Zhang Jingsheng

Zhang Jingsheng

Zhang Jingsheng (1888-1970), formerly known as Zhang Jiangliu and Zhang Gongshi, was born in Raoping, Guangdong Province. He was one of the first overseas (French) doctors in the Republic of China. In the 1920s and 1930s, philosophers, aestheticians, sexologists, writers and educators were the most important figures in Chinese ideological and cultural circles.

From 1921 to 1926, he was a professor in the Department of philosophy of Peking University. He taught the thought of "logic" and "rule of beauty" in university classes. He was the first to put forward and establish folklore in China. He was the first to translate Rousseau's confessions. He was the first to publish research papers on human nudity. He was the first to put forward family planning.

In 2014, Zhang Jingsheng's book the history of sex was published again.

Life of the characters

He was born in darongpu village, Fubin Town, Raoping County, Guangdong Province on February 20, 1888. Young name River, scientific name office. Later, influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest, he changed his name to Zhang Jingsheng.

In 1903, he was admitted to the county No. 1 primary school, which was renamed by the county Qinfeng Academy. In 1904, he was admitted to Shantou Tongwen school, which was sponsored by Qiu Fengjia, an anti Japanese hero. No matter in that school, Zhang Jingsheng was praised by his teachers and friends for his intelligence and studiousness.

In 1907, he was admitted to Huangpu Army primary school in Guangzhou of the Qing Dynasty. Although the name of the school was primary school, the course he taught was actually a course of higher education. The length of schooling was three years, and he was required to be able to translate foreign languages. Every year, he enrolled 100 students. He studied Japanese in the first phase, French in the second phase, German in the third phase, and English in the fourth phase. Later, most of the people who came from Lu Xiao were warlords and politicians, such as Chen Jitang and Chen Mingshu, all of whom were students of Lu Xiao's second term.

In 1909, when he was studying in Lu Xiao's school, he peeped at the people's daily and other revolutionary books, and sprouted anti Qing thoughts. Therefore, Zhang Jingsheng was expelled for the crime of taking the lead in cutting pigtails. Later, Zhao Sheng (Bai Xian), Deputy Supervisor of the school and a member of the underground revolutionary party, introduced him to Singapore to meet Dr. Sun Yat Sen. after staying for more than a month, he decided to go back to Singapore to participate in the revolutionary activities under the guidance of Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

In 1910, in order to go to Beijing to join the Beijing Tianjin alliance, under the cover of student status, he accepted his father's condition of "getting married first, then going to Shanghai to study" and married a 15-year-old girl. This is a great blow to Zhang Jingsheng's mind, and also a major reason why he later insisted on fighting against feudalism, sex blindness, sex education and free marriage.

After his wedding in 1910, Zhang Jingsheng went to Shanghai to attend Fudan school sponsored by French Catholicism. Because of the need of revolution, he entered Beijing French university half a year later, and then he was admitted to Beijing Normal University. As a student, he engaged in the anti Qing activities of Beijing Tianjin Insurance Union. At that time, Wang Jingwei attempted to assassinate the Regent, and was arrested. Zhang Jingsheng was ordered to participate in the rescue of Wang Jingwei, so he became intimate with Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun.

From October 17, 1911 to the beginning of 1912, Wu Tingfang was the chief representative of the southern delegation. In fact, the southern delegation was decided by Wang Jingwei.

He studied at the University of Paris from December 1912 to 1915.

On January 1, 1912, Sun Yat Sen was sworn in as interim president in Nanjing. In order to eliminate the war, realize peace, and build the Republic of China, Sun Yat Sen put the overall situation first, and declared that as long as Yuan Shikai supported the Republic, he was willing to elect yuan as the president, so as to break the deadlock of peace between the north and the south. Zhang Jingsheng, determined to advance and retreat with Sun Yat Sen, arrived in France on December 10 of that year to study at the University of Paris. Three years later, in 1915, Tan Xihong, Yang Xingfo and Song Ziwen, who obtained their bachelor's degree in literature (in the same period of 1917), made outstanding achievements in studying in France. See the list of selected personnel on page 25 of Volume I of the Republic of China Journal of events in Taiwan.).

From 1916 to 1919, he studied for a doctorate in the University of Lyon, France. On April 8, 1919, his thesis on the origin of Rousseau's ancient education was awarded a doctor's degree through defense. During his study at Lyon University, he visited Britain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries.

In the spring of 1920, Zou Lu, a member of the Chaozhou Parliament and director of the provincial finance department, recommended him to be the principal of Jinshan middle school, the highest school in Chaoshan. When he arrived in Guangzhou from Paris, he wrote to Chen Jiongming, advocating contraception and birth control, advocating that each couple should only have two children, and many of them should be punished. Chen Jiongming was the governor and governor of Guangdong Province at that time. He had several wives and concubines, and had more than ten children. He was very popular there and refused to be the president. After local efforts, we agreed to be the acting principal of Jinshan middle school. This is Zhang Jingsheng's first setback in advocating birth control and contraception, and the beginning of his rough career in China.

