Fu Sinian

Fu Sinian

Fu Sinian (March 26, 1896 - December 20, 1950), who was born in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, was originally named Mengzhen and mengzan. He is a famous historian, expert in classical literature, educator and academic leader. He is one of the student leaders of the May 4th Movement and the founder of the Institute of history and language of Academia Sinica.

Fu Sinian was professor of Sun Yat sen University and Peking University, director and acting president of the Institute of liberal arts of Peking University (1945-1946) and President of Taiwan University (1949-1950). Fu Sinian has been the director of the Institute of history and language for 23 years. He has trained a large number of professionals in history, language, archaeology, anthropology, etc., and organized the publication of more than 70 academic works. He has made important contributions to the development of the Institute of history and language in terms of funding, equipment, system, etc. The first planned and organized excavation of oracle bones in Yin Ruins was organized, followed by 15 excavations, which greatly promoted the development of Chinese Archaeology and the study of the history of Shang Dynasty. Fu Sinian also won over the archives of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Institute of history and language to organize special arrangement, which made a breakthrough in the study of Ming and Qing history. Fu Sinian paid attention to the role of archaeological materials in the study of history, got rid of the shackles of old papers, and applied the viewpoints and methods of linguistics and other disciplines to the study of history. He made high academic achievements and held a high position in modern history.

Fu Sinian died of illness in Taipei on December 20, 1950 at the age of 54. His main works are outline of northeast history (Volume I), dialectics of life and ancient precepts, and ancient China and the nation. There are six volumes of the collection of Mr. Fu Mengzhen.

Overview photo source: Collected Works of Fu Sinian: Volume 6

Life of the characters

Early years

Guangxu 22 years on February 13 (March 26, 1896) was born in Liaocheng, Shandong, a family, the initial word dream hairpin. His ancestral home is Yongfeng, Jiangxi Province. His ancestor Fu Yijian was the first number one scholar in Shunzhi period of Qing Dynasty.

In 1909, he studied in Tianjin Fuli middle school. He was admitted to Peking University in 1913. In 1916, he was promoted to Peking University as a liberal arts major with a bachelor's degree in Chinese. In response to Hu Shi's opinions on literary reform, he wrote "Shenyi for literary innovation" and advocated vernacular writing.

In the summer of 1918, influenced by the new trend of thought of democracy and science, he, together with Luo Jialun and Mao Zhun, organized the new trend society, founded the new trend monthly, advocated new culture, and had a wide influence, thus becoming one of the leaders of the student union of Peking University.

In 1919, during the May 4th movement, Fu Sinian served as the commander in chief of the parade. Later, influenced by Hu Shi's thoughts, he opposed the "too hasty" movement, and soon quit the school movement and returned to his study.

Years in Europe

In the summer of 1919, after graduating from University, Fu Sinian got the indemnity from gengzi. He went to Europe, first to Edinburgh University, and then to the Research Institute of University of London. He studied experimental psychology, physiology, mathematics, physics, Einstein's theory of relativity, and bronck's quantum theory.

In 1923, Fu entered the school of philosophy of Berlin University to study comparative linguistics.

Teaching in Universities

In the winter of 1926, Fu Sinian returned to China at the invitation of Sun Yat sen University. In 1927, he was a professor and Dean of literature at Sun Yat sen University, and also the director of the two departments of Chinese literature and history. In the same year, he founded the Institute of language history in Sun Yat sen University. In the years since then, he has been working in the academic field, and has been in charge of the administration of Southwest Associated University, Peking University and Taiwan University. He has cultivated a large number of excellent students, which can be said to be all over the world. In the same year, after the coup d'etat on April 12, Fu Sinian wrote to Li Shizeng, expressing his approval for Chiang Kai Shek's Qing party.

In 1928, Fu Sinian was appointed by Cai Yuanpei to establish the Institute of history and language of Academia Sinica. At the end of the same year, the Institute of history and language was established. Fu Sinian served as a full-time researcher and director of the Institute, founded the Journal of the Institute of history and language, and served as editor in chief.

In the spring of 1929, the Institute of history and language of Academia Sinica moved from Guangzhou to Peiping. Fu Sinian was also a professor of Peking University, teaching "monographic study of ancient Chinese history" and "history of ancient Chinese Literature". He has also served as director of the Institute of Social Sciences, preparatory Director of the Central Museum, member of the National Political Council, director general of the Central Research Institute, member of the Political Consultative Conference, and acting president of Peking University.

In 1932, he joined the independent review agency headed by Hu Shi and published political articles in the weekly independent review. He supported Chiang Kai Shek and opposed the Communist Party, but supported the Anti Japanese War and criticized the diplomatic line of the Nanjing National Government.

