educational theorist and reformer

educational theorist and reformer

Tao Xingzhi (October 18, 1891 - July 25, 1946) was born in Shexian County, Anhui Province. He was an educator and thinker of the Chinese people, a great democratic fighter and patriot, and one of the main leaders of the Chinese people's Salvation Association and the China Democratic Alliance.

In 1908, at the age of 17, he was admitted to Hangzhou Guangji medical school. In 1915, he entered Columbia University, studied under John Dewey, and studied for a doctor of education. After returning to China in the autumn of 1917, he successively served as professor and Dean of academic affairs of Nanjing Normal University, National Southeast University, etc. Since 1926, China education improvement society has issued the Manifesto of reforming the national rural education. In 1929, St. John's university awarded him an honorary doctorate of Science in recognition of his contribution to China's educational reform. In 1931, he edited children's Science Series, and successively founded "Shanhai Engineering Group", "Newsboy Engineering Group", "chengeng Engineering Group" and "vagrant Engineering Group" in Shanghai. In 1933, he, Li Linsi, Yang Lianggong and other well-known figures from the political and academic circles initiated the establishment of the Chinese society of education in Shanghai. In 1935, inspired by the "August 1 declaration" of the Communist Party of China, he actively participated in the Anti Japanese and national salvation movement. In 1945, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League and chairman of the Education Committee.

On the morning of July 25, 1946, Tao Xingzhi died in Shanghai at the age of 55.

Life of the characters

On October 18, 1891, he was born in a poor teacher's home in huangtanyuan village, Xixiang, Shexian County, Anhui Province. His native place is Shexian County, Anhui Province, and his ancestral home is Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Xin'an Tao's genealogy exists in the second historical archives of China. The cover of the genealogy clearly records that the ancestors of Xin'an Tao came to Huizhou from Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture in 1510, and settled in Guxi village, west of she county. In the fifth year of Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty, the branch of taojiayan in Huiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province moved to the west of huishe in the south of the Yangtze River, called Guxi, and later moved down to huangtanyuan. Therefore, it is confirmed that the ancestors of the Tao family moved from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province to Huizhou more than 500 years ago.

In 1897, he once played in the hall of his neighbor's house. He saw a couplet hanging on the wall of the hall. He sat on the ground and copied it. He was seen by Fang Shuxian, a scholar in the neighboring village, and enlightened him for free. Later, he went to study at Wu Erkuan's home Mongolian children's hall.

In 1905, he entered Chongyi school run by Shexian Christian inland society. On the wall of his dormitory, he wrote down the heroic words of "I am a Chinese and should make some contributions to China", expressing his full patriotic enthusiasm and encouraging himself to study hard for the modernization of our country as soon as possible.

In 1908, at the age of 17, he was admitted to Hangzhou Guangji medical school. I want to learn medicine to relieve the pain of the working people and realize my ambition of serving the motherland. However, because this missionary school discriminates against non missionary students, he does not want his thoughts to be manipulated by foreigners at will. After only three days in school, he angrily drops out.

In 1909, he was admitted to Huiwen Academy in Nanjing. The next year, he transferred to the Liberal Arts Department of Jinling University. Influenced by the revolution of 1911, he actively participated in patriotic activities at school, edited the Chinese edition of the Journal of jinlingguang, and publicized the thoughts of national and democratic revolution. In the article "Declaration of jinlingguang publishing", he called on all the students in the school to study hard and work hard, send out their own light and enthusiasm, serve the motherland and "make China enlarge and bright in the world". When the 1911 Revolution broke out, he went back to his hometown to join the revolutionary movement.

In 1914, he graduated with the highest total score. After graduation, he went to the United States to study. He first studied municipal engineering at the University of Illinois, and half a year later he decided to transfer to Columbia University to study education under the guidance of American educators such as Dewey, Monroe, and Crabtree.

After returning to China in the autumn of 1917, he successively served as professor and Dean of academic affairs of Nanjing Normal University, National Southeast University, etc. He began his creative and arduous education career. Based on the study of western educational thoughts and the national conditions of China, this paper puts forward such educational theories as "life is education", "society is school" and "integration of teaching and doing". He attached great importance to rural education and believed that it was very important to popularize education among more than 300 million farmers.

At the end of 1917, he and Cai Yuanpei initiated the establishment of the China education improvement society, which advocated opposing imperialist cultural aggression, accepting educational rights and promoting educational improvement.

In 1923, he and Yan Yangchu initiated the establishment of the General Association for the promotion of Chinese civilian education, and then went to various places to set up civilian literacy reading offices and civilian schools to promote the civilian education movement.

Since 1926, China education improvement society has issued the Manifesto of reforming the national rural education. Xiaozhuang school was founded in 1927. In 1932, he founded life education society and Shanhai engineering group. Education is supposed to be the main means to improve people's life.

