Du Yaquan

Du Yaquan

Du Yaquan (1873-1933), formerly known as weisun, was named qiufan and named Yaquan. His pen names were Gangfu and gaolao. He was Han nationality. He was born in gangtang, Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province (now Changtang Town, Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). He is a famous publisher and translator of science popularization in modern China.

In 1898, he was employed by Cai Yuanpei as a mathematics teacher of Shaojun Chinese and western school. Two years later, he went to Shanghai to set up Yaquan school, the first private university of science and technology in modern China. In 1904 (the thirtieth year of Guangxu), he was invited to be the director of the Department of physics and chemistry of the compilation Institute of the commercial press for 28 years. He went to Japan to study education. After returning home, he founded three primary schools for Shaoxing fellow townspeople's Association in Shanghai. In 1912 (the first year of the Republic of China), he edited Oriental Magazine for eight years. In 1931 (the 20th year of the Republic of China), Du Yaquan's residence and the commercial press compilation office were destroyed. He was unwilling to take refuge in the concession, so he had to take his family back to his home in Changtang. From then on, he buried himself in writing and organized a family compilation office called Qianqiu compilation office. At the same time, he hired a boat to go back and forth between Changtang and Shaoxing City to teach for Jishan middle school until the end of his life.

Du Yaquan has been involved in a wide range of fields of knowledge. He has made great achievements in physics, chemistry, natural history, medicine, politics, law, philosophy and other natural and social sciences. He is known as a "self-taught compiler of science" and a "pioneer of serving the country by science". With his hardworking self-study knowledge and the spirit of striving for perfection, he edited the big dictionary of Botany, the big dictionary of zoology, the natural science dictionary of primary school and a large number of textbooks, which laid the foundation for the development of science and education in China and left precious scientific and cultural heritage for future generations.

Life of the characters

Du Yaquan was born on September 14, 1873 in cangtang Township, Dongguan town, Kuaiji County, Zhejiang Province (now Changtang, Shangyu District, Shaoxing City). His father attached great importance to training him to study and hoped that he would take the road of "learning and being an official". A 16-year-old scholar. At the age of 21, he studied in Chongwen Academy. In 1898, Cai Yuanpei appointed a mathematics teacher of Shaoxing Zhongxi school. In the autumn of 1900 (the 26th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), Yaquan academy, the first private university of science and technology in modern China, was founded in Shanghai to cultivate scientific and technological talents. At the same time, he founded the semimonthly of Yaquan magazine, the earliest scientific journal in China. The first stage of literature is the earliest Chinese textbook in China. In 1903 (the 29th year of Guangxu), he returned to Shaoxing and founded Yuejun public school. In the autumn of the next year, he entered the compilation Office of the commercial press. It took 28 years. In his early years, he also studied science. In his early business days, most of the books of physics, chemistry and natural history came from him. Editor in chief of Oriental Magazine, changed to large format, increased length and illustrations, and selected and translated the latest political, economic, social and academic trends from Eastern and Western newspapers. And set up "science miscellaneous" column. As for the international current affairs, they discussed in detail and became an influential academic journal at that time. He has published more than 300 translated works and papers. In fact, he is a famous patriotic scholar and scholar in the period of Chinese enlightenment. He always adheres to the scientific position, takes the outlook on life and society, the rational control of desire as the highest ideal, and takes the combination of Western science and oriental traditional culture as the final goal. In 1920 (the ninth year of the Republic of China), he resigned as editor in chief of Oriental Magazine and took a full-time post as director of the Department of physics and chemistry.

Du Yaquan's Dictionary of Botany and his dictionary of botany were published successively. In 1924 (the 13th year of the Republic of China), he founded New China College in Shanghai and taught. It will be closed after two years. In 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China), during the battle of Songhu, his apartment and the commercial press were burned down, and his family took refuge in their hometown. Guiding business colleagues and nephew's Dictionary of primary school natural science and a large number of textbooks at home laid the foundation for the development of science and education in China and left precious scientific and cultural heritage for future generations. He died in his hometown on December 6, 1933. His works include philosophy of life, Boshi, selected works of Du Yaquan, etc. He translated Schopenhauer's philosophy of life and so on.

From old learning to new learning

Du Yaquan was born in 1873 in Shangyu, Zhejiang Province. His father attached great importance to training him to study and hoped that he would take the road of "learning and being an official". He was also diligent and studious when he was young. At first, he devoted himself to exegesis and the writings of the early Qing Dynasty. In the summer night, I set up a tent in the courtyard to read. In the winter, I cover the window in the house to read with only a ray of light. I forget to eat and sleep. I am often regarded as a fool.

