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A Heart Devoted to the Nation – Wu Yuzhang’s Educational Life

耿化敏 刘高元:才为国寸心丹——吴玉章的教育人生

· · Ideological & Political Education · Geng Huamin, Distinguished Researcher at the National Research Center for Red Gene Inheritance and Vice Dean of the School of CPC History and Party Building, Renmin University of China; Liu Gaoyuan, Master's student at the School of CPC History and Party Building, Renmin University of China · Guangming Daily (11th edition, 30 December 2024) · 24 min read

【Scholar’s Brief Biography】Wu Yuzhang (1878–1966), a native of Rong County, Sichuan. Revolutionary, educator, historian, and linguist. In his early years, he studied abroad in Japan and France, and joined the Communist Party of China in 1925. After 1938, he served as President of the Lu Xun Academy of Arts, President of Yan’an University, Director of the Cultural Committee of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government, and President of North China University. After the founding of New China, he served as President of Renmin University of China and Director of the Chinese Script Reform Committee. His works include *The 1911 Revolution*, *Memoirs of the 1911 Revolution*, *An Introduction to the Course on Chinese History*, and *Collected Essays on Script Reform*.

【学人小传】吴玉章(1878—1966),四川荣县人。革命家、教育家、历史学家、语言文字学家。早年赴日本、法国留学,1925年加入中国共产党。1938年后,曾任鲁迅艺术学院院长、延安大学校长、陕甘宁边区政府文化委员会主任、华北大学校长等职。新中国成立后,任中国人民大学校长、中国文字改革委员会主任等职。著有《辛亥革命》《辛亥革命回忆录》《中国历史教程绪论》《文字改革文集》等。

In 1960, at the age of 82, Wu Yuzhang wrote a poem titled “Self-Encouragement”: “The spring silkworm’s thread ends only when it dies; a person does not rest even at a hundred years. As long as a breath remains, one must strive, leaving a good example for the youth.” From initiating study in France, to running schools in Yan’an, to pioneering higher education in New China, Wu Yuzhang spent half his life working for Chinese education. Even in his old age, his mind was still fixed on how to set an example for the youth and illuminate their path forward.

1960年,82岁的吴玉章写下一首《自励诗》:“春蚕到死丝方尽,人至期颐亦不休。一息尚存须努力,留作青年好范畴。”从发起赴法留学,到延安办学,再到开拓新中国高等教育事业,吴玉章为中国教育奔走半生,即使年至耄耋,心中所想仍是如何为青年树立榜样,为他们照亮前行之路。

The era of Wu Yuzhang’s birth and growth was precisely the darkest moment of imperialist aggression against China after the two Opium Wars, and also a stirring period when countless people of lofty ideals raised the tide of national salvation. Growing up under such stormy historical circumstances, Wu Yuzhang was “shocked by the danger of national subjugation and had to rise up to survive.” In 1903, he traveled east to Japan to seek new knowledge, soon joined the Chinese Revolutionary League [1]1 The Chinese Revolutionary League (Tongmenghui) was a secret revolutionary society founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1905, which later evolved into the Kuomintang., and from then on threw himself into the torrent of the Chinese revolution. However, the 1911 Revolution did not bring the bright prospects China had anticipated. While tirelessly pursuing the truth of national salvation, Wu Yuzhang gradually realized that “to seek the art of benefiting the country and the people, there is no way but through learning.” He regarded running schools and cultivating talent as a path to save and rejuvenate the nation, and thus embarked on the long journey of promoting education and nurturing talent.

吴玉章出生成长的年代,正是两次鸦片战争后帝国主义侵略中国的至暗时刻,也是无数仁人志士掀起救亡浪潮的峥嵘岁月。在风雨如晦的历史境遇下成长,吴玉章“惊怵于亡国的危险,不得不奋起图存”。1903年,他东渡日本求取新知,不久加入中国同盟会,从此投身中国革命洪流。然而,辛亥革命带给中国的并非预想的光明前景,吴玉章在不懈追寻救国真理的同时,渐觉“欲求利国福民之术,非学莫由”,把办教育、育人才视为救国兴国的途径,从此走上兴学育才的漫漫征途。

Always a Doer

从来都是实干家

When Wu Yuzhang began to focus on China’s educational problems, he was already a revolutionary who had undergone the baptism of the 1911 Revolution. This determined that from the very beginning, Wu Yuzhang did not indulge in utopian “education for national salvation,” but rather regarded revitalizing education and cultivating talent as components of revolution and national construction, thinking about “why to run education” and “how to run education” from an overall perspective.

当吴玉章开始重视中国教育问题时,他已然是一位经受了辛亥革命洗礼的革命者。这决定了吴玉章从一开始就不是空想“教育救国”,而是把振兴教育、培育人才作为革命与国家建设的组成部分,从全局出发思考“为何办教育”“怎么办教育”的问题。

After the 1911 Revolution, Wu Yuzhang perceived the huge gap between China and the world, believing that “now science advances by leaps and bounds; if we do not catch up quickly, we will have no way to stand on our own in the world.” Therefore, he fully supported Chinese students studying abroad.

辛亥革命后,吴玉章察觉到中国与世界的巨大差距,认为“现在科学进步,一日千里,我们不从速猛进,则无从自立于世界”,因此全力支持中国学生赴海外求学。

In 1912, Wu Yuzhang, together with Cai Yuanpei and others, initiated the “Society for Study in France” in Beijing, believing that “this move will bring immeasurable benefit to the education of our country’s youth.” In 1916, Wu Yuzhang, who had fled to France after the failure of the “Second Revolution” [2]2 The “Second Revolution” refers to a 1913 armed uprising against Yuan Shikai led by Sun Yat-sen and other revolutionaries, which quickly failed., joined with Cai Yuanpei, Li Yuying, Wu Zhihui, and others to establish the “Sino-French Education Association,” continuing to advance the movement for study in France. Wu Yuzhang ran around everywhere, actively contacting people from all walks of life to gain public opinion and material support for the work-study program in France. After returning to China in February 1917, he founded preparatory schools for study in France in Beijing, Baoding, and other places, initiated the “Sichuan Work-Study Society for Study in France” in his hometown, and promoted the establishment of preparatory schools for study in France in Chengdu, Chongqing, and elsewhere. As a result, Sichuan became the province with the largest number of students going to France under the work-study program.

