Biography of Zou Rong and Chen Tianhua

Author: Zhu Qingbao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: From November 1902 to the summer of 1903, when the "Supreme Court Case" of the "Su Weekly" occurred, the Chinese Education Association entered its influential period through the efforts of its members. The turning point for its rise was the Shanghai Nanyang Public School dropout incident in November 1902. The incident began when an empty ink bottle was placed on a teacher's seat. The school authorities believed it was an insult to the teacher's incompetence and used this as a reason to expel a student. In response, the entire class rose up in protest and declared their withdrawal from the school. The students across the school also showed support, demanding the school revoke its decision, but it ultimately failed. On November 16, all the students gathered on the campus, shouted "Long live the motherland" three times, and marched out in an orderly manner. Afterward, at the request of the expelled students, the Chinese Education Association decided to establish the Patriot School Society to accommodate the dropouts. The Education Association funded the initial setup costs and most of the monthly expenses, with members volunteering to teach. On November 20, the Patriot School Society was founded, with Cai Yuanpei elected as the principal and Wu Jihui as the supervisor.
The founding of the Patriot School Society attracted great attention from scholars, gentry, and merchants both at home and abroad. In its early days, people held high expectations for it. "It seemed as if this school could cultivate many talents like Napoleon, Garibaldi, Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Saigo Takamori. The stubborn officials, however, found this school quite strange. If it continued, it would surely produce many rebels like Song Jiang, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Hong Xiuquan, Sun Yat-sen, and Kang Youwei." It can be said that the founding of the Patriot School Society was itself a result of the growing new trend, and in turn, it greatly propelled the development of the new trend in Shanghai. All the students of the Society joined the Chinese Education Association. Under the guidance of Cai Yuanpei and others, "teachers and students in the school openly discussed revolution and spoke without restraint." The Education Association also allied with the then "Su Weekly," with seven people including Zhang Taiyan and Wu Jihui taking turns writing for it, promoting student movements and spreading new ideas. The Chinese Education Association also established a printing house to compile and publish Western works and anti-Qing revolutionary books, and held large-scale lectures in places like Zhang Garden to advocate for revolution. Under the leadership of the Chinese Education Association, Shanghai became the center of gathering for new-style groups in the country. Due to the advocacy of the radical members, the idea of overthrowing the Qing rule gained increasing influence.
Against this backdrop, Zou Rong returned to Shanghai. He went to the Patriot School Society with Zhang Ji to find Wu Jihui, was accommodated at the Society, and joined its activities. Soon after, he also joined the Chinese Education Association. From this moment on, Zou Rong became part of the most vibrant group in Shanghai and was swept onto the crest of the era's tide.