After the December 9th Movement, with the help and influence of the Communist Party of China, he actively publicized the Anti Japanese War and took part in the democratic movement, further realizing that education should serve the national revolution and democratic revolution.

In March 1927, Xiaozhuang school, a rural normal school, was founded in Xiaozhuang, the northern suburb of Nanjing, and Yanziji kindergarten, the first rural kindergarten, was founded.

In December 1929, St. John's University in Shanghai awarded him an honorary doctorate of Science in recognition of his contributions to China's educational reform.

In April 1930, he was wanted by the Kuomintang and forced to exile in Japan, advocating the idea of saving the country through science and education.

In 1931, he returned to China to carry out the work of education popularization, and founded the nature School Park and children's science communication school in Shanghai. Chief editor of children's Science Series, etc.

In 1932, he founded the Shanhai engineering and learning group, which put forward the idea of "keeping health by working, keeping health by learning, and keeping health by the group". He integrated the workshop, school, and society, and carried out military training, production training, civil rights training, fertility training, etc., as well as the young gentleman movement.

In 1933, he, Li Linsi, Yang Lianggong and other well-known figures from the political and academic circles initiated the establishment of the Chinese society of education in Shanghai.

In 1934, he published the article "Xing Zhi Xing" in "life education", believing that "Xing is the beginning of knowledge and knowledge is the achievement of practice", and changed his original name to Tao Xingzhi. Although Wang Yangming's theory contains elements of subjective idealism, Tao Xingzhi realized the truth of combining learning with practice, and encouraged himself with it all his life.

In 1935, inspired by the "August 1 declaration" of the Communist Party of China, he actively participated in the Anti Japanese and national salvation movement. After the December 9th Movement, he and Song Qingling, Ma Xiangbo, Shen Junru, Hu Yuzhi, Zou Taofen, and Li Gongpu initiated and organized "Shanghai cultural circles saving Congress".

At the beginning of 1936, the national disaster education society was established and promoted to be the president. Zhang Jinfu was appointed as the director general of the society. He drew up the national disaster education program to combine life education with the national democratic revolutionary struggle.

In May 1936, he was elected executive member and standing member of the national salvation Federation. Shen Naijun and other scholars jointly issued the Declaration on stopping the civil war. Mao Zedong replied with support.

In July 1936, the rescued Congress sent him to visit 28 countries in Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa to publicize Anti Japanese and save the nation and introduce the Chinese mass education movement. He attended the world peace conference in Brussels and was elected executive member of China. When he learned that Shen Junru and other "seven gentlemen" were arrested, he was very angry. He immediately contacted Dewey, Einstein, Russell and other world-famous people to power on Chiang Kai Shek to rescue the seven gentlemen.

In 1938, he participated in the national political conference and devoted himself to the educational activities during the Anti Japanese war. In response to the call of the Communist Party of China for a comprehensive anti Japanese War, China Wartime Education Association was established.

In August 1938, the "Chinese amateur school" was initiated to promote Hong Kong compatriots to go to the national disaster.

In July, 1939, Yucai School was established in Chongqing, Sichuan Province to cultivate children with special talents. In Gucheng temple, Hechuan County, near Chongqing, Sichuan Province, an educational school was set up to mainly recruit needy children.

In 1941, he participated in the establishment of the China Democratic Political League.

In 1945, Tao Xingzhi joined the China Democratic League. In the same year, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League and chairman of the Education Committee.

In January 1945, he founded social university in Chongqing and served as president. Li Gongpu served as vice president and Dean. The purpose of social university is "the people create a big society, and the society becomes a big school", "the way of university lies in the understanding of the people's morality, the affinity to the people, and the happiness of the people", which strongly promotes the process of democratic education.

In January 1946, Tao Xingzhi founded a social university in Chongqing to promote democratic education. We should cultivate revolutionary talents. He also helped some progressive youths to go to the revolutionary base areas. He put forward such famous slogans as "life is education", "society is school" and "integration of teaching and doing", which were called "great people's educator" and "model of all ages" by Mao Zedong and Song Qingling.

In April 1946, he returned to Shanghai and immediately engaged in the struggle against dictatorship, democracy, civil war and peace. In the last 100 days of his life, he delivered more than 100 speeches in factories, schools, institutions and squares.

On the morning of July 25, 1946, due to long-term overwork and health damage, he was deeply stimulated by his friends Li and Wen, and suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Zhou Enlai, Deng Yingchao and Shen Junru rushed to visit him after hearing the news. Unfortunately, he died in Shanghai at the age of 55.

Main contributions

Tao Xingzhi devoted his whole life to education and made a pioneering contribution to the modernization of education in China. He not only established a complete system of educational theory, but also carried out a lot of educational practice. A close examination of Tao Xingzhi's educational thought shows that innovation is like a golden thread, running through all parts of Tao Xingzhi's educational thought. Innovation here refers to the elimination of maladjustment

Chinese PinYin : Tao Hang Zhi