1912年,吴玉章与蔡元培等在北京发起“留法学会”,认为“此举裨益于吾国青年教育无量”。1916年,因“二次革命”失败而流亡法国的吴玉章,与蔡元培、李煜瀛、吴稚晖等人发起成立“华法教育会”,继续推进赴法留学运动。吴玉章四处奔走,积极联络各界人士,为赴法勤工俭学争取舆论和物质支持。1917年2月回国后,他在北京、保定等地创办留法预备学校,在家乡发起“四川留法勤工俭学会”,推动成都、重庆等地成立留法预备学校。四川因此成为全国赴法勤工俭学人数最多的省份。

On March 15, 1919, a farewell meeting for students going to France under the work-study program was held in Shanghai. In his speech, Wu Yuzhang said: “Studying abroad to seek new learning is not about following trends and picking up a bit of superficial knowledge, hoping to steal a title as a shortcut to success; it is purely about each of us doing our best to seek our own survival, and thereby seeking the happiness of the majority… When you return to China in the future to contribute to our society, you will surely open a new era for society, and your achievements will be immeasurable.” History confirmed Wu Yuzhang’s foresight. A group of advanced youth who studied in France, including Zhou Enlai, Cai Hesen, Zhao Shiyan, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yi, and Nie Rongzhen, became the vanguard forces for national independence and people’s liberation after returning to China.

1919年3月15日,一场送别留法勤工俭学学生的大会在上海举行。吴玉章在讲演中说:“留学外国讲求新学,不是趋时附势学点皮毛,想窃得一头衔,以为终南捷径的;纯是我们想各尽所能,以谋个人的生存,即所以谋大多数人的幸福……将来归国,以贡献于吾国社会,必能为社会开一新纪元,其功业自不可限量。”历史证实了吴玉章的远见。周恩来、蔡和森、赵世炎、邓小平、陈毅、聂荣臻等一批赴法留学的先进青年,归国后成为争取民族独立和人民解放的先锋力量。

Around the time of the May Fourth Movement [3]3 The May Fourth Movement was a 1919 anti-imperialist, anti-feudal cultural and political movement that began with student protests in Beijing and is often seen as a watershed in modern Chinese history., Wu Yuzhang transformed ideologically into a Marxist and joined the Communist Party of China in 1925. In 1938, Wu Yuzhang went to Yan’an and was entrusted by the Party Central Committee with the task of developing revolutionary education. Adhering to the principle that education serves the needs of the revolutionary struggle, he explored new types of education in the revolutionary base areas, providing strong support for the CPC to win the New Democratic Revolution.

五四运动前后,吴玉章从思想上转变为马克思主义者,1925年加入中国共产党。1938年,吴玉章奔赴延安,被党中央委以发展革命教育的重任。他秉持教育为革命斗争服务的宗旨,在革命根据地开展新型教育的探索,为中国共产党夺取新民主主义革命胜利提供了有力支撑。

Wu Yuzhang adhered to historical materialism and a people-centered stance, believing that “the progress or backwardness of the masses does not lie in innate intelligence or stupidity, but in the quality of education.” As a pioneer of script reform, Wu Yuzhang regarded reforming Chinese characters as an important means of popularizing education and renovating culture. From 1940 onward, he organized and founded new script training classes, personally teaching the new script at schools such as the China Youth Cadre School and the China Women’s University, “diligently correcting the students’ pronunciation errors and patiently answering their questions.” In 1942, he served as President of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region New Script Cadre School, presiding over the compilation and publication of new script textbooks and reading materials. He often rode a donkey from the northern outskirts of Yan’an to the southern outskirts to teach in person, giving classes four to five days a week. The new script education he led advanced the literacy work among the masses in the border region and accumulated valuable experience for New China’s script reform and educational popularization.

吴玉章坚持唯物史观和人民立场,认为“大众的进步或落后并不在于生性的聪明或愚蠢,而在于教育的好或坏”。作为文字改革的先驱,吴玉章将改革汉字作为普及教育、革新文化的重要途径。从1940年起,他组织创办新文字训练班,亲自到中国青年干部学校、中国女子大学等学校讲授新文字,“孜孜改正各学员之错误发音,循循解答各学员提出之问题”。1942年,他担任陕甘宁边区新文字干部学校校长,主持编写和出版新文字教材和读物,还常常骑着毛驴从延安北郊赶到南郊亲自授课,每周授课4到5天。他领导的新文字教育推进了边区群众扫盲工作,为新中国文字改革和教育普及积累了宝贵经验。

From 1938 to 1949, Wu Yuzhang successively served as President of the Lu Xun Academy of Arts, Yan’an University, and North China University. During this period, he began to explore how to develop new types of formal higher education that served the needs of the revolutionary cause. On August 24, 1948, at the opening ceremony of North China University, Wu Yuzhang clarified the two major tasks of revolutionary wartime education: “The first task is to support the front lines, so that the war can achieve complete victory as soon as possible. The second task is to change old thoughts, theories, viewpoints, and political systems into new thoughts, theories, viewpoints, and political systems.” To support the front lines and develop education, North China University specially set up political training classes to teach political theory courses, and also established an Education College, a Research Department, an Arts College, an Agriculture College, and an Engineering College to cultivate talent in various fields. These educational practices not only trained a large number of cadres for the Party during the revolutionary war years, forming the roots of red education, but also reserved a large number of talents for the construction of New China.

从1938年到1949年,吴玉章先后担任鲁迅艺术学院、延安大学、华北大学校长。在这期间,他开始探索如何发展服务革命事业需要的新型正规高等教育。1948年8月24日,吴玉章在华北大学开学典礼上阐明革命战时教育的两大任务:“第一个任务就是支援前线,使战争很快得到完全胜利。第二个任务是把旧的思想、理论、观点、政治制度改变为新的思想、理论、观点、政治制度。”为支援前线、发展教育,华北大学专门开设政治训练班讲授政治理论课,还设置教育学院、研究部、文艺学院、农学院、工学院,培养各行业人才。这些教育实践不仅为党在革命战争年代造就了大批干部,形成红色教育根脉,也为新中国建设储备了大批人才。

In the early days of New China, Wu Yuzhang keenly realized that “the cadre issue has become a top-priority, urgent, and practical problem,” and attached great importance to the key role of new-type higher education in cultivating talents for national management and economic construction. He was entrusted with founding “New China’s first new-type formal university,” Renmin University of China, and served as its President. He required the school to adhere to the socialist orientation in running education, taking “cultivating tens of thousands of construction cadres” as its primary goal. In the early days of the university’s founding, Renmin University of China placed great emphasis on the construction of Marxist-Leninist political theory courses, setting up undergraduate departments and cadre special training classes (courses) urgently needed for national construction, such as economics, trade, factory management, cooperatives, law, diplomacy, education, statistics, and archives. For example, in 1950, the school established the first teaching institution in New China specializing in archival science knowledge—the Archives Special Training Class. Later, this special training class gradually expanded and developed into the Archives Special Training Section and the Department of Historical Archives, initially constructing the teaching and textbook system for higher education in archival science in New China, and training a large number of cadres and teachers. During the more than ten years Wu Yuzhang served as President, Renmin University of China cultivated numerous political theory teaching faculty, researchers, management cadres, and various professional talents, becoming a banner for the path of socialist higher education nationwide.