Du Yaquan's youth was an era of political corruption, invasion of foreign powers and national crisis. At that time, the whole country, especially the intellectual circles, had a very high tide of thought of reform and national salvation. Du Yaquan, who is full of ardent patriotism, has to re-examine his own learning path under the agitation of the reform trend. His conclusion is that old learning can't save China, so we must "change our mind" and focus on practical learning to save the world and the people. There is a passage about his change

"In the autumn of 1894-1895, the war between China and Japan spread to the mainland, which showed us that China's military system was inadequate and that foreign aggression was becoming more and more urgent. When he was worried, Fang Qiushi was about to finish. He saw that the people who were enthusiastic about the imperial examination were always worried and happy, and they ignored the state affairs. So he sighed that the textual research on the CI and the imperial examination was wrong for people's life experience. "

Then, contrary to his father's will, he abandoned the imperial examination, taught himself mathematics, and turned from middle school to Western learning. He read the science and technology books translated by the manufacturing bureau at that time and felt that "the principle of all things in the world is right.". So he devoted himself to research and gradually became interested in Western learning. In 1898 (the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), at the invitation of Cai Yuanpei, Du became a mathematics teacher of Shaoxing Zhongxi school (the predecessor of Shaoxing No.1 Middle School). At the same time, he assimilated advanced western scientific and cultural knowledge eagerly. In addition to physics and chemistry, he also read natural science books such as animal and plant minerals and medicine. Because of his strong self-learning ability, "although there is no teacher, he can find his own way to get the essentials of physics and chemistry.".

He once recorded all kinds of experiments in physical chemistry one by one, prepared to carry equipment and drugs to the market, places of interest and other public gathering places to give speeches and performances in his spare time of teaching, so that the common people could "dazzle the wonder of change, increase the wisdom of things, admire the purport of learning, and think that this is a" good way to enlighten the people's wisdom "by opening up the atmosphere.

Du Yaquan thinks that only by means of translation to study knowledge, "like a ditch without a source, like a hill without a pulse", we must directly read the original foreign language books. In other countries, Japanese culture is similar to Chinese culture, which is worth learning. So he and his colleagues invited Japanese to teach Japanese, and soon mastered the ability of translating Japanese. Since then, he has been able to get more and faster access to western scientific and technological knowledge and democratic ideas from Japanese books, and his consciousness of science and democracy has been deeply rooted in his mind.

According to Cai Yuanpei, although Du Yaquan specialized in mathematics and had a cool head, his enthusiasm for exploring philosophy and criticizing society was irresistible. When I worked in Zhongxi school, I often discussed national affairs with other staff during meals. He and Cai Yuanpei tend to focus on innovation. They advocate civil rights, women's rights, and the theory of evolution in which things compete for existence. They have had many debates with some old teachers who are profound but conservative. Finally, because of the accumulation of discord, the school managers who took advantage of the old school warned that Cai resigned angrily, and Du left school one after another.

Du Yaquan was a scholar at the age of 16. At the age of 21, he started his career in Chongwen college in Hangzhou. In 1895 (the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), he was defeated in the Sino Japanese War of 1895. He was deeply stimulated and his thoughts changed dramatically. He was determined to stress practical learning in order to save the world and the people. Therefore, he abandoned his studies and changed to mathematics. He changed from Chinese to Western and read the works of Li Shanlan and Hua juofang. In 1898 (the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), he was employed by Cai Yuanpei as a mathematics teacher of Shaoxing Zhongxi school. At this time, he used his spare time to teach himself physics and chemistry, natural history and Japanese, and began to doubt the traditional Chinese theory. In 1900 (the 26th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), he went to Shanghai to set up the Yaquan school, and published Yaquan magazine (semimonthly). In 1903 (the 29th year of Guangxu), he returned to Shaoxing and founded Yuejun public school as president and teacher of physics, chemistry and natural history. In 1904 (the 30th year of Guangxu), he was invited by Zhang Yuanji to be the director of the physical and Chemical Department of the compilation Institute of Shanghai Commercial Press for 28 years. In 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China), the "January 28 Incident" occurred in Shanghai. Both the commercial press and his apartment were destroyed in the war. The whole family fled back to their hometown to make ends meet. Under the pressure of poverty and illness, he still insisted on compiling science books and served as a volunteer teacher in Jishan middle school. In December 1933, he died of pleurisy at the age of 60.

Cai Yuanpei and Du Yaquan are close friends of morality and justice. After Du died, Cai vividly described his academic spirit in Du Yaquan's biography: "you are tall and thin, with sharp brain. You are strong in your studies, and you are mysterious in your theories. Sometimes I walk alone and walk slowly, or I just look at a scene and stand and move. I can see that there is no time, no place and no thought. " Du Yaquan created four "firsts" in the history of modern Chinese culture and scholarship with his profound vision, unique insight and exploration spirit

In 1900 (the 26th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), Du Yaquan founded "Yaquan school" in Shanghai (renamed "general study library" the next year), published scientific books and trained scientific and technological talents. This is the first private university in modern China.

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Chinese PinYin : Du Ya Quan