once had a back figure who looked well-mannered, weak and weak, but with strong spiritual power.
He is humble and polite to others, but he can argue with others endlessly when encountering principled problems; he regards peace as the most important thing, but he bravely stands up against foreign enemies infringing on national sovereignty.
He is the famous educator and the longest-serving president in the history of Peking University- Jiang Menglin .
Picture | Jiang Menglin
The son of a landlord, his first dream in life was to be an official in the imperial examination
Jiang Menglin was born in 1886, his original name is Jiang Mengxiong, because before he was born, his father dreamed of a bear. To dream that a bear enters the house indicates that he wants to add a boy, so his birth is regarded as a happy event.
Jiang’s family is located in Jiangcun, a rural village in Yuyao, Zhejiang. It is one of the richest households in the area. In addition to land properties, there are also several small banks in Shanghai, with a net asset of about 70,000 taels of silver, and life is very generous.
Jiang Menglin's two elder brothers have set career goals as their life goals since childhood. He himself has seen golden plaques in many people who study and serve as officials, and see that people show special respect and admiration for these people on weekdays.
One day the county official went to a neighboring village to investigate the homicide. Jiang Menglin saw him riding a four-car warming sedan with a golden roof decorated with a red tassel cap and a gong clearing the way in front of the sedan. Everywhere he passed, the people had to evade quietly. He was shocked by the power and determined to take the imperial examination. Young Jiang Menglin only feels that being an official can make the whole family happy and get the respect of others.
, the third son of a rural landlord, dreams of entering the palace one day and having a conversation with the emperor. He gets excited when he thinks of this scene. When
was 5 years old, Jiang Menglin bid farewell to his free childhood and went to the school to receive education. He hated the life in the home school, and even described his experience of playing truant from school as "like a puppy that broke free of chains".
Later, after a flood in his hometown, he made bandits. For the lives of the children, his father decided to move the family to Shanghai. Times are turbulent, and Jiang Menglin's road to school is also extremely bumpy.
He first went to a Catholic school in Shanghai to learn English, and then returned to Jiangcun to escape the Boxer Movement. From Jiangcun to Shanghai, and then back to Jiangcun, he went around and changed 5 or 6 schools during the period. Jiang Menglin missed the best age for a child to receive education. A few years have passed in a blink of an eye. Jiang Menglin was blacklisted because of a school wave in Shaoxing, so he changed his name from Jiang Mengxiong to Jiang Menglin and took the entrance exam for Zhejiang Higher School. At this time, he still regards getting fame and glory as his first goal.
The 17-year-old boy came into contact with a wide range of knowledge in Zhejiang Higher School, and he even began to read the original English version of the world history.
Picture | In 1920, Jiang Menglin, Cai Yuanpei, Hu Shi, and Li Dazhao (from left to right) took a group photo at the entrance of the small courtyard
The whole school was filled with a revolutionary spirit, with pamphlets and newspapers propagating revolution everywhere, which influenced Jiang Menglin The largest newspaper is "Xin Min Cong Bao" edited by Liang Qichao. He read the newspapers eagerly and obtained a lot of spiritual food. When
was in school, Jiang Menglin took part in the county exam. He was not favored by teachers and classmates, but he successfully passed the first and second exams and became a talented scholar. Hundreds of relatives came to celebrate and ate wedding wine for two days in a row. This lively sight did not make Jiang Menglin happy, he was even very confused.
In the head of this 18-year-old boy, there are two villains fighting: a villain drags him into the old world, and keeps persuading him to continue taking the imperial examinations, and then become prime minister; another villain drags him into the new world , Constantly encourage him to pursue new ideas and new knowledge.
These two villains make Jiang Menglin restless! Because his close relatives had a history of mental illness, he suspected that he was also mentally ill. This young man realized for the first time that besides rushing for examinations and becoming an official, he should have a higher level of pursuit.
Just when Jiang Menglin was struggling, the Qing government cancelled the imperial examination system. The county examination he participated in became the last county examination in the Qing Dynasty. The abolition of the
imperial examination system was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for some people, such as Zhang Ailing’s father, Zhang Tingzhong, who chose to abandon himself after losing his goal and was depressed for life. For Jiang Menglin, it was an opportunity. He let go of the heavy burden in his heart and decided to study abroad.