新中国成立初期,吴玉章敏锐意识到“干部问题已经成了一个头等重要的、迫切的现实性问题”,重视新型高等教育对培养国家管理和经济建设人才的关键作用。他受命创办“新中国的第一个新型正规大学”中国人民大学,并担任校长,要求学校坚持社会主义办学方向,以“培养万千建设干部”作为首要目标。建校之初,中国人民大学高度重视马列主义政治理论课程建设,设置经济、贸易、工厂管理、合作社、法律、外交、教育、统计、档案等国家建设急需的本科学系和干部专修班(科)。例如,1950年学校开设新中国首个专门教授档案学知识的教学机构——档案专修班,后来,这个专修班逐渐扩大发展为档案专修科、历史档案系,初步建构起新中国档案学高等教育的教学和教材体系,培养了一大批干部和师资。吴玉章担任校长的十几年间,中国人民大学培养了众多政治理论教学师资、研究人员、管理干部和各类专业人才,成为全国社会主义高等教育道路的一面旗帜。

To change the situation in which “the vast majority” of the working people in old China were illiterate, Wu Yuzhang vigorously promoted the popularization of education and mass literacy work in New China. He advocated relying on regular schools to establish educational institutions for the worker and peasant masses, such as cultural remedial classes, night schools, spare-time schools for workers, spare-time schools for peasants, and rural winter schools. From 1950, Renmin University of China offered cultural remedial classes (later renamed the Preparatory School of Renmin University of China), specifically enrolling worker and peasant cadres and labor models with lower cultural levels, teaching them according to their knowledge base and life and production habits. He led the Chinese Written Language Reform Committee in formulating the *Scheme for Simplifying Chinese Characters* and the *Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet*, promoting standard spoken Chinese, advancing the widespread teaching of the Chinese phonetic alphabet and standard spoken Chinese in universities, middle schools, and primary schools, and exploring the experience of “phonetic notation literacy” applicable to the worker and peasant masses. This played an important role in raising the rural literacy rate, eliminating illiteracy, and popularizing education.

为改变旧中国劳动人民“大半都是文盲”的境况,吴玉章极力推动新中国的教育普及和群众扫盲工作。他主张以正规学校为依托,举办文化补习班、夜校、职工业余学校、农民业余学校、农村冬学等面向工农群众的教育机构。中国人民大学从1950年起开设文化补习班(后改为中国人民大学预科),专门招收文化水平较低的工农干部和劳动模范,根据他们的知识基础和生活生产习惯因材施教。他领导中国文字改革委员会制定《汉字简化方案》《汉语拼音方案》,推广普通话,推动大中小学普遍开展汉语拼音和普通话教学,探索适用于工农大众的“注音识字”经验,这对提高农村识字率、扫除文盲和普及教育起到了重要作用。

From 1956, Wu Yuzhang concurrently served as the first president of the Central Institute of Socialism. Based on the nature of the institute and the characteristics of its students, he regarded ideological and political education as the core task, exploring new forms of socialist education to unite and transform democratic forces. He formulated the “three-self” principle (freedom, voluntariness, and conscious learning) and the “three-no” policy (no grabbing of braids, no labeling, no wielding of sticks) for the institute, advocating a democratic academic style in which “teachers and students should be each other’s teachers and students, learn from each other, and complement each other’s strengths,” guiding the smooth development of the institute’s teaching and united front work. During Wu Yuzhang’s tenure as president, the Central Institute of Socialism trained over 1,800 students, making outstanding contributions to uniting democratic forces, consolidating the united front, and advancing socialist education. To this day, the Central Institute of Socialism continues to play an important role in the Party’s united front work.

从1956年起,吴玉章兼任中央社会主义学院首任院长。立足学院性质和学员特点,他将思想政治教育视为核心工作,探索团结和改造民主力量的社会主义教育新形式。他为学院制定“三自”(自由、自愿、自觉学习)原则和“三不”(不抓辫子、不扣帽子、不打棍子)方针,提倡“教师和学员应该是互为师生,互相学习,互相取长补短”的民主学风,引领学院教学和统战工作顺利开展。在吴玉章担任院长期间,中央社会主义学院共培训学员1800余人,对团结民主力量、巩固统一战线、推动社会主义教育作出了突出贡献。时至今日,中央社会主义学院仍在党的统战工作中发挥着重要作用。

Cultivating Well-Rounded New People

培养全面发展的新人

In Wu Yuzhang’s view, the fundamental difference between New China’s education and old China’s education lay in the fact that New China was not a semi-colonial, semi-feudal, or capitalist state, but a state developing toward socialism; the fundamental reason why the youth of New China differed from the youth of old China was that “their future is consistent with the socialist future of the country.” This determined that the young talent New China was to cultivate must “be able to shoulder the glorious and arduous task of being successors to the communist cause” and must be “well-rounded new people with a high level of scientific and cultural knowledge, communist moral qualities, and robust physiques.”

在吴玉章看来,新中国教育同旧中国教育的根本不同,在于新中国不是半殖民地半封建和资本主义性质的国家,而是向社会主义发展的国家;新中国的青年之所以不同于旧中国的青年,根本在于“他们的前途是和国家的社会主义前途一致的”。这就决定了新中国要培养的青年人才,必须“能够担负起共产主义接班人的光荣而艰巨的任务”,一定是“具有高度科学文化知识的、具有共产主义道德品质的、体魄健壮的、全面发展的新人”。

Wu Yuzhang believed that “the question of which path young people take is a major issue concerning the rise and fall of the country and the success or failure of the revolution,” and he regarded firming up ideals and convictions as the primary task of running schools and educating people. On October 4, 1950, at the opening ceremony of Renmin University of China, he emphasized that one of the school’s main tasks was “to conduct political and ideological education for students using the doctrines of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin and Mao Zedong Thought, and to cultivate them into experts with a high level of cultural cultivation.” He regarded teaching political theory courses well as “a matter of paramount importance,” requiring the strengthening of teaching in courses such as the Foundations of Marxism-Leninism, the History of the Chinese Revolution, Political Economy, and Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism, so that the teaching hours of political theory courses accounted for 20% to 30% of all course hours. The school actively explored scientific methods of ideological and political education based on the different characteristics of courses and students. For example, because dialectical materialism and historical materialism reveal the most general laws, understanding them requires a relatively rich knowledge base; therefore, in the early years of the school’s founding, this course was only offered in a few majors and was scheduled to be taught last. Because young students lacked revolutionary experience and theoretical knowledge, the teaching of the History of the Chinese Revolution for them had to change the habits of past cadre education, first teaching basic Party history knowledge, and then teaching theoretical works such as *On Practice* and *On Contradiction*. These practices provided useful experience for the teaching of political theory courses in universities nationwide.

