Chen Yuguang

Chen Yuguang

Chen Yuguang (1893-1989) was named Jingtang. Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on March 7, 1893, he moved to Nanjing with his family since childhood.

Chinese chemist and educator. He devoted all his life to the cause of education and was one of the earliest and longest time university presidents in China. He established a fine school spirit for Jinling University, which made it a well-known institution at home and abroad and cultivated a large number of talents.

He was successively elected as the president of the first to fourth sessions of the Council of the Chinese Chemical Society and made contributions to the work of academic groups. He was also a chemical consultant of Shanghai Institute of light industry and a consultant of Nanjing University Council. He died in Nanjing on April 19, 1989.

Personal resume

Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on March 7, 1893, he moved to Nanjing with his family since childhood. In 1905, he studied in chengmeiguan, a middle school affiliated to Nanjing Huiwen Academy (renamed Jinling University in 1910 and merged with Nanjing University in 1952). He graduated in 1911 and was admitted to the Department of chemistry of Nanjing Jinling University. He graduated in 1915. In 1916, he was selected by Jinling university to Columbia University for further study in organic chemistry. In 1922, he received his doctorate. During his study at Columbia University, he served as the president of the Chinese Student Union in the United States and participated in the American Chemical Society. In 1919, he founded the Chinese students quarterly (Chinese Edition) and the Chinese students monthly (English Edition). In line with the ideal of "saving the nation through education", he returned to China in the summer of 1922. From 1923 to 1925, he served as Professor, director of the Department of physics and chemistry, Dean of the faculty, chairman of the Senate of Beijing Normal University, and acting president twice. He was appointed professor of organic chemistry in the Department of chemistry of Jinling University in 1925 and President of Jinling University in October 1927 until 1950. He was the first Chinese to be the president of a Christian University. From 1932 to 1936, he participated in the initiation of the Chinese Chemical Society and was elected the president of the first to the fourth council of the society. At the invitation of the State Department of the United States, he went to the United States with a Chinese education delegation in 1944. He was awarded the honorary doctor of education of the University of California in 1945. From October 1950 to February 1951, he was a student of the Institute of political science of East China revolutionary University. From May 1951 to March 1952, he was the director of the cleaning department of books and instruments of the Ministry of education in East China. From April 1952 to February 1956, he was the chemical consultant of Shanghai private industrial and commercial bank. From March 1956 to December 1972, he was a chemical consultant and translator of Shanghai Institute of light industry. 1987-1989: Consultant of the Council of Nanjing University. He died in Nanjing on April 19, 1989. Because of his outstanding contribution to education, he was awarded the honorary education Medal of Columbia University in 1929 and the honorary doctor of education of University of California in 1945.

family background

Chen Yuguang was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on March 7, 1893. His father, Chen lieming, moved to Nanjing to work in the construction industry. He has eight children. Chen Yuguang is the eldest son. In 1905, Chen Yuguang studied in Chengmei hall, a high school affiliated to Nanjing Jiangwen Academy. He graduated from middle school in 1911 and was admitted to the Chemistry Department of Nanjing Jinling University. He graduated in 1915.

Great ambition

Chen Yuguang was studying in Jinling university when the revolution of 1911 was successful. He thought that it was the progress of the times, so he took the title of "Jingtang", that is, admiring the flourishing age of the early Tang Dynasty. He saw that Japan's national strength had become increasingly strong since the Meiji Restoration, while the Chinese nation was in a situation of severe disaster. Therefore, he set up the lofty ambition of saving the country by science in his youth.

Go to the United States for further study

In 1916, Chen Yuguang was selected by Jinling university to study organic chemistry at Columbia University. In 1922, he received his doctorate. During his study abroad, he served as president of the Chinese Student Union in the United States and participated in the American Chemical Society. In 1919, he founded Chinese students quarterly (Chinese Edition) and Chinese students monthly (English Edition).

Attach importance to education

During his stay in the United States, Chen Yuguang was filled with indignation when he saw the discrimination against Chinese in American society, so he wrote a poem "blood flies everywhere, hatred is full, Han Er is willing to build a new nation", expressing his strong sense of responsibility to revitalize the country and strive for self-improvement. In the early period of the Republic of China, the theory of "saving the country by education" was popular in the intellectual circles at that time. Chen Yuguang was deeply influenced. He thought that "saving the country by science" and did not pay attention to the cultivation of talents were empty words. In order to make the country rich and strong, we must attach importance to education and build up a large contingent of intellectuals, so he decided to engage in education. During his stay in the United States, Chen Yuguang was pre employed as a professor of Beijing Normal University. In the summer of 1922, he received a doctor's degree in organic chemistry and returned to teach with the ambition of "saving the country through education". He was the provost and head of the Department of chemistry of Beijing Normal University. He taught organic chemistry and was also the chairman of the University's Council. He took an active part in the popular science work of the China education improvement society, took charge of the research of science education, and compiled the Book Science and the transformation of the world by Ke Wei and Shi luosun (published by the Commercial Press). He also held the post of acting president twice. During this period, he exchanged and discussed with Cai Yuanpei, fan Yuanlian, Ma Xulun, Tao Xingzhi and other educators, which made him a teacher in higher education Education is more effective.