Picture | Fourth from left in the front row: Jiang Menglin
Studying abroad and meeting a distinguished person
In the summer of 1908, Jiang Menglin realized his dream of studying abroad. When
chose his major, he first chose agriculture. However, when he sat alone on the hillside thinking about life, a group of foreign children passed by, which reminded him that someone had persuaded him to study social sciences. Jiang Menglin thought that as long as we open our eyes and solve social problems first, agricultural problems will naturally be solved.
So he and his teacher made it harder and harder. From an agricultural college student to a social college student, he began to get involved in the field of education, and met the first noble person—the famous educator Dewey.
Professor Dewey opposed the traditional "crawling education" model and advocated learning in practice. His ideas coincided with Jiang Menglin's. From then on, Jiang Menglin followed Dewey's steps and systematically learned the knowledge of pragmatic pedagogy and became the teacher's proud disciple.
Dewey's pragmatism had a profound influence on Jiang Menglin. He gradually realized that education should not force children to accept external knowledge, but should allow children to exercise in daily life and naturally absorb external knowledge.
One night in the autumn of 1909, Jiang Menglin met the second noble man in his life, Sun Zhongshan, under the recommendation of his friend Liu Mage.
When he first saw Sun Yat-sen, Jiang Menglin was deeply impressed by his wisdom and quickly became Sun Yat-sen's little brother. He entered the "Datong Daily", became a part-time editor there, and began to write editorials under the guidance of Sun Yat-sen, which lasted three years.
He said, "Mr. Sun is a true democrat", "has a deep understanding of human nature, and has a passion for the motherland and the people" . Sun Yat-sen also spoke highly of Jiang Menglin. He believed that Jiang Menglin "However, he is very popular in the discussion of the revolution, and his pen is as sharp as a knife. There is also a propaganda expert. During the period of the literary revolution, this person cannot be less"!
On July 13, 1917, 31-year-old Jiang Menglin embarked on a journey back home with a lot of harvest.
Save Peking University from fire and water
The May Fourth Movement of 1919 made Peking University a pioneer in the student movement and put Peking University on the cusp. The students burned their residences and smashed their homes when they started the campaign, making things worse. Cai Yuanpei, the principal of
at the time, voluntarily resigned and asked his most trusted disciple Jiang Menglin to act as the president of Peking University. Although the acting time was not long, it became an important turning point in his life.
From 1919 to 1923, Jiang Menglin served as acting principal three times. Cai Yuanpei once said: "In total, I live in the name of Peking University president for ten and a half years; but actually doing business at the school, but five and a half years." The rest of the time is mostly handled by Jiang Menglin.
In 1930, Jiang Menglin was transferred from acting principal to become principal. Under his leadership, Peking University began a "golden age".
What he took over was actually a mess: the government owed salaries, and the professors who were forced to make a living were involuntarily teaching and taking part-time jobs; the students had radical ideas and participated in various demonstrations all day long; the school was short of funds, embarrassed on all sides, and faced bankruptcy.
, an optimistic and gentle principal, supported the sky of Peking University with his thin shoulders. He drastically reformed the school system and said to the deans of Peking University: “I’ll do it when you fire old people; I’ll do it when you choose new people... Let’s do it, and select professors and research talents from across the country.”
Let us pay homage to the heavyweight professors recruited by Peking University: Geology professor Li Siguang, chemistry professor Zeng Zhaolan, foreign literature professors Liang Shiqiu and Ye Gongchao, newcomer professors Wu Han and Qian Mu... Each professor's name is a monument.
treats teachers, Jiang Menglin has greatly improved his treatment. has set up a special lounge and school clerk in the school, where professors can rest before and after lectures; it has restored the professor’s leave and research procedures, and has given a year of leave for professors who have been teaching for five consecutive years to specialize in research work.
Treats students, Jiang Menglin is like a father. Reduce the tuition fees of students and cancel the accommodation fee; build a new dormitory building, the housing conditions of the heating water room outside the single room and the spring lock are first-class at the time; support learningStudents form various clubs to enrich students’ after-school life and spiritual world.
Hu Shi spoke highly of Jiang Menglin, saying that he was "an ideal principal, courageous and responsible" for .
After three marriages, he met a "scumbag" in his later years. Although Jiang Menglin was gentle and elegant on the outside, he was a typical "externally soft and internally strong" character. Once he knew things well, he would go for it. Treating education in this way, and treating marriage in the same way, can be called a "moth" that is desperate for love.