吴玉章认为,“青年人走什么道路的问题,是关系国家兴亡和革命成败的大问题”,将坚定理想信念作为办学育人的第一要务。1950年10月4日,他在中国人民大学开学典礼上强调:学校的主要任务之一就是“以马恩列斯的学说和毛泽东思想来进行学生的政治思想教育,并把他们培养成为有高度文化修养的专家”。他将上好政治理论课视为“头等重要的事”,要求加强马列主义基础、中国革命史、政治经济学、辩证唯物论与历史唯物论等课程教学,使政治理论课的教学时数占到全部课程时数的20%~30%。学校根据课程和学生的不同特点,积极探索科学的思政教育方法。比如,由于辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义所揭示的是最一般的规律,理解它需要较为丰富的知识基础,因此建校初就只在少数专业开设这门课,并将其排到最后讲授;由于青年学生缺乏革命经验和理论知识,针对他们的中国革命史教学就必须改变过去干部教育的习惯,要先教授党史基本知识,再讲《实践论》《矛盾论》等理论著作。这些做法为全国高校的政治理论课教学提供了有益经验。

As a Marxist historian, Wu Yuzhang always emphasized that “history is a science that inspires patriotism,” actively exploring new forms of history education to realize the value function of the history discipline in firming up ideals and convictions and cultivating patriotic sentiments. Wu Yuzhang’s life experience can be called “a very rich history of the modern Chinese revolution.” Based on his responsibility as a historical participant, he focused on recording and publishing his own experiences in the form of historical essays, oral accounts, and memoirs, providing vivid teaching materials for the education of the revolutionary spirit and the transmission of the red gene. On January 17, 1964, in the school journal *Renmin University*, he published “Let Everyone Write the School History,” pointing out that “using village histories, commune histories, factory histories, school histories, family histories, and the personal experiences of veteran workers, veteran cadres, and veteran peasants are good teaching materials for enabling the younger generation to understand the past, compare it with the present, and look forward to the future, and are also good methods for conducting class education for the youth.” He called on all teachers and students of Renmin University of China to comprehend the glorious traditions and fine work styles from the university’s magnificent history, actively learn and try to write the red school history, and pass it down as a “family heirloom” from generation to generation to educate future generations.

作为马克思主义史学家,吴玉章历来强调“历史是启发爱国心的一门科学”,积极探索历史教育的新形式,发挥历史学科对坚定理想信念、树立爱国情怀的价值功能。吴玉章的人生经历堪称“一部非常丰富的中国近现代革命史”。他基于历史当事人的责任,注重将自身经历以史论、口述、回忆录的形式记载发表,为革命精神的教育和红色基因的传承提供鲜活教材。1964年1月17日,吴玉章在校刊《人民大学》发表《大家来写校史》,指出“用村史、公社史、厂史、校史、家史以及由老工人、老干部、老农民讲自己的亲身经历,是让青年一代了解过去、对比现在、展望将来的好教材,也是向青年进行阶级教育的好办法”。他号召全校师生从中国人民大学波澜壮阔的历史中感悟光荣传统和优良作风,积极学习和尝试书写红色校史,并把它作为“传家宝”代代相传,教育后代。

Wu Yuzhang advocated a dialectical view of the relationship between “redness” and “expertise,” and between “politics” and “professional work,” opposing the view that “political learning can replace professional learning and thus deny professional learning.” He emphasized that students must “be responsible to the country in their studies” and that “the issue of academic performance is not just a personal issue but first and foremost an issue affecting the national construction cause,” requiring students to persist in “intense and sustained labor” in their studies. At the same time, he warned students to abandon the shallow understanding that “with professional skills and technology, one can ‘go anywhere,’ ‘be popular,’ and ‘get a high salary,’” encouraging them to implement the Marxist worldview and patriotic sentiments in their concrete studies, not to blindly “follow the trend” for personal development, but to master professional knowledge and delve into science and technology based on the needs of the people and national construction, treating study as a responsibility to the motherland.

吴玉章主张辩证地看待“红”与“专”,“政治”与“业务”的关系,反对“政治学习可以代替业务学习而否认业务学习”的观点,强调学生必须“在学习上对国家负责”,“学习成绩的问题不只是个人问题,而首先是影响到国家建设事业的问题”,要求学生必须在学习上坚持“紧张而持久的劳动”。同时,他告诫学生要摒弃“有了业务技术就可以‘走遍天下’‘吃得开’‘薪金高’”的浅薄认识,鼓励他们将马克思主义世界观和爱国主义情怀落实到具体的学习中,不为个人发展而盲目地“赶浪头”,而是从人民和国家建设的需要出发掌握专业知识、钻研科学技术,把学习当作对祖国的责任。

“Well-rounded development” was Wu Yuzhang’s basic requirement for successors to the cause of the Party and the state. He believed that youth must be prepared physically, intellectually, politically, and morally to become a reserve force for the construction of the Party and the state. In the 1920s, when serving as president of Chengdu Higher Normal School, Wu Yuzhang already valued students’ physical fitness, emphasizing that “the school pays attention to everything that can exercise students’ bodies. Regarding sports such as football, tennis, and hiking, the school vigorously promotes them, hoping to cultivate sound citizens.” After the founding of New China, Wu Yuzhang regarded emphasizing labor education as “one of the fundamental distinctions between people’s education and the old education monopolized by the exploiting classes,” requiring schools to guide students to appropriately participate in household, social, and productive labor practices, so that they gradually understand the great significance of labor production and the decisive role of the working people, cultivate the quality of respecting the working people and cherishing the fruits of labor, and establish the aspiration to build the motherland through arduous struggle.

“全面发展”是吴玉章对党和国家事业接班人的基本要求。他认为,青年要在身体、知识、政治、道德上都做好准备,才能成为党和国家建设的后备力量。20世纪20年代,在担任成都高等师范学校校长时,吴玉章就重视学生的身体素质,强调“举凡足以锻炼学生身体者,本校无不注重。而关于体育之蹴球、网球、徒步各种,本校均竭力提倡,以期养成健全之国民”。新中国成立后,吴玉章将重视劳动教育视为“人民教育与剥削阶级所垄断的旧教育的根本区别之一”,要求学校引导学生适当参加家常、社会劳动和生产实践,使他们逐渐懂得劳动生产的伟大意义和劳动人民的决定性作用,养成尊敬劳动人民、爱护劳动成果的品质,树立通过艰苦奋斗建设祖国的志向。

Combining Teaching with Practice

教学与实践相结合

In Wu Yuzhang’s view, one of the greatest weaknesses left by old China was that “education was underdeveloped,” and the reason for this underdevelopment lay in its being “empty and impractical.” He vehemently denounced the prevalent “superficial habits” in the education of old China and greatly admired the concepts proposed by educator Tao Xingzhi, such as “life is education,” “society is school,” and “the unity of teaching, learning, and doing,” believing that this kind of education “not only teaches people how to be human but also teaches them how to transform society, transform China, and even transform the whole world.”

