Selected Writings of Tang Wenhui

Author: Wang Tongsun et al. (Selected and edited)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Tang Wenhui was the longest-serving president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (then known as Shanghai Nanyang University) before the founding of the People's Republic of China. During his tenure, he reformed university affairs, established new departments such as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Railway Management, and the humanistic education he advocated became a shining page in the history of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He transformed the university into a modern institution with comprehensive disciplines and high academic standards, renowned for its excellence in Chinese language, science, and sports. His educational practices represented the earliest attempt to integrate traditional cultural resources with modern university education and combine Confucian spirit with modern scientific education. This book is a selected compilation of Tang Wenhui's works, including his diaries, notes, memorials, reports, letters, prefaces to books, and inscriptions on monuments, totaling 190 pieces. Tang Wenhui (1865–1954) was a renowned modern educator, styled Weizhi, and later known as Rujing. In 1908, he abandoned his official career to pursue education, vowing to "either become a capable minister or an excellent teacher." He dedicated over 40 years to education, achieving his greatest success in leading Shanghai Nanyang University (now Shanghai Jiao Tong University) and Wuxi Guoxue Specialized School. From 1907 to 1920, Tang Wenhui served as president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the humanistic education he advocated became a shining page in the university's history. Under his leadership, the university became a modern engineering institution with comprehensive disciplines and high academic standards. In 2004, it was the 50th anniversary of Tang Wenhui's death, and 2005 marked the 140th anniversary of his birth. To understand the times and the people, one must read their works. Tang Wenhui's Selected Writings compiles 190 of his articles, revealing his adherence to the Confucian ideal of "self-cultivation, family regulation, state governance, and world peace" and his educational philosophy of guiding students "to uphold moral standards and discipline their bodies and minds" to become "outstanding talents." Tang Wenhui explicitly positioned the university's goal as "cultivating leader talents," aiming to "spread them across the nation as role models." This reflected the actual state of higher education as an elite system at the time and embodied the Confucian ideal of cultivating sages and worthies. He encouraged students to "aspire to become talents like ; to achieve great achievements like ; and to become talents like . And to achieve talents like , one must first refine virtues like ." In this direction, Tang Wenhui vividly demonstrated the modern survival of traditional Confucianism during a period of profound transformation. His educational practices represented the earliest attempt to integrate traditional cultural resources with modern university education and combine Confucian spirit with modern scientific education.