Author: Yun Wang

Translator: Yingxian Wang

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From 1922 to 1928, ShanKai studied at Beijing Normal University when the school was still called “Beijing Higher Normal School.” His cohort was the first one to try changing the name from “Normal School” to “University” and the first group of students under the name “Beijing Normal University.” According to his classmates, the establishment of the school was the result of the principal and professors’ hard work and struggle over the years. The students enjoyed the last round of free meals provided by the Normal School and were the first to experience the elective system. These changes made the students proud and they thought they had taken on the responsibility of improving the academic environment. They evaluated themselves as follows: “Although we usually face difficult challenges and take on tasks responsibly, we make great efforts to expand our minds and encourage each other to keep up with the times and not be corrupted.” Even though their lives were full of ups and downs, each had their unique personality. “Most of us are willing to use our inherent “sincerity” and “love” to study, support each other, and cultivate morals. We are confident in ourselves.”

At that time, Beijing Normal University was located in Changdian, the current site of the First Experimental Primary School in Beijing. The main gate of the school was a Western-style stone arch with four Corinthian columns supporting the school’s name, “National Beijing Normal University.” The column heads were decorated with flowers and flower baskets, symbolizing hope and vitality. The second gate was connected to the building, and the decoration under the four Roman columns indicated that it was an Ionic column, a symbol of the “Goddess of Wisdom.” The side gate was made of red bricks and was simple and elegant, leading people into a deep and mysterious road. The soul of Beijing Normal University was the bronze school bell in that campus. In fact, the large bell was an ancient “wooden bell” in ancient times. “Bell” appeared in the Xia and Shang dynasties and was a kind of sounding instrument with a metal frame. In ancient times, the wooden bell with a wooden tongue was used to announce government orders. Later, the wooden bell became the name for teachers. Confucius was praised in the Analects saying, “The world has been without the Way for a long time. Heaven will use you, Master, as a wooden bell.” Later generations expanded this saying, referring to teachers as the people who hold wooden bells. “Wooden bell” has been used as the emblem of Beijing Normal University.

The classrooms were made of brick and wood and were either one-story or two-story buildings, a combination of Chinese and Western styles. The campus not only had basketball and tennis courts but also many gardens. The dormitory area was like a courtyard with male dormitories equipped with the necessary literary wicker chairs and female dormitories decorated with paintings and bonsai that ladies would learn. There were not only living facilities such as bathrooms, washrooms, and dining halls, but also study rooms, reception rooms, and other places for learning and socializing. Even when sitting on the ground in the courtyard, one could enjoy the beauty of lilacs and begonias. The best building on campus was the library, which was renovated from an old building in 1921. It was designed by architects from Germany, Denmark, the United States, and France, with a floor space of 1,157 square meters, and could accommodate 200 people to read simultaneously. The first librarian, Ms. Feng Chenzuyi, participated in the entire planning of the library. She is the first person of the Chinese university library. When the library opened, it had 3,375 Chinese books with 4,882 volumes, 2,360 Japanese books with 2,917 volumes, 4,395 English books, 401 German books, and 22 French books in its collection.

What was ShanKai’s life like when he was in college? According to the design of the educational system at the time, the first two years were preparatory courses, followed by two years of undergraduate courses, with an additional two years added later. While some students graduated in four years, ShanKai graduated twice. The only records left by his contemporaries at Beijing Normal University who have already passed away are two yearbooks, one from 1926 and the other from 1928, which both document his two graduations. When I tried to learn more about his teachers and classmates, a vivid picture of his life as a colleague with the great masters came to mind. In the academic records kept at Beijing Normal University, I discovered that ShanKai scored the highest marks in “Mandarin pronunciation” with a score of 96. The professor who taught this course, Mr. Qian Xuantong, was the teacher whom ShanKai respected the most, and his photo has always been treasured by Shan Kai. Mr. Qian Xuantong had been teaching at Beijing Normal University since 1913 and became the head of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the university in 1928. He dedicated his entire life to teaching and researching phonetics and phonology, and was widely recognized as a contemporary master in this field. Mr. Qian taught phonetics for 20 years, with a broad range of references and precise analysis of ancient and modern texts, and his understanding of the subject continued to evolve over time. He did not like to write books or create study materials, only printing a few charts which he could use at any time to present his insights. However, his students benefited greatly from his teachings, and many of them took detailed notes of his lectures, which Mr. Qian often felt were not sufficient. Mr. Qian was a proponent of the May Fourth Movement and the promotion of Mandarin, and played an extremely important role in establishing and promoting the use of Mandarin in contemporary Chinese language.