From the winter of 1920 to the summer of 1921, he was the acting principal of Jinshan middle school. During his tenure, he carried out teaching reform. He was forced to resign after nine months in office, but he won back the school property for Jinshan middle school and preserved the economic foundation for Jinshan middle school.

From October 1921 to 1926, he was invited by Cai Yuanpei, the president of Peking University, to be a professor of philosophy at Peking University, offering lectures on sexual psychology and love.

In May 1923, the "Customs investigation society" was set up in Guoxue School of Peking University, and Zhang was elected as the chairman. When drawing up the custom questionnaire, he listed more than 30 items, and "sexual history" was one of them. In his view, "which philosophy of life is more important than sexology? Ethnology and folklore are related to sexology.

In 1925, he issued a solicitation notice in the supplement of Beijing News, collecting "sexual history" from the society. Among them, 7 were compiled as the first episode of the history of sex, which was published by the "sex education society" in April 1926.

From the second half of 1927 to 1928, Dr. Zhang Jingsheng arrived in Shanghai, first served as the general manager of Shanghai Kaiming bookstore, and then opened "Midea bookstore".

From 1928 to 1933, he went to France again to engage in academic research. After arriving in France, he wrote to Lu Xiaoxue and then governor of Guangdong Province, Chen Mingshu, and proposed that he compile and introduce world famous works, which was supported and funded by Chen Mingshu. During this period, he was frugal and devoted to translation.

From 1933 to 1937, he was invited by Chen Jitang to be the industrial supervisor of Guangdong Province. He was also the chief editor of Guangdong economic construction and Guangzhou Qunsheng daily. During his tenure, he went back to Raoping's hometown to raise funds to build more than 60 li of roads. He was falsely accused of fleeing Hong Kong. After that, Chen Jitang sent someone to take him back from Hong Kong, and he was appointed counsellor, Guangzhou Economic commissar, etc.

In 1933, he married Huang Guannan, a graduate of Law Department of Sun Yat sen University.

From 1937 to the beginning of 1949. This was the period of the war of resistance against Japan and the people's war of liberation. During this period, Zhang Jingsheng showed the noble qualities of high integrity, awe inspiring righteousness, loyalty to serve the country, common hatred and common sense, sharing weal and woe with the people, and striving with people with lofty ideals.

Since the founding of new China in 1950, he served as the director of the production and Disaster Relief Committee of Raoping County and a special representative of the first people's Congress of all walks of life.

He studied in Nanfang University in 1950 and was assigned to the Provincial Department of agriculture and forestry as a technician.

In 1953, he was transferred to Guangdong Provincial Research Institute of literature and history as a librarian. During his tenure as a researcher in the Museum of literature and history, he wrote many books and actively participated in the construction of Tangxi reservoir.

In 1960, understanding the temporary economic difficulties, he voluntarily applied to return to Raoping as an overseas librarian of the Provincial Museum of literature and history.

In 1969, when he was sent to Changpu, Zhangxi District, Raoping County as an object of war, he was very old and ill. He studied late at night and died. He was 82 years old.

Main works

His main works include: beautiful outlook on life, beautiful social organization law, great and evil art, discussion with the provincial government on the method of reorganizing provincial factories, rural renaissance experiment, ten years of love, floating life ramble, etc;

The main translations are: Confessions, dreams and exiles, autobiography of Goethe, etc;

Philosophical works include: similarities and differences between system and expectation, recording meaning and consciousness, common logic, records of peace talks between the north and the south, Dingwei Chaozhou Huanggang revolution, cultural history, stories of killing wolves before and after, aspects of mountains, new food classic, new Raoping, etc.

Social evaluation

As for Mr. Zhang's great theory, I also admire it. If I write a composition, I may say so. But I'm afraid it's very difficult to know that the idea of private ownership will be eliminated in the 25th Century.

——Lu Xun's book of two places (1923)

Dr. Zhang is a liberal scholar and thinker with strong will and rich imagination. He broke through the last barriers of the old ethics without fear.

——Lin Yutang's Zhang Jingsheng: the pioneer of fashion (1953)

You will marvel at how this person often passes by "big figures" or "critical moments" in political history, ideological history and academic history. He is not a famous "successful person", in a sense, or even a "loser", but he provides a unique perspective to help us link up a "different" modern Chinese history.

——Chen Pingyuan, lonely dreamer (2008)

In old China, there was a professor studying in France who was known as "doctor selling spring". He said that he was "selling spring". First, he initiated the "rules of love" and broke the sky. Then, he openly taught "sexology" in Peking University, and even published a shocking book "history of sex", but he also published a large "bookstore of beauty". He wrote and published "series of sexual education", "series of beauty" and "amiable scholars and women" In the "context" of China at that time, he was naturally regarded as a crazy scholar who committed taboos and was wanted or expelled

Chinese PinYin : Zhang Jing Sheng