A Study Of Ren Hongjun 's Life In The Pioneer Of Modern Chinese Science

Ren Hongjun was an important man having significant influence and contribution in the scientific and education world in the period of the Republic of China. He was the grand old man of the 1911 Resolution and a new school man returning from the USA. He was the founder of the Science Society of China, which is the most influential comprehensive academic society in the period of the Republic of China. He had been the president (later renamed as Director-General) of the Science Society of China for a longtime. China Foundation for the Promation of Education and Culture (the China Foundation) was established in 1924 to manage refund of the Genzi Compensation of the USA. The Foundation had stable and sufficient funds, and co-managed by directors from the USA and China. Its operation was independent of the government. Thus, the China Foundation could efficiently fund the establishment of schools, libraries, research institutes and the science investigations. Ren Hongjun had served as president of the China Foundation for a long time (He was the one who has served as the president for the longest time before 1949), and the Board of Directors. He participated in the decisions and implementations of the China Foundation. He directed the China Foundation to encourage the science development in the period of the Republic of China. Invited by the dean of Academia Sinica, Cai Yuangpei, he served as Director-General during the War of Resistance against Japan. He served as the director of the country’s highest academic institutions through the difficult period of inland migration. He was also the education manager favored by the seniors. He was appointed the vice president of the National South East University by the the North Government of China and the president of the National Sichuan University by the Nanjing Government. Especially during his occupation of the president of Sichuan University, the reform with the goals of nationalization and modernization laid an excellent foundation for the development of the Sichuan University.All Ren Hongjun’s life was linked with "science" closely. He got the Master degree of Chemistry from Columbia University, USA. He was hired as a chemistry professor at Peking University after his study abroad. However, his interest is not the three feet of the podium. He had served as the chief of the special education division of the education department of the North Government of China. He was also appointed the committee member and the head of education department of Sichuan Province by the Government of Republic China in 1928. But the official career is not his goal. His ambition is to be a pioneer of Chinese science. Since feeling the powerful Western world benefitting from scientific development during his study in the USA, he aspired to spread "science" in China. He called "saveing the country througn science" in the "Quarterly newspaper of students in USA" and the journal of "scientific", and eventually bring about the formaion of the thought of "thought of saving the country through science". This thought was born in in the Opium War period. Then, Ren Hongjun focused on the scientific enlightenment for the public through the relevant agencies. Meanwhile, He paid attention to the training of scientific talented person and the supplies of material security and a good atmosphere for science research. In short, he hopes to promote the science development of China form the two comprehensive parts, the public and the specialized scholars. Actually, his achievement was remarkable. The Science Society of China created and accompanied by him all along, and the China foundation for which he served for a longtime are the main support for the realization of his ideals.However, as a "Pushing Hand" with the important and significant contribution to the science development of China, his life and deeds were ignored and obscured by the dust of history for various causes after the liberation. Recently, people began to study the academic community and relevant cultural institutions during the period of the Republic-of China, and to re-examine the development of Chinese science and culture and the establishment of science system during the history. There have been some monographs about the Science Society of China and the China Foundation. In these investigations, the figure of Ren Hongjun is flickering. He is a central man who cannot be ignored. If we sort out and study the life of Ren Hongjun, we will deepen and widen the investigations on the science societies and the academic promoting system during the period of the Republic of China. However, research in this area is lacking now. Ren Hongjun’s experience was colorful and the change during his period was huge as well. He was the scholar of late Qing Dynasty, and has studied in Japan and the USA. He was the grand old man of the 1911 Resolution and the leader of the movement to save the nation through science. The changing of times left a deep imprint in his body, and provided a broad stage for him. He chose the avenue of saving the nation through science instead of revolution, which is typical and representative among the advanced members nearby the 1911 Revolution. Therefore, the systematic sorting out and study the life of