“Chinese Grammar” was first introduced at Beijing Normal University in 1920, and the teacher who taught this course was someone who had a lifelong influence on ShanKai, namely Mr. Li Jinxi. Mr. Li, like Mr. Qian Xuantong, was a proponent of the promotion of Mandarin and was also the author of “New Chinese Grammar,” which drew on both English grammar and classical Chinese grammar from “Ma’s Wenyuange Edition,” and became the foundation of modern Chinese grammar in China. It was also a classic in the field of Chinese grammar, promoting the standardization and theorization of modern Chinese language and laying the foundation for the final formation of written Mandarin. Mr. Li Jinxie was born into a scholarly family in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. Interestingly, he passed the provincial exam at the age of 15, at the same time as his father, which demonstrated his exceptional intelligence. From 1920 onwards, Mr. Li taught at Beijing Normal University, and he rarely left the university throughout his life. Although ShanKai’s grammar score seemed only average at 71, his close relationship with his mentor and his lifelong dedication to the teaching of Chinese language education should be attributed to his academic recognition of Mr. Li.

Professor Xia Yuzhong should be the teacher who had the longest impact on ShanKai’s education. When ShanKai was studying at Beijing Normal University High School, Xia was his Chinese teacher. It was Xia who inspired ShanKai’s interest in Chinese and confirmed his lifelong pursuit of teaching Chinese. Xia Yuzhong graduated from the English Department of Beijing Teachers College and taught Chinese despite his major. He often translated English poetry into classical Chinese and published them in English-language magazines as well as in teaching materials for his students. Xia liked to break the rules and selected articles by Liang Qichao and poems by Huang Zunxian with new ideas, which greatly stimulated the students’ interest. Xia Yuzhong was also a poet and published poetry collections like “Wu Jing Ji”. His poetry was aesthetically beautiful and full of Zen, such as “Mist cleared, the stars disappeared, and the nine heavens remained silent and empty” (excerpted from “Wu Jing”). When a poet shows their work to students, the feeling of being immersed in it is truly wonderful.

Gao Buyin was a student of Wu Rulun, a late period writer of the Tongcheng School. Gao had a deep understanding of the principles, research, and rhetoric of classical Chinese, and he had written many books in his life, including “Li Zhuyi’s Annotation and Explanation of the Selections of Literature,” “Annotated Collection of Ancient Chinese Literature,” “Essential Anthology of Tang and Song Poetry,” and so on. He was a famous scholar in the late Qing and early Republican period. Everyone knows about “Hong Xue” (the study of Dream of the Red Chamber), but few know about “Xuan Xue” (the study of Selections of Literature), which is the earliest surviving collection of poetry and literature in China. Gao Buyin was also ShanKai’s teacher, teaching ancient poetry and literature.

As for Zhou Shuren (Lu Xun), there is no need to introduce him. At that time, he worked at the Ministry of Education, and it was said that he only received two to three tenths of his salary. People were resentful of this. Zhou saved a lot of time teaching and writing articles. He mainly taught at Peking University, but also taught some courses at Beijing Normal University. He taught literary criticism to ShanKai and his classmates, although he was only a part-time professor. ShanKai was deeply impressed by Zhou’s lectures, which were “innovative in thought, concise in language, profound in meaning, and unmatched by other teachers” (quoted from ShanKai’s original words). Therefore, whenever Zhou Shuren gave a lecture, his students and teachers from other schools, including Beijing Normal University High School, would crowd the classroom. ShanKai had rebellious thoughts from his student days and shared many similarities with Lu Xun’s soul.