在吴玉章看来,旧中国遗留下的最大弱点之一就是“教育不发达”,而不发达的原因则在于“空虚不实际”。他痛斥旧中国的教育中盛行的“虚浮习气”,十分赞赏教育家陶行知提出的“生活即教育”“社会即学校”“教学做合一”的理念,认为这种教育“不仅教人会做人,而且教会人怎样去改造社会,改造中国甚至改造全世界”。

When serving as president of Yan’an University, Wu Yuzhang proposed: “Eliminate the malady of the separation of theory and practice bequeathed to us by old education, achieving the unity of theory and practice and the consistency of learning and application.” In 1941, he presided over the formulation of the educational policy of Yan’an University, requiring the school to implement the principle of “learning theory must be linked to practice, using theory to explain practice” in teaching content and educational methods; in the teaching organizational structure, to establish connections with relevant organs, inviting comrades with practical experience to participate in the school’s administration and teaching work; in the teaching model, to adhere to the consistency of learning and application, creating opportunities for students to engage in internships and practice. Wu Yuzhang’s explorations in revolutionary base area higher education institutions such as the Northern Shaanxi Public School, Yan’an University, the North China United University, and the North China University accumulated useful experience for New China’s down-to-earth cultivation of a contingent of cadres and talent.

在担任延安大学校长时,吴玉章提出:“消除旧教育遗留给我们的理论与实践分离的弊病,达到理论与实践统一,学用一致的目的。”1941年,他主持制定延安大学的教育方针,要求学校在教学内容和教育方法上贯彻“学习理论必须联系实际,以理论说明实际”的原则;在教学建制上建立与有关机关的联系,聘请具有实践经验的机关同志参加学校行政和教学工作;在教学模式上坚持学用一致,给学生创造实习实践的机会。吴玉章在陕北公学、延安大学、华北联合大学、华北大学等革命根据地高校的探索,为新中国脚踏实地培养干部人才队伍积累了有益经验。

In the early period after the founding of New China, Wu Yuzhang established for Renmin University of China the guiding principle of “linking teaching with practice, and combining Soviet experience with China’s conditions.” Reflected in the setup of academic disciplines, besides learning from the Soviet experience in political theory teaching, Renmin University of China also specially established specialties such as industrial economics, agricultural economics, and cooperative economics, thereby promoting the integration of Soviet experience with China’s actual conditions. Wu Yuzhang took “linking theory with practice” as an important method for improving educational quality, requiring teachers to pay attention to practical problems and the experience of the masses in the teaching process, admonishing students not to “just sit in the study and engage in scholarship,” and encouraging them that “to acquire genuine talent and solid learning, one must combine learning with the reality of production, combine the enthusiasm for learning with the enthusiasm for building socialism, and strive to study deeply, thoroughly, and steadfastly.” In November 1958, Wu Yuzhang received teachers and students from the Department of Journalism at Renmin University of China. Seeing that the *Hanyu Pinyin Bao* (Chinese Phonetic Alphabet Newspaper) they had founded played a practical role in the propaganda for script reform at the university and even nationwide, he felt very gratified. He encouraged journalism students to actively engage in professional practice: they should not only go to local newspapers for internships and receive formal training, but should also go deeper into grassroots units and the countryside to independently run newspapers, support the “relief of drought” in journalism, and strengthen the Party’s propaganda work. [8]8 “Relief of drought” in journalism: a metaphor used during the early years of the PRC for strengthening and expanding the reach of Party propaganda, likening a lack of propaganda to a drought.

新中国成立初期,吴玉章为中国人民大学确定了“教学与实际联系,苏联经验与中国情况相结合”的办学方针。反映在专业设置上,中国人民大学除学习苏联政治理论教学经验外,还专门设立工业经济、农业经济、合作社经济等专业,推动苏联经验与中国实际相结合。吴玉章将“理论联系实际”作为提高教育质量的重要方法,要求教师在教学过程中重视实际问题和群众经验,告诫学生不要“只坐在书斋里做学问”,勉励他们“要得到真才实学,就必须把学习和生产实际结合起来,把学习的积极性和建设社会主义的热情结合起来,努力地深入地踏实地去钻研”。1958年11月,吴玉章接见中国人民大学新闻系师生,看到他们创办的《汉语拼音报》对学校乃至全国的文字改革宣传发挥了实际作用,感到非常欣慰。他鼓励新闻系学生积极开展专业实践,既要到地方报社进行实习,接受正规训练,更应该深入基层和农村自主办报,支援新闻“抗旱”,强化党的宣传工作。

Today, the educational philosophy advocated by Wu Yuzhang and his experience in founding new-type higher education have become a valuable asset for the development of China’s educational undertakings under the leadership of the Party in the New Era.

如今,吴玉章提倡的教育理念、创办新型高等教育的经验,已经成为新时代党领导中国教育事业发展的宝贵财富。

Educators should first be educated

教育者应该先受教育

The foundation of goodness lies in teaching; the foundation of teaching lies in the teacher. Wu Yuzhang attached importance to the foundational role and core position of the teaching faculty in educational work, believing that teachers are “a labor army” in socialist construction and “engineers of the soul” who provide spiritual nourishment for the people. He strongly agreed with the view that “eminent teachers produce outstanding students,” focused on the construction of the teaching faculty, and held that “the quality of the educators themselves is a matter directly related to the quality of the entire education,” advocating that “educators should first be educated.”

