Pioneering the World: The Life of Deng Xuchu

Author: Liu ZiXun, Xu Yin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Comrade Deng Xuchu went to Yan'an early in his life to participate in the revolution and experienced the trials of war in the War of Resistance against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he worked in higher education for a long time. In the early 1950s, he participated in the leadership of establishing East China Aviation College (now the predecessor of Northwestern Polytechnical University) in Nanjing. In the spring of 1954, he was transferred to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he successively served as Director of the President's Office, Deputy Party Secretary, and Vice President. From 1977 to 1986, during his tenure as Party Secretary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Deng Xuchu pioneered reforms in university management, including job assignments, staffing quotas, establishing post responsibility systems, encouraging talent mobility, implementing self-funded salary reforms, and selecting talent without discrimination. These measures promoted internal management reforms in universities across the country and were praised by central leaders such as Deng Xiaoping. Comrade Deng Xuchu pursued truth, and his life was filled with legends. This book reflects a long and winding history, showcasing the path of a young intellectual who, amidst the tides of the times and history, moved toward light, achieved success, and fully realized his life's value. The book has a simple and sincere style, combining narrative and commentary, making it highly readable.