In 2018, Beijing University Press published a book called “The Story of Tongzilou”. In one of the articles, titled “The Places I Lived in Yan Yuan”, written by Du Xiaoqin, he mentioned that he once bought three notebooks with the signature “Wang Shuda” for less than ten yuan. One of the notebooks had the title “Outline of National Heritage” on the cover and the words “Lectures by Mr. Wu Jianzhai” above the table of contents on the first page. Wu Jianzhai, also known as Wu Chengshi, was a disciple of the modern Confucian master Zhang Taiyan, and was a famous economist, philologist, and educator who, together with Huang Kan, were known as “Southern Huang Northern Wu”. The notebook was the lecture notes of Shan Kai and was written with a brush on a nine-line green lined Xuan paper from the Tongxing Rongnan Paper Shop. Du Xiaoqin wrote that “Wang Shuda’s notes are clear and beautiful, and reading them not only gives a glimpse of Mr. Wu Chengshi’s erudition and demeanor during his lectures, but also shows Mr. Wang Shuda’s seriousness and intelligence in his studies.” It was found that Wu Chengshi did indeed teach “Outline of National Heritage” at Beijing Normal University.

In addition, Shen Jianshi, who taught linguistics, was one of the “Three Shens of Peking University” and was a well-known philologist, textual scholar, and educator. He had many accomplishments, including authoring “The Study of Character and Meaning,” “The Phonology of Guangyun,” and “Essays of Duan Yanzhai.” Mr. Ma Yuzao and Mr. Zhu Xizu, who were the first to propose the “Phonetic Alphabet Scheme,” and who served as the heads of the Chinese Literature Department at Peking University, also taught courses in Chinese language and history at Shan Kai University. They all held a crucial position in the history of Chinese linguistics.

Except for the professional courses, the teachers for other courses at ShanKai are all masters in their fields. The philosophy professor, Fu Tong, was a student of the philosophy master Russell and later served as the president of many universities. The math teachers Qin Fen, Wang Renfu, Hu Junji, and Fu Zhongsun are all famous mathematicians, no wonder ShanKai’s math scores are good. The psychology teacher is Mr. Liu Tingfang, one of the founders of the Chinese Psychological Society. In 1925, he presided over the mourning ceremony for Sun Yat-sen’s death as the dean and pastor of Yanjing Theological Seminary, delivering a touching eulogy titled “Look, a Dreamer Comes Here in Broad Daylight,” which was later included in the published book “World Famous Speeches”. ShanKai has five English teachers: Fu Donghua teaches “Shakespearean ballad skills” (stories adapted from Shakespeare’s plays); Xu Zuzheng lectures on Chekhov’s novel translations; Chen Yuan lectures on Jane Austen; Lin Yutang lectures on English phonetics; and Bao Mingqian lectures on English rhetoric. However, what is interesting is that these five teachers, except for Mr. Fu Donghua, are not English majors: Xu Zuzheng is a writer who returned from studying in Japan during the May Fourth Movement; Chen Yuan is a literary critic and famous journalist who co-founded the Modern Comment weekly magazine with Xu Zhimo and others; Lin Yutang is a well-known writer; Bao Mingqian studied political science and theology at an Ivy League school in the United States and was the first constitutional scholar in China, with books such as “Chinese Democratic Governance” to his name. It can be seen that the English proficiency of every university professor at that time was remarkable. Even the music teacher was not an ordinary person. He was a Taiwanese named Ke Zhenghe, who studied in Japan and made great contributions to introducing Western music into China’s education and music basic education. He also discovered and trained a large number of musicians such as Liu Tianhua.

