A Century of Achievement (The Educational Spirit of Modern Chinese University Presidents)

Author: Zhou Chuan, Huang Xu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The slogan "Never forget to save the country while reading books, and never forget reading books while saving the country" was proposed by Ma Xiangbo in a speech he delivered to Chinese students in Japan in 1907. This slogan actually reflects the guiding principles of Ma Xiangbo's educational philosophy. Although Ma Xiangbo was a Catholic, he was deeply indignant at the actions of some foreign missionaries who took advantage of imperialist privileges to engage in cultural aggression. Stating his position in the interest of maintaining national sovereignty, he clearly asserted: "Establishing schools and studying are for saving the country, and saving the country must rely on establishing schools and studying, spreading and learning scientific knowledge." This correctly addressed the issue of the purpose of higher education in a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Ma Xiangbo once said, "I have long felt the pain of national distress since my childhood. I remember in my French history textbook, there was a remark about our nation, mocking us as a people who were unworthy of breathing the air of the world." This insult left a humiliating memory in his heart. When he graduated from Xuhui Public School and was offered a position as a French secretary by the French Consulate, he firmly refused: "I learned French for China!" This patriotic and loyal sentiment became stronger as he grew older, gained more experience, matured in thought, and developed a deeper understanding of Chinese society. When the University of Shanghai was first established, it coincided with the rise of bourgeois revolution and the growing calls for anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism. Ma Xiangbo boldly declared: "To revolutionize and save the country, one must start by studying modern science; to study modern science, one must first master its language and literature. Those who wish to learn foreign languages and literature to study modern science in preparation for revolutionizing and saving the country are welcome to join us." The university was named "Shanghai," meaning "to take both the light of the East and the boundless future." His patriotic feelings and desire to save the country were evident in every word. After the university was established, it enrolled students from various backgrounds, including those who had left Nanyang Public School to resist feudal oppression and members of the dissolved Patriot Society, making the students particularly strong in patriotism and democratic awareness. The university's regulations stipulated: "Teachers should not discuss religion in class; students should not discuss politics while at the university." The former was strictly enforced, while the latter was practically non-existent. Ma Xiangbo not only deeply cared for and valued famous revolutionaries like Ma Junwu, Shao Lizi, and Liu Chengyou among the students at the time but also, to some extent, participated in political activities himself. He actively recruited the young scholar Yu Youren, who had escaped to Shanghai after his poetry collection "Half Weeping, Half Laughing Tower" criticized the government and advocated revolution, into the University of Shanghai under the pseudonym "Liu Xueyu" and exempted his tuition. When Yu Youren expressed fear of bringing trouble to the university and Ma Xiangbo himself, Ma Xiangbo calmly said: "As a citizen of the nation, I have the obligation to host you." At that time, the University of Shanghai, Ma Xiangbo taught and lectured for the sake of saving the country, and the students studied and read for the sake of saving the country. Later, when they left the university in a mass resignation to resist cultural aggression by imperialism, it was an innovation but not an accident. After the establishment of Fudan University, the campus was even more filled with revolutionary spirit. Many students were passionate about revolution, concerned about current affairs, and often wrote about the political situation and industrial issues in their weekly Chinese essays. Yu Youren, in running the Minhu and Minxu