He and his first wife, Sun Yushu, were married in an arranged old fashion. His wife gave birth to three sons and a daughter for him, and kept the family in order. But the widow of Jiang Menglin and his friend Gao Renshan is also his secretary Tao Zenggu.
In 1933, Jiang Menglin ended his marriage with Sun Yushu by divorcing without leaving home. He was almost 50 years old and married Tao Zenggu and held a grand wedding.
Picture | Jiang Menglin and Tao Zenggu's marriage reported that the marriage of
was criticized by many friends, and everyone questioned Tao Zenggu's character. She was not good at handling the relationship, which made Jiang Menglin's relationship with many Peking University professors strained. Some people believed that she was instigated to resign from the post of Peking University president and switch to politics in order to satisfy her vanity, but the relationship between the old couple and the wife was still sweet.
In 1958, Tao Zenggu died of illness. At that time, Jiang Menglin was 72 years old. Before his death, Tao Zenggu commissioned relatives and friends to say: "Menglin's body is very good, and he is too emotional. After I die, he will definitely not be able to stand it, and I can't bear him suffering from long-term loneliness, so I hope you can help him find a suitable object!" The suitable object
appeared soon. She was the protagonist of Jiang Menglin's later tragedy-Xu Xianle.
Picture | Ms. Xu Xianle
Xu Xianle was born in a famous family and looks radiant. It is a "school flower" at school, and a "bureau flower" after work. There are many pursuers. But Miss Xu chooses a man regardless of his appearance or age. She only chooses one-the more money, the better. Based on this principle,
married General Yang Jie, who was nearly 50 years old. They announced their divorce after seven months of marriage. General Yang paid a large amount of alimony for this.
Jiang Menglin was 75 years old when she met Xu Xianle, and Xu Xianle was 53 years old, but she was well maintained, and she grabbed Jiang Menglin's heart when she first met. It was only two or three months after meeting
that the two were getting married. It caused widespread opposition from Song Meiling and Chen Cheng to Peking University's alumni association, especially from my friend Hu Shi. He wrote a long letter to Jiang Menglin to advise, and his words were a bit fierce, so angry that Jiang Menglin shredded the letter and threw it into the trash can.
Faced with all kinds of criticisms, Jiang Menglin went his own way. He and Xu Xianle held the wedding secretly and signed a legally binding marriage letter. He who was immersed in the tender country would not have thought that this paper marriage letter would be like a mountain in the future, and he could not breathe.
Picture | Jiang Menglin (first from right) and Xu Xianle (second from right)
Not long after their marriage, Xu Xianle's scumbag characteristics are fully revealed. She firmly grasped the economic power and treated Jiang Menglin harshly in all aspects such as diet. Especially after Jiang Menglin broke her leg unfortunately, her performance was even more chilling. As his wife, Xu Xianle not only showed great indifference to Jiang Menglin's broken leg, but also forced Jiang Menglin to move from the large ward into a small room under the pretext that it was difficult to finance. She also secretly moved out of her account, transferred Jiang Menglin's property, and even embezzled the deposits and stocks of her stepdaughters Jiang Yanhua and Tao Yanjin.
The moths desperate for love can't save a marriage without temperature. Seeing that the day was overwhelming, Jiang Menglin was determined to divorce. The divorce case between the two was raging, and it often made the headlines of major newspapers in Taiwan.
Xu Xianle disregarded his affection, and made the two private lives public. Jiang Menglin is also unambiguous, and counts the details of Xu Xianle's abuse of herself while in court. After more than a year, this divorce case finally ended with Jiang Menglin paying Xu Xianle 500,000 yuan for alimony.
Picture | Jiang Menglin and Xu Xianle
and Jiang Menglin faced reporters, quoting Sima Yi in the "Three Kingdoms" about Zhuge Liang who sent troops to Qishan for the last time, saying: "How can it last for a long time if we eat less?" After speaking, was silent for a long time.
Less than half a year after the divorce, Jiang Menglin, exhausted, died of liver cancer at the age of 78.
has passed away, but his contribution is still there, his writings are still there, and his spirit is still there. His advanced educational philosophy, which he devoted all his life, is still shining 50 years later.
text | 怅雪