In addition, other famous teachers at Beijing Normal University during the same period include: President Zhang Yihui was a physicist and educator who pioneered the course of atomic structure theory (i.e. atomic physics) in higher education institutions in China; Dean of Academic Affairs Cha Liangzhao came from the famous Cha family and was a well-known educator who served as the training and guidance director of the Southwest Associated University and the president of Henan University; and Professor Yuan Dunli was the leader of modern sports education in China, who believed that sports represented the spirit of new education. Even Ms. Lu, who was the female student administrator at the time, graduated from Columbia University’s education and library science program. Among these numerous teachers, about one-third graduated from various universities in Japan, and the largest proportion of them graduated from Columbia University. Almost every teacher had experience studying abroad. Compared to other majors, the Chinese language department at Beijing Normal University had particularly strong faculty, including Liu Wendian, Shan Buchang, Huang Kan, Zhou Zuoren, Luo Yong, Shen Yinmo, and others who were all famous and influential. These professors played a leading role in the New Culture Movement and the vernacular language movement. It was in this kind of environment that Shan Kai had the opportunity to work with masters and was at the forefront of the vernacular language movement from the beginning.

Mei Yiqi once said, “A university does not refer only to a big building, but also to great teachers.” At Beijing Normal University, where great teachers gathered, the graduates were outstanding. Among the 517 students (as shown in the graduation register), most of ShanKai’s classmates went on to engage in education work and became principals or experts all over the country, with only a few entering politics (only 20 people). Sun Kaidi became a Dunhuang scholar and classical literature scholar, Jiang Chun-nian became a collector, Fu Yan became a dictionary compiler, Li Shijun successively entered politics in the Nationalist Party and democratic parties, Wang Zhen, Lu Huaiqi, and others later became colleagues with Shanyi at the Beijing Normal University Affiliated Middle School, and Wu Jian founded Beijing Zhicheng Middle School… From Suiyuan to Guangxi, from secondary schools to universities, ShanKai’s classmates in the education sector during the Republic of China were all active.

During the university stage, Beijing Normal University also had rich social practice activities in school life. At that time, there was a special school spirit, that is, the relationship between classmates was harmonious and spiritually united. Although everyone came from different places and did not know each other, they could soon talk to each other and participate in various entertainment and games together. Whether it was sports such as basketball, tennis, or activities such as singing and dancing, they were enough to excite the students. Even as a bystander, one would also be happy to see it. In the game room, groups of students competed in games such as Go, chess, checkers, and military chess. Even a “reverse capture,” “robbery,” or “rear horse attack” could make everyone sweat and excited. Those seemingly pedantic scholars criticized the games, but the students still thought that the true feelings expressed in the games were a happy thing. Of course, the happiest thing for the students was to listen to plays, have picnics, and participate in social events. The performances and antics that teachers and students participated in together were always talked about.

Due to the influence of Dewey’s ideas, Beijing Normal University was the most active advocate of student autonomy at the time, and was also praised for it. At that time, the situation was relatively chaotic, and Beijing Normal University did not have a principal for more than two years. However, the schoolwork did not stop for a day, and this steadfast and simple school style was not unrelated to the successful student autonomy.

For ShanKai, the university stage was the era when he made political choices. He transformed from a rebellious and progressive radical leftist into a pragmatic, stable, and slightly conservative intellectual. Shanyi’s dormitory roommate and classmate Fan Shirong was the head of the Student Autonomy Association and a member of the Communist Party. During the first period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, he was sent to work for the Kuomintang. Under Fan Shirong’s influence, Shanyi read propaganda materials by Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang such as “The Three Principles of the People,” “Strategies for Building the Nation,” “The Grand Outline of Building the Nation,” and “The Declaration of the First National Congress,” and deeply identified with Sun’s advocacy of resisting imperialism, abolishing unequal treaties, and fighting together with the Communist Party. In 1925, when Sun Yat-sen died in Beijing, ShanKai, like tens of thousands of other young people, ShanKai was moved by Mr. Sun’s spirit of dedication to the revolution, and actively participated in activities such as Mr. Sun’s memorial service, the transfer of his remains, and other events held in Central Park. These activities were unprecedented, and ShanKai was deeply inspired. Afterwards, ShanKai joined the Kuomintang through the introduction of Fan Shirong. When he joyfully registered and received his blue-stamped Kuomintang membership card at a first-floor building in Cuihua Hutong Road South in Dongcheng District (the headquarters of the left-wing of the Kuomintang), he was filled with hope to devote himself to China’s cause of democracy, freedom, and national liberation.