Saving the nation through education

As Chen Yuguang graduated from Jinling University, he was hired back to his alma mater in 1925. Jinling university is a school run by American church in China. In 1927, the storm of the great revolution swept across the country. The Northern Expedition conquered Nanjing and established its capital. At that time, foreign professors of Jinling university left one after another, and the president of Jinling University returned to the United States on the pretext of leaving, so the Chinese took charge of the University Administration. the school has set up a school affairs committee and elected Chen Yuguang and Guo Tanxian as the chairman and vice chairman to act as the school's representatives. At the same time, in the process of preparing the president candidate, the Council considered that Chen Yuguang had a deep relationship with Jinling University, was familiar with the situation of missionary schools, and had administrative leadership experience in Beijing Normal University as the most suitable candidate. In November of the same year, Chen Yuguang was appointed president of Jinling University, becoming the first Chinese President of Jinling University and the first Chinese President of a missionary university in China. He worked in this position for 23 years. Chen Yuguang won the honorary education Medal of Columbia University and the honorary education doctorate of California University in 1929 and 1945 respectively.

reform in education

After taking over the post of president, Chen Yuguang presided over the school administration with his profound knowledge, skillful and orderly leadership skills, self-restraint, humility, kindness and sincerity, and the school management style of teaching by example rather than by words. He believes that it is a happy event for the whole nation to take back the right to education. However, only changing a Chinese President and hanging a Chinese flag is far from solving the real problem of taking back the right to education. The way out for Christian universities lies in the reform of administration and education.

Take back the sovereignty of Education

Reform school administration Jinling University was founded in 1888. It is one of the earliest universities established by American church in China, and it is also a large school. At that time, the textbooks, books and magazines, teaching equipment and living facilities of Jinling university came from the United States. The principal, provost and department heads of the school are all American missionaries. Seeing this, Chen Yuguang felt deeply that running schools by foreigners is not in line with China's national conditions and should return the right to education to China. The first thing he did when he became president was to file a case with the government. In May 1928, the filing procedures were completed and the case was approved on September 20. At that time, it was the first of the 13 missionary universities in China to apply to the government for filing a case and get the first approval, which played a role in promoting the successive application of other missionary schools. After filing the case, Chen Yuguang made a series of adjustments to the school's administration. First of all, he changed the Council to the school board, so that Chinese school directors accounted for two-thirds of the total; then he gradually changed the presidents, department heads and leaders at all levels to Chinese, greatly increasing the proportion of Chinese in the teaching staff. At the same time, he attached importance to carrying forward the Republican spirit and running the school democratically. We should strengthen the organization of the Council of the University, attract more professors to attend the Council of the University, and set up a standing committee of the Council of the University. More than ten standing committee members meet once or twice a week to discuss and study the affairs of the University. At that time, the implementation of these measures was opposed by the church and missionaries, but Chen Yuguang completed these reforms with the support of most Chinese teaching staff and students. This is Chen Yuguang's patriotic act of winning educational sovereignty for the country after he was the first president of a foreign missionary university in China.

Advocating teaching reform

Chen Yuguang devoted himself to "saving the nation through education". After winning the sovereignty of education in administration, he established himself on education reform in order to realize his great ambition of "saving the nation through education". Chen Yuguang runs the school according to the national conditions. The first is to stop the religious department, so that the original Jinling theological seminary is decoupled from Jinling University. Religious courses are changed from compulsory courses to elective courses, and religious collective activities are changed to free participation and respect for freedom of belief. The second is to expand the departments, change the liberal arts and science to liberal arts and science, and change the agriculture and forestry to agriculture. The liberal arts, science and agriculture research institutes will be set up. In the 10 years from 1927 to 1937, 10 departments were added, the equipment was improved day by day, and the school got great development. Chen Yuguang once put forward the three combination education policy of "teaching, research and promotion". Among them, according to the actual situation of teaching. So that the training of talents in line with the actual requirements. Research is divided into investigation research, collection research, experimental research, or special discussion or general discussion. There are long-term and short-term ones. The research results are published by Zeng Yan

Chinese PinYin : Chen Yu Guang