equality between men and women, and enrolls female students from the spring of 1920, which has created a precedent for coeducation in university education in China. This spring, Peking University enrolled nine girls, including Wang Lan. Since autumn, girls have been officially recruited, and 9 girls have been admitted as undergraduates. Advocate civilian education and change tactics from the summer vacation of 19 17.
In life, the old method of emphasizing academic qualifications, looking at personal background, insisting on passing exams and taking candidates' exam results as admission criteria has made many children of civilians with real talents and practical learning enter schools. In order to cultivate more talents, we not only recruit formal students, but also recruit a certain number of students who attend lectures and choose subjects. 1918 April 14 On the active initiative of Cai Yuanpei, North
The night shift of university service was officially opened. Running night classes for all school staff is a pioneering work, which has no precedent in the history of Peking University and China University. Later, under the active sponsorship of Cai Yuanpei, the Education Group of Peking University Student Union also set up a civilian night school to recruit civilian children near the school. All these reflect Cai Yuanpei's thought and proposition of civilian education.
Cai Yuanpei is not limited to talents. He used the model of western universities for reference and carried out drastic reforms in Peking University, which brought about great qualitative changes in Peking University. As Feng Youlan said: "It was only over two years from 19 17 to 19 19; Mr. Cai turned Peking University from a bureaucrat into a veritable highest institution of learning, and turned a lifeless Peking University into a vibrant Peking University.
A lively battle fortress. With the wind blowing, a generation of talents emerged in China, including Comrade Mao Zedong. "
Third, freedom of thought is inclusive.
Cai Yuanpei believes that universities are institutions that study profound knowledge, and the policy of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" must be implemented to promote academic prosperity and development. He said many times: "For theory, follow the principle of freedom of thought, adopt the principle of tolerance, and imitate the common practices of universities around the world." "No matter what kind of school, those who are reasonable and reasonable, and have not yet reached the fate of natural elimination, although they are contrary to each other, they will let them develop freely."
This policy is highlighted in the recruitment of teachers. As a democratic thinker, it is natural that Cai Yuanpei first hired Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, Li Dazhao and other cutting-edge figures as professors at Peking University. But beyond that, he really knows the old-school figures like the back of his hand, including Liu who once supported Yuan Shikai's restoration of monarchy, Huang Kan who was stubborn and conservative, and opposed * * *.
Ming and Liang Shuming, who respected Confucius as their teacher, also hired them and even made an exception. Cai Yuanpei believes: "A great scholar is also a university that includes ceremonies and attracts many scholars." . The Book of Rites the Doctrine of the Mean; All things nurture each other without harming each other, and Tao runs parallel without contradicting each other. Enough to describe. If a person is natural, his official body is left and right, his breathing is different, and his flesh and blood are rigid and soft, if the opposite is true. In universities all over the world, idealism and materialism of philosophy, idealism and realism of literature and art, interference and laissez-faire of planning and learning, ethical encouragement and utilitarianism, cheerful soul of the universe and world-weariness often coexist, which is the universal principle of freedom of thought and the reason why universities are so big. ""This passage vividly and concretely summarizes Cai Yuanpei's university view and academic proposition.
Freedom and tolerance are great. This is an important part of Cai Yuanpei's educational thought. It is under the guidance of this university view and academic view that Peking University has an unprecedented active situation of academic freedom, coexistence of factions and contention of a hundred schools of thought.
According to records, the academic atmosphere of Peking Man Studies before and after the May 4th Movement was unusually strong and warm. Experts and scholars from different schools write articles, hold lectures or give speeches on stage, express their opinions and show their magical powers. Hu Shi, a doctor studying in the United States in the auditorium of Peking University Third Hospital, is teaching the history of China's philosophy from the bourgeois point of view. At the same time, there are old and knowledgeable Confucianists in the auditorium of Peking University Second Hospital.