善之本在教,教之本在师。吴玉章重视教师队伍在教育工作中的基础作用和核心地位,认为教师是社会主义建设中的“一支劳动大军”,是为人民提供精神食粮的“灵魂工程师”。他非常赞同“师高弟子强”的观点,注重教师队伍建设,认为“教育工作者本身的质量问题乃是直接关系着整个教育质量的问题”,主张“教育者应该先受教育”。

Wu Yuzhang encouraged educators in New China to resolve to transform and elevate their thinking, “for this is the most fundamental thing in the entire work of school education, and there must be no slackening whatsoever.” He criticized some educators who intentionally or unintentionally instilled in students erroneous ideas such as “becoming an expert,” “becoming a cadre,” and pursuing fame and gain, showing insufficient attention to ideals and convictions. To strengthen the political-theoretical literacy of faculty and staff, Wu Yuzhang promoted the establishment at Renmin University of China of a Marxist-Leninist evening university and evening schools for university staff. Students who graduated from the evening schools could, after applying and passing examinations, be promoted to the evening university for further study, and upon passing the examinations, they would receive graduation certificates. For staff who could not attend the evening university or evening schools, the university set up staff vocational schools, offering classes at the primary, junior high, and senior high levels, mainly to supplement cultural and theoretical knowledge. Wu Yuzhang also required teachers to pay attention to current affairs issues at home and abroad, to extensively participate in social and political activities and productive labor, to seek every opportunity to establish close ties with the working people, to cultivate a communist outlook on life, and to enhance their moral cultivation. He believed that only in this way could educators become teachers of the people and shoulder the responsibility of being “engineers of the human soul.”

吴玉章鼓励新中国的教育工作者下决心改造提升思想,“这是整个学校教育工作中最基本的东西,不可有半点松懈”。他批评一些教育工作者有意无意地给学生灌输“当专家”“当干部”和追求名利的错误思想,对理想信念缺乏应有的重视。为加强教员和职工的政治理论素养,吴玉章推动中国人民大学创办面向学校职工的马列主义夜大学、夜校,在夜校毕业的学员经过申请并考试及格,可升入夜大学继续学习,考试合格后发放毕业证书。针对不能入夜大和夜校学习的职工,学校开办职工业务学校,设置小学、初中、高中各年级,主要补习文化和理论知识。吴玉章还要求教师关注国内外的时事问题,广泛参加社会政治活动和生产劳动,争取各种机会与劳动人民建立密切联系,树立共产主义人生观,提升道德修养。他认为,唯有如此,教育者才能成为人民的教师,担当起“人类灵魂的工程师”的责任。

“Achieving the unity of political cultivation and professional cultivation” was Wu Yuzhang’s requirement for educators. He believed that only when both the political level and the scientific level of teachers are raised can there be a basic guarantee for improving educational quality. He required educators in New China to treat the improvement of their scientific level and professional competence as an important political task, “and to make earnest and practical efforts, not to be satisfied with a superficial state of half-understanding, and not to let the call for improvement become empty talk.” In the early days of the university’s founding, to improve the teaching and research capabilities of its faculty, Renmin University of China studied and introduced the teaching organizational form of Soviet higher education, translating it as “teaching and research office” (jiaoyanshi). This teaching and research organization, which “organizes teachers by course, enabling them to jointly carry out teaching and scientific research work for one or several closely related courses,” possessed “a high degree of organization and discipline, and a high degree of ideological content and creativity.” It was conducive to teachers collectively preparing lessons, jointly compiling textbooks, engaging in full discussion, and promoting mutual progress, providing a strong organizational guarantee for standardizing teaching and research work, cultivating reserve forces, and improving teaching quality. Wu Yuzhang also required the regular convening of scientific seminars, encouraging teaching and research personnel to participate with papers and conduct academic discussions on different issues. From 1950 to 1966, Renmin University of China held ten university-wide scientific seminars. Wu Yuzhang not only participated in the university-wide scientific seminars but also took turns attending the sub-disciplinary seminars of various departments and teaching and research offices. These discussions played a significant role in improving the teaching and research capabilities of the faculty.

“实现政治修养和业务修养的统一”是吴玉章对教育者的要求。他认为,只有教师的政治水平和科学水平都提高,教育质量的提高才能有基本保证。他要求新中国的教育者把提高科学水平和专业能力当作重要的政治任务,“务必切实努力,不要满足于一知半解的粗浅境地,不使提高的呼声流于空谈”。建校之初,中国人民大学为提高教师的教学和科研能力,学习引入苏联高校的教学组织形式,将其译为“教研室”。这种“把教师按课程组织起来,对一门或数门有密切联系的课程,共同开展教学与科学研究工作”的教研组织,具有“高度组织性与纪律性、高度的思想性与创造性”,有利于教师集体备课、合编教材、充分讨论、相互促进,为规范教研工作、培养后备力量、提高教学质量提供了有力的组织保障。吴玉章还要求定期召开科学讨论会,鼓励教研人员以文参会,针对不同问题展开学术研讨。从1950年到1966年,中国人民大学举行过10次全校性的科学讨论会。吴玉章不仅参加全校范围的科学讨论会,还会轮流参加各系、各教研室的分学科讨论会,这些讨论对提高教师的教学和科研能力具有重要促进作用。

Wu Yuzhang focused on implementing the policy of “letting a hundred flowers bloom, letting a hundred schools of thought contend,” [9]9 “Letting a hundred flowers bloom, letting a hundred schools of thought contend”: a policy announced by the CPC in 1956 to encourage open debate and diversity in the arts and sciences, though its implementation was later curtailed during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. regarding “the formation of an atmosphere of free criticism and free discussion in academic matters” as a sign of the normal development of scientific research, and advocating for the freedom of criticism and counter-criticism on academic issues. After the founding of New China, three viewpoints represented by Guo Moruo, Fan Wenlan, and Shang Yue emerged in historical circles regarding the periodization of ancient Chinese history. Wu Yuzhang believed that as long as one adhered to the guidance of Marxism, one could express one’s own views and let a hundred schools of thought contend. In 1950, Renmin University of China held a history research class; he invited Fan Wenlan, Jian Bozan, Shang Yue, and others to expound their different views on the periodization of ancient Chinese history, creating a free atmosphere for academic discussion. Wu Yuzhang respected scientific researchers and never imposed his own academic views on others. In the early 1960s, Zhang Zhao, deputy director of the Institute of Language and Writing at Renmin University of China, compiled the book *Research on the Standardization of Chinese Phonetic Script*, advocating “using different Latinized double letters as semantic markers appended after Latinized phonetic words to distinguish a large number of homophones.” Although Wu Yuzhang did not agree with this method, he respected this research result and gave full support in terms of manpower and financial resources for the publication of this book. These views and practices of Wu Yuzhang created a favorable teaching and research environment for the university’s teachers and researchers, and were welcomed by the entire faculty and student body.