Ren Hongjun will not only lead to a deeper understanding and better awareness of his life (It is the primary focus of this thesis, of course.), but also benefit us to the investigations on a serials of important persons and cases associated with him, such as history of the 1911 Revolution, Chinese history of studying abroad, the science and culture development history of China, the development history of science communities in modern China, the process of institutions and system establishment for science research promoting in modern China, history of China Foundation for the Promation of Education and Culture, the relation of the intellectuals and politics during the period of the Republic of China, the investigations on Hu Shi, Cai Yuanpei, etc.This thesis focuses on the relation of Ren Hongjun and the Science Society of China, the China Foundation, the National Sichuan University, the general office of "Independent Review", and his contributions to the development of these institutions. In this thesis, we used the basic history investigation method, and the sociology, statistics methods. During this research, macro was combined with micro. Longitude is time, and latitude is the relation of Ren Hongjun and the relevant institutions.The main sections of this thesis are as follows:Chapter 1 The first investigation object is the school experience of Ren Hongjun in China. The internal and external promoting factor leading him to the revolution avenues are studied through his school experience from the traditional college to the modern middle school in Chongqing and Chinese public school in Shanghai. The second is his experience during the 1911 Revolution. The experience of his participation in the United League in the period of studying in Japan and the secretary of the presidential palace in Nanjing Provisional Government are introduced. The motivation to studying in USA after the resign of Sun Yat-sen is analyzed.Chapter 2 Ren Hongjun’s experience of studying in USA are introduced. The importance is the revision of "Chinese students Quarterly", the creation of "Science" magazine and the Science Society of China, the relation of Ren Hongjun and vernacular movement, etc. During this stage Ren Hongjun laid his ideal of saving nation through science.Chapter 3 The life of Ren Hongjun in the period of the North Government is presented. It is the initial stage of Ren Hongjun’s career. He led the Science Society of China gaining a firm foothold in the country, winning the good development with a fixed agency, and establishing the Institute of Biology, Mingfu libraries and other institutions. It is shown that Ren Hongjun promoted scientific enlightenment and science research via the Science Society of China. Because of the case of the Science Society of China, he was accepted by the political and academic world in the country and got some political experience. The other importance is his experience as the vice president of the National Southeast University. In this period, he began to work in the China Foundation. He helped the Director-General formulate the basic regulations, which laid the foundation for the China Foundation.Chapter 4 The focus is of Ren Hongjun’s experience during 1928-1937. The importance is how Ren Hongjun used the funds mastered by the China foundation to sponsor to the science research and popularization, and to promote the development of science. Meanwhile, another focus is the reform of the National Sichuan University after the Ren Hongjun was appointed the president. He established the new goal of "nationalization" and "modernization", bringing the Sichuan University to the new avenue of National University from a local university.Chapter 5 This chapter focuses on Ren Hongjun’s experience 1937 to 1949. All the background of his career is the chaos caused by the war. The importance is how Ren Hongjun promoted science work, including leading the Academic Sinica to the normal track in the trouble and difficult time. In this period the China Foundation faced with the survival crisis, which was caused by the compensation breaking due to the financial difficulties of the national government and the sign of New Treaty of China and USA. Ren Hongjun was appointed the Director-General again. He managed to maintain the China Foundation and survive the crisis. His efforts contributed to the education and culture development in the rear of the War of Resistance against Japan. Meanwhile, Ren Hongjun’s efforts to survive the China Foundation during the Liberation War are presented.Chapter 6 Ren Hongjun’s choice is analyzed as he faced with leaving and staying at the key moment of the regime change. His reason of staying in the mainland and giving up the USA is presented. Secondly, we investigated Ren Hongjun’s efforts and struggle to reserve the works of the Science Society of China, and the eventually experience of handing the cases in the nation as he faced with the party’s unity policy of the scientific community after the founding of New China.Chapter 7 It is discussed in this chapter that Ren Hongjun plaied the key role in the formaiton of the thought of saving the country thought science in morden China. Ren Hongjun’s thought system of saving the country throuth science is concluded and his carrer of saving the country through science is ecaluated.