Talent Cultivation In Peking University In The Period Of The Republic Of China (1917-1937)

Peking University, the first national comprehensive university during the period of the Republic of China, was a model for modern higher education and played a crucial role in the development of modern university education in China, and played a significant role in the development of modern Chinese itself. Talent cultivation is both the most basic function of a university and, at the same time, a leading indicator for the evaluatione of its performance, and a fundamental driving force in its development. Peking Univerty has formed its own, characteristic approach to talent cultivation, which is a key to its fame and success. This disseration is a study of the development of the Peking University talent cultivation model during the periods that Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Menglin were president of the university. The thesis suggests that president Cai lay the foundation for the Peking University model of talent cultivation, and that president Jiang further developed and improved his predecessor's system. Discussed are also the specific characteristics of the Peking University approach to talent culvation and the facotrs that contributed to its development. Finally,tries to provide guidance for the present reform in the talents culvation.During the late Qing Period and the early Republic of China, Peking University emerged out of the transformation of Peking Imperial University, which had been founded in the 1889 Hundred Days' Reform, and carried certain feudalistic features,into a modern university. After the establishment of Republic of China in 1912, many people, such as Yan Fu, He Yu-shi and Hu Ren-yuan, tried to improve the university by various meassures, and even though they managed increase the size of the school.However, the approaches to education as well as the teaching contents remained authoritarian, and the management of of teaching affairs was autocratic. Especially during the period when Yuan Shi-kai attempted restoration of the monarchy, Peking University was but a feudalistic government organisation, which seriously empeeded upon its fuctionality as institute of higher education.Upon taking office as president of Peking University in early 1917, Cai Yuanpei intitiated profound changes. He proclaimed that Universities are orgnizations of higher learning which promote "profound knowledge through research," thus the cultivation of learned scholars should be their primary function. Guided by this core