吴玉章注重贯彻“百花齐放,百家争鸣”的方针,将“学术上的自由批评与自由讨论的空气的形成”视为科学研究正常开展的标志,主张在学术问题上保证批评和反批评的自由。新中国成立后,史学界关于中国古代史分期问题形成以郭沫若、范文澜、尚钺为代表的三种观点。吴玉章认为,只要坚持以马克思主义为指导,就可以各抒己见、百家争鸣。1950年,中国人民大学举办历史研究班,他邀请范文澜、翦伯赞、尚钺等阐发关于中国古史分期的不同观点,为学术讨论营造自由氛围。吴玉章尊重科研人员,从不将自己的学术观点强加于人。20世纪60年代初,中国人民大学语言文字研究所副所长张照主持编写了《汉语拼音文字定型化研究》一书,主张“用不同的拉丁化双字母作义符加在拉丁化的拼音词汇后面,以区别大量同音词”。尽管吴玉章对这种方法并不认同,但他尊重这一研究成果,对此书的出版给予人力和财力上的全力支持。吴玉章的这些主张和做法,为学校教师和科研人员营造了良好的教学研究环境,受到全校师生的欢迎。

During Wu Yuzhang’s tenure as president, Renmin University of China presented a dazzling scene of a galaxy of renowned teachers and assembled masters, with a group of outstanding red professors represented by He Sijing, He Ganzhi, and He Luo (then known as the “Three He’s”) emerging. It also supplied a number of excellent teaching resources to the national education front, forging and forming the “Renmin University strength” in the history of higher education in New China.

在吴玉章担任校长期间,中国人民大学形成名师荟萃、大家云集的耀眼景象,涌现出以何思敬、何干之、何洛(时称“三何”)为代表的一批杰出红色教授,更为全国教育战线输送了一批优秀师资力量,锻造形成新中国高等教育史上的“人大力量”。

Family education: strictness and love in balance

家庭教育严爱相济

Having benefited from the influence of a simple and honest family tradition and family education since childhood, Wu Yuzhang also attached great importance to family education. He believed that young people spend a long time with their families, have close contact, and have natural emotional ties; family traditions and family education often leave a deep impression and have a far-reaching impact on them. Family education “is an indispensable part of the entire work of cultivating revolutionary successors.”

吴玉章自幼就受益于淳厚家风家教的熏陶,因此也很重视家庭教育。他认为,青年与家人相处时间长、接触多,又有天然的感情联系,家风家教往往对他们印象深刻、影响深远,家庭教育“是培养革命接班人整个工作中不可缺少的一部分”。

Wu Yuzhang revered the excellent traditional Chinese family traditions, but also criticized that the fundamental purpose of family education in the old society was mostly to hope that one’s son would become a dragon, bring glory to the family, and honor the ancestors. He believed that family education in New China should not only consider the personal future of the children and the interests of the family, “but first and foremost should be for the future of the country and the interests of the revolution. That is to say, the main purpose of our family education is to cooperate with the Party and the state in cultivating the younger generation into successors to the revolutionary cause.”

吴玉章崇尚中华优秀传统家风,也批判旧社会家庭教育的根本目的多是望子成龙、光显门楣、荣宗耀祖。他认为,新中国的家庭教育不能只是考虑子女个人前途和家庭利益,“首先和主要的是为了国家的前途,为了革命的利益。这就是说,我们进行家庭教育的目的,主要是配合党和国家,把青年一代培养成革命事业的接班人”。

When Wu Yuzhang was born, the family tradition of the Wu clan—“honoring filial piety and brotherly love, being neighborly and harmonious”—had already become a local legend in Rong County, Sichuan. His grandmother was kind and virtuous, his parents were filial and diligent in farming, and his elder brother was devoted to the country and the people. This nurtured in Wu Yuzhang a sense of family and national commitment, an upright spirit, and a tenacious will to struggle. In 1964, Wu Yuzhang recalled the teachings and examples of his family members during his childhood: “The family education I received in my youth was mostly about ‘not being corrupted by wealth and rank, not being swayed by poverty and lowliness, not being bent by power and force,’ and ‘not taking money improperly in times of gain, not avoiding death improperly in times of danger.’ When I was just beginning to understand things, my father taught me to grow up to be a person who ‘stands upright between heaven and earth.’ My grandmother was also very strict with her children and grandchildren. She strictly forbade smoking and gambling, and would not allow anyone to take things from others without permission. She often warned: ‘If you steal a needle when young, you will steal gold when grown. Do not accept anything unjust, even if you starve to death.’ ‘A person who grows up through hardship and difficulty is more useful.’ And from childhood, she made me do things that children should and could do, such as sweeping the courtyard and tidying up odds and ends, and demanded that I ‘finish what I start.’ When relatives and friends praised me, she would warn them: ‘Do not praise him too much; if you lift the pot lid too early, the steam will escape.’ In this way, I did not become lazy, did not cut corners, and did not give up halfway.” This family education had a positive influence on Wu Yuzhang’s later participation in revolutionary activities and on the cultivation of his national integrity and revolutionary integrity.

吴玉章出生时,吴氏家族“敦孝悌、睦乡邻”的家风已在四川荣县当地传为美谈。其祖母慈爱贤惠,父母孝悌力田,兄长心系家国,滋养出吴玉章的家国情怀、浩然正气和奋斗精神。1964年,吴玉章回忆起幼年时家人的言传身教:“我在少年时代的家庭教育,多是‘富贵不能淫,贫贱不能移,威武不能屈’‘临财毋苟得,临难毋苟免’等等的教育。在我刚懂事的时候,父亲就教育我长大后做一个‘顶天立地’的人。祖母对儿孙辈要求也很严,她力禁烟赌,不准妄取人物。常告诫说:‘小来偷针,大来偷金,不义之物,宁饿死,不接受。’‘从艰难困苦中长成的人才更有用。’并且从小就要我做如洒扫庭院、整理什物等儿童应做和可做之事,要我‘有始有终’。当亲朋夸奖我时,她就告诫亲朋说:‘不要过于夸奖他,锅盖子揭早了会出气。’这样,我也就不偷懒,不苟且,不半途而废。”这些家庭教育,对于吴玉章后来参加革命活动,培养民族气节和革命气节,都曾发生过积极影响。

Wu Yuzhang advocated a family education concept of “combining love with strictness.” He believed that “true love” for one’s children should involve giving them appropriate parental affection in daily life, while being strict in political, academic, and work matters, allowing them to be tempered through hardship and to grow through storms. “This is a change in customs and habits, and it can also be called a revolution in family education.” Wu Yuzhang’s only son, Wu Zhenhuan, died of illness in 1949, leaving behind four young children. Wu Yuzhang raised his grandchildren to adulthood, caring for them in every aspect of clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Even when they were later separated by a thousand miles, he expressed his concern and longing through letters written in the midst of his busy schedule. Wu Yuzhang often used his own revolutionary experience and the Party’s glorious history to teach his grandchildren to set high aspirations and great ambitions. He gave them the couplet that hung in the main hall of the ancestral home, which governed family life: “Starting a business is hard, but maintaining it is also hard; one must know that material resources are hard-won, and in every matter, do not strive for empty face. Running a household is easy, but managing a family is not; one must set an example by one’s own conduct, and in every line of work, establish a good model.” He encouraged them to take this as the principle for managing the household and building a career, and to set an example and play a leading role in all walks of life. He encouraged his grandchildren to go to the countryside and factories to participate in labor and production, and to promptly report their gains and experiences. In his letters, he repeatedly admonished them: “You are children of cadres, and there is nothing special about you. If there is anything special, it is that you must behave even better. You must be strict with yourselves and must not become spiritual aristocrats or pampered sons of the rich.” Wu Yuzhang set an example by practicing “the combination of love and strictness” in family education, establishing a model for Chinese Communists in cultivating a red family, family tradition, and family education.

