Education and Social Transformation (Le Peihong and Modern Guangxi Education and Society)

Author: Cao Tianzhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Lei Peihong was a renowned educator and educational reformer nurtured by both Chinese and Western cultures. His educational ideas, theory, and practice had a profound impact on old China and also provided significant inspiration for educational reform in new China. Lei Peihong was born in Nanning, Guangxi. From a young age, he was eager to learn and exceptionally intelligent. In 1904, he entered the Guangdong and Guangxi Higher Industrial College in Guangzhou to study applied chemistry and was influenced by revolutionary currents. The following year, he joined the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance and followed Sun Yat-sen in the anti-Qing revolution, participating in the 1900 Guangzhou New Army Uprising and the 1911 Huanghuagang Uprising. After the failure of the 1911 Revolution, he went to the United States for studies in political science and education. After living and working in the U.S. for nearly a decade, he returned to Guangxi to teach and engage in politics, making significant contributions to the nation, ethnicity, and people. He was a forward-thinking figure with a profound patriotic spirit, worthy of respect and remembrance. Talent is crucial in modernization, and without modernized talent, there can be no modernized society. Cultivating and educating people, improving the comprehensive quality of the nation, is not merely a means for people to make a living but more importantly, the foundation for strengthening the country. Therefore, Lei Peihong combined his educational reform ideas with the times and the nation, promoting mass education in Guangxi, which facilitated the transformation of Guangxi society and met the needs of the Anti-Japanese War. This was the result of his wisdom and also the embodiment of his patriotic and hometown-loving spirit. As a student who studied in the U.S. and established a family there, Lei Peihong returned to his homeland in times of national crisis and dedicated his knowledge to the nation and ethnicity—this was no easy feat and deserves our admiration. He was an outstanding educational reformer who made significant contributions to the nation and ethnicity. This book presents an objective evaluation of Lei Peihong, briefly detailing his experiences where necessary and elaborating on his educational ideas and practice where appropriate. Compared to previous research, this book makes new breakthroughs, and some topics remain highly innovative.