In 1926, during the “March 18th Tragedy”, Fan Shirong was martyred at the hands of the Duan Qirui government. Mr. Qian Xuantong detailed this process in “Notes on Martyrs’ Deaths”: “At the time, the martyr held the Blue Sky and White Sun flag and stood in front of the group. A bullet pierced through his head and he died a martyr. After the martyr fell to the ground, the thieves robbed his clothes. The next day, comrades went to the government’s door to inspect his body. Among the many wooden coffins, one was mistakenly labeled as Zhou Xiling. When they opened it, they saw the martyr lying deeply inside, with messy hair, blood on his face, and his upper teeth biting his lower lip. The comrades carried the coffin back to the school while crying. At the school gate, all the students came out to meet him, and the crying shook the building. Alas! How tragic.” Zhang Yihui, the school principal at the time, presided over the memorial service for Fan Shirong, and students from Beijing Normal University, Affiliated Middle School, and Affiliated Primary School lined up to send him off.

ShanKai witnessed the brutality of the struggle. However, he was disappointed that after Fan Shirong’s death, he became embroiled in the internal struggle of the Kuomintang. At that time, even the left-wing of the Kuomintang had internal struggles with the Communist Party within the Kuomintang. Li Shijun, another introducer who helped Shan Kai join the party, did not belong to the same faction as Fan Shirong. After repeated conflicts and frictions in handling meetings, elections, and proxy voting, ShanKai felt very confused. So he simply stopped participating in Kuomintang activities and put more energy into studying and teaching practices, thus embarking on the path of “saving the country through education.” At that time, all the teachers and students at Beijing Normal University believed that education was their duty and running a school was their obligation. So the students used their spare time to establish several schools, among which the most long-lasting and well-organized was the Civilian School, which received high praise from society. Other schools established at the same time included the Liberal Arts Supplementary School, the Lequn Preparatory School, the Math, Physics, and Chemistry Supplementary School, and the English Supplementary School. Shan Kai actively participated in these activities and taught Chinese in the fourth term at the Lequn School, teaching three short lessons every evening, one semester per term.

In August 1927, introduced by Professor Xia Yu, ShanKai went to Suining (now Hohhot) No. 1 Middle School as a high school Chinese teacher for one semester. During this period, the school was celebrating its tenth anniversary, and the dean of academic affairs, Wang Hongdu, invited Shan Kai to edit the school magazine. ShanKai enthusiastically threw himself into this work. However, due to warlord fighting, the school was forced to close. In February 1928, introduced by the school principal Lu Shengheng, Shan Kai taught history and geography in the first term at Xishan Middle School affiliated with the Sino-French University. These experiences allowed ShanKai to accumulate rich teaching experience in his university years, laying a good foundation for his future teaching and textbook writing work.

Reference materials:

“The 15th Graduation Class of National Beijing Normal University in the Republic of China” Alumni Record, edited by Liang Qichao. Published in 1926.

“A Biography of Qian Xuantong” by Wu Rui. Published by Baihua Zhou Literature and Art Publishing House.

“A Biography of Li Jinxi” by Kang Huayi. Published by Hunan People’s Publishing House.

“The Fog Clearing Collection” by Xia Yuzhong. Published in 1938.

“The Story of Tubulou” edited by Chen Pingyuan. Published by Peking University Press.