吴玉章提倡“严爱相济”的家庭教育观。他认为,对子女“真正的爱”应该是在生活上给予适当的父母之爱,而在政治、学习和工作中严格要求,让他们在艰苦中得到锻炼,在风雨中实现成长,“这是一种移风易俗的变化,也可以说是家庭教育的一个革命。”吴玉章的独子吴震寰于1949年病逝,留下四个幼小的子女。吴玉章抚养孙辈成人,对他们的衣、食、住、行关怀备至,即使后来相隔千里,也会在百忙中用一封封家书表达关心和挂念。吴玉章常以自己的革命经历和党的光荣历史教导孙辈树雄心、立大志,将祖宅门厅悬挂的治家对联“创业难,守业亦难,须知物力维艰,事事莫争虚体面;居家易,治家不易,欲自我身作则,行行当立好规模”赠予后辈,勉励他们将其作为持家立业的准则,在各行业都能以身作则,起到模范带头作用。他鼓励孙辈下乡、下厂参加劳动和生产,并及时汇报收获体会,在家书中多次告诫他们:“你们是干部子弟,没有什么可以特殊的,如果说特殊的话,就是要表现得更好。你们要严格要求自己,不能成为精神贵族、纨绔子弟。”吴玉章以身作则,践行“爱与严相结合”的家庭教育,树立起中国共产党人培育红色家庭、家风、家教的典范。

In 1938, when Wu Yuzhang returned from the Soviet Union to Yan’an, he was already a revolutionary elder in his sixties. On January 15, 1940, the Party Central Committee held a grand belated celebration for Wu Yuzhang’s 60th birthday, as one of the “Five Elders of Yan’an.” [10]10 The “Five Elders of Yan’an” (延安五老) refers to five veteran revolutionaries—Dong Biwu, Lin Boqu, Wu Yuzhang, Xie Juezai, and Xu Teli—who were highly respected for their long service to the Chinese Communist Party and their contributions to education and governance during the Yan’an period (1936–1947). Mao Zedong praised him in his congratulatory speech: “It is not difficult for a person to do a few good deeds. What is difficult is to do good deeds all one’s life, never doing bad deeds, consistently benefiting the broad masses, consistently benefiting the youth, consistently benefiting the revolution, and struggling hard for decades as if it were one day—this is the most difficult of all!” Wu Yuzhang tirelessly struggled to cultivate the genes of red education and to carry forward the bloodline of red education, dedicating his entire life to the Party’s revolutionary and educational undertakings. Fulfilling the responsibility and mission of educating people for the Party and cultivating talent for the country—this was the greatest good deed that the red educator Wu Yuzhang did in his entire life.

1938年,当吴玉章从苏联回国奔赴延安时,已是年入花甲的革命老人。1940年1月15日,中共中央为“延安五老”之一的吴玉章隆重补贺六十大寿。毛泽东在贺词中称赞道:“一个人做点好事并不难,难的是一辈子做好事,不做坏事,一贯地有益于广大群众,一贯地有益于青年,一贯地有益于革命,艰苦奋斗几十年如一日,这才是最难最难的啊!”吴玉章为培育红色教育基因、赓续红色教育血脉而不懈奋斗,将自己的一生都献给党的革命和教育事业。践行为党育人、为国育才的责任使命,这是红色教育家吴玉章一辈子做的最大好事。

(Authors: Geng Huamin, Distinguished Research Fellow of the National Research Center for the Inheritance of Red Genes and Vice Dean of the School of CPC History and Party Building, Renmin University of China; Liu Gaoyuan, Master’s Student at the School of CPC History and Party Building, Renmin University of China)

(作者:耿化敏,系全国红色基因传承研究中心特约研究员、中国人民大学中共党史党建学院副院长;刘高元,系中国人民大学中共党史党建学院硕士生)

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑:慧慧

Notes

  1. The Chinese Revolutionary League (Tongmenghui) was a secret revolutionary society founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1905, which later evolved into the Kuomintang. ↩
  2. The “Second Revolution” refers to a 1913 armed uprising against Yuan Shikai led by Sun Yat-sen and other revolutionaries, which quickly failed. ↩
  3. The May Fourth Movement was a 1919 anti-imperialist, anti-feudal cultural and political movement that began with student protests in Beijing and is often seen as a watershed in modern Chinese history. ↩
  4. “不抓辫子、不扣帽子、不打棍子” (no grabbing of braids, no labeling, no wielding of sticks): A set of slogans from the Mao era, meaning not to seize upon someone’s faults (grabbing braids), not to affix political labels to them, and not to attack them (wielding sticks). It was used to encourage open discussion without fear of political persecution.
  5. “红”与“专” (redness and expertise): A classic pairing in Chinese Communist political discourse from the Mao era. “Redness” refers to political loyalty and revolutionary consciousness; “expertise” refers to professional skill and technical knowledge. The ideal was to be both.
  6. “赶浪头” (follow the trend): A Chinese idiom meaning to chase after whatever is currently fashionable or popular, often implying a lack of independent judgment or principle.
  7. “生活即教育”“社会即学校”“教学做合一” (life is education, society is school, the unity of teaching, learning, and doing): Core concepts of the educational philosophy of Tao Xingzhi (1891–1946), a prominent Chinese educator and reformer influenced by John Dewey.
  8. “Relief of drought” in journalism: a metaphor used during the early years of the PRC for strengthening and expanding the reach of Party propaganda, likening a lack of propaganda to a drought. ↩
  9. “Letting a hundred flowers bloom, letting a hundred schools of thought contend”: a policy announced by the CPC in 1956 to encourage open debate and diversity in the arts and sciences, though its implementation was later curtailed during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. ↩
  10. The “Five Elders of Yan’an” (延安五老) refers to five veteran revolutionaries—Dong Biwu, Lin Boqu, Wu Yuzhang, Xie Juezai, and Xu Teli—who were highly respected for their long service to the Chinese Communist Party and their contributions to education and governance during the Yan’an period (1936–1947). ↩