After the September 18th Incident, Fu Sinian published an outline of the history of Northeast China in October 1932. In view of the reactionary remarks of Japanese scholars that "Manchuria and Mongolia were not Chinese territory in history", he demonstrated in detail the historical fact that northeast China was Chinese territory since ancient times from a historical point of view, with strong nationalist values between the lines. The book was translated into English by Li Ji and sent to the League of nations. The book "outline of the history of Northeast China" is the report of Litton's investigation team, which clearly points out that the three provinces in Northeast China are "one part of China, which is a fact recognized by China and other countries".

Southwest life

In 1937, Fu Sinian went to Chongqing and was elected to the National Political Council for four consecutive times. He is the director of the Institute of history and Linguistics of Academia Sinica.

After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, he was a member of the National Political Council and a professor of Southwest Associated University. He advocated the Anti Japanese War and attacked corrupt officials. After the victory of the Anti Japanese War, he once acted as president of Peking University.

In May 1939, Fu Sinian was concurrently director of the Institute of liberal arts at Peking University.

In 1948, he was elected as a legislator of Nanjing National Government. In the same year, he was elected academician of Academia Sinica.

After going to Taiwan

In January 1949, Fu Sinian moved to Taipei with the Institute of history and language and became president of Taiwan University. Politically, Fu Sinian demanded that corrupt officials should be severely punished, the political style should be adjusted, and "China should follow the Bolshevik road"; academically, he believed in the tradition of textual research school, advocated pure objective scientific research, paid attention to the discovery and collation of historical materials, published many papers on ancient history, and went to Anyang many times to guide the excavation of Yin Ruins. When he presided over the Institute of history and language, he recruited first-class talents and made many achievements.

In his later years, Fu Sinian was obese and suffered from high blood pressure. The doctor told him to eat less or no salt and to abstain from meat. He was also found to have gallstones.

On the morning of December 20, 1950, Fu Sinian was over excited when he answered the question of education administration in the Taiwan provincial assembly. At about 6:10, he walked slowly down the platform full of resentment. Just as he was about to return to his seat, he suddenly turned pale and faltered. Seeing this, Chen Xueping, who was sitting under the stage, rushed forward to help him. Fu only said, "no!" He fell into Chen Xueping's arms and fainted. Liu chuanlai, a member who was closer to him, rushed forward and helped Fu Sinian to the seats of the participants. He asked him to lie down and made a pillow out of Chen Xueping's purse. From then on, Fu was in a coma. He died of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 55.

After Fu Sinian died, he was buried on the campus of Taiwan University. There are Greek style Memorial pavilions, Fu Garden and "Fu Zhong". Among them, "Fu Zhong" became the symbol of Taiwan University after it was put into use. The bell rings 21 times every class, because Fu Sinian once said: "there are only 21 hours in a day, and the remaining three hours are for meditation."

Main achievements

A study of history and language

Fu Sinian returned to China and taught in Sun Yat sen University. In the autumn of 1927, he founded the Institute of language history in Sun Yat sen University. In October 1928, Fu Sinian established the Institute of history and language of Academia Sinica on the basis of the Institute of language and history of Sun Yat sen University. He served as director of the Institute after its establishment until his death in 1950. Based on the Institute of history and Philology, he made great contributions to the academic cause of modern China. It cultivated a large number of excellent talents for the academic cause of modern China. First of all, he led a large number of famous scholars to the Institute of history and Philology, such as Chen Yinke, Xu Zhongshu, Zhao Yuanren, Li Fanggui, Luo Changpei, Li Ji, Dong Zuobin and Liang Siyong. The period from 1927 to 1937 was the heyday of the Institute of history and philology. Many of them became famous later, such as Chen pan, Shi zhangru, Ding shengshu, Lao Gan, Hu houxuan, Xia Nai, Zhou Yiliang, Gao Quxun, Quan Hansheng, Deng Guangming, Zhang Zhengfu, Fu Lehuan, Wang Chongwu, Dong Tonghe, Ma Xueliang, Zhang Kun, Fu Qinli, Zhou Fagao, Yan gengwang, etc. These people were more or less trained by Fu Sinian, and also more or less inherited his rigorous style of study which emphasized materials and textual research.

Document arrangement

After Fu Sinian established the Institute of history and language of Academia Sinica, he also participated in the rescue and arrangement of Ming and Qing Archives. There are imperial edicts, memorials, rules, transfer meetings, congratulatory forms, files of sanfasi, factual records, palace examination papers and various books in the archives of the Qing cabinet. They are very precious first-hand historical materials. After the Treasury house was damaged and moved out for storage in the first year of Xuantong (1909), after several migrations and several changes of owners, it was damp and rotten, eaten by rats and moths, and suffered extremely serious losses. In one case, the director of the Museum of history, for lack of funds, sold the 8000 sacks of 150000 Jin archives to paper makers for 4000 yuan. Ma Heng, a famous archaeologist, raised his voice

Chinese PinYin : Fu Si Nian