Teacher Liang Shuming is talking about Confucius and Mencius. Both classes are arranged on Saturday afternoon, and each class talks about its own viewpoints and systems, so that students can choose freely. In terms of philology, Huang Kan of the old quintessence school and the money of the new vernacular school are tit for tat. Once Qian was giving a lecture, so was Huang Kan in the opposite classroom. How absurd is Huang Kan's view of scolding money, which does not conform to the old adage; On the other hand, money doesn't care about this. You said your "what's wrong" and I said my "what's wrong?" . At that time, the situation of Peking University was quite praised by the world. Someone wrote an article saying: "Recently, my feelings for Peking University are excellent. In my mind, I always feel that this is the only dawn of China, which contains theories and ideas of various factions, and the air is very fresh. "
Cai Yuanpei advocates "freedom of thought and inclusiveness". Is there no principle, no standard, no boundary, no good or bad, no right or wrong? Does it include all of them? No, judging from the hiring of teachers, Cai Yuanpei insists on high standards. First, we must have a high academic level. "Not only be knowledgeable, but also have interest in learning, which can arouse students' interest in research. Not only the latest theories are adopted in world science, but also the existing data in China should be sorted out in new ways. "In other words, we must have a strong academic pursuit, stand at the forefront of world science, and even carry out a new arrangement of national heritage. Second, we should be enthusiastic about teaching and pay attention to teaching methods, which can guide and inspire students to learn and complete the prescribed teaching tasks. The third is to be a teacher, have good moral cultivation, and become a "model figure of students." "According to this standard, he recruited a large number of talents, and also dismissed some uneducated, unqualified or misbehaving teachers, such as' heads of visiting delegations', including unqualified foreign teachers. Academically, first of all, Cai Yuanpei limited the scope of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" to the academic field of "nothing to do with politics", and he was inclusive on political issues. As Peking University students said at that time, Mr. Cai invited Liu to talk about the literature of the Six Dynasties but never allowed Liu to advocate the monarchy, and asked Gu Hongming to talk about English literature but never allowed Gu to advocate the restoration against * * *. Secondly, all kinds of inclusive theories must be "just, just and not destined to be eliminated naturally." "Otherwise, it will not appear in the lecture hall of Peking University. Third, Cai Yuanpei's theories of various schools of thought are not completely half a catty, and he did not praise or criticize them. On the contrary, he restricted and advocated them. As a democratic revolutionary, he enthusiastically supported and vigorously advocated new ideas, theories and viewpoints of democratic science on various occasions. Because of this, Peking University can become the center of the New Culture Movement, the birthplace of the May 4th anti-imperialist patriotic movement, and the initial base for spreading Marxism and democratic scientific ideas in China. Chen Duxiu made an accurate interpretation of Cai Yuanpei's policy of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness". He said: "Among the teachers of Peking University, Cui Huaiqing, Gu, Uncle Liu Zhong and Huang Jigang are old-fashioned, but they all have specialized knowledge, which is different from those who pretend to be ancient writers and drama critics. Mr. Cai is eclectic and thoughtful, and has a sense of proportion to all old and new schools. He respects the freedom of giving lectures and all legal academic discussions between the old and the new. It is not without discretion, including those inappropriate obscene novels, Fu Yingxia who holds the role of absurd ghost in drama criticism, and demonstrated her skills without common sense. ..... He can freely discuss all kinds of old and new theories, which does not hinder the development of their personality; As for integration or not, it is to listen to the objective nature, not to force them to integrate subjectively. I think this is probably Mr. Cai's eclecticism. When some scholars couldn't figure out how to hire Gu Hongming with long braids and red jackets and Professor Wei Liu Peking University, the sinner of the Security Committee, Cai Yuanpei said to them, "I hope you can learn from Mr. Gu's English and Mr. Liu's Chinese studies, and don't support restoration or constitutional monarchy." This shows that Cai Yuanpei is "very idealistic and measured" when implementing the inclusive policy.
It should be pointed out that Cai Yuanpei's policy of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" is a revolutionary policy against feudal cultural absolutism. At the beginning of the 20th century, the old and new ideas collided fiercely and the society changed dramatically. He put forward this policy, which adapted to the development of the times and history and was conducive to the existence, development and dissemination of new ideas and viewpoints.
Yes It is precisely because of this policy that democratic scientific thought and even Marxism can appear on the academic stage of Peking University and spread rapidly in Peking University. Judging from the law of academic development, without the freedom of thought and the comparison and competition between different schools and academic viewpoints, academic development will lose its vitality and there will be no new development.
Life triumphs over decay, advanced over backwardness, and truth over fallacy. Therefore, the policy of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" is more in line with the requirements of the law of academic development. Of course, this policy is mainly a "all-inclusive" formulation, but it also has its imperfections. This proposal does not clearly point out the role of the struggle between opposites in historical development and people's innovative responsibility in the struggle between old and new things, which easily leads to misunderstanding that people do not distinguish between the old and the new, tolerate everything and let it develop. However, Cai Yuanpei put forward this policy under the historical conditions at that time, and successfully put it into practice in Peking University, which enabled Peking University to open a new era of academic circles in China. This is very remarkable and its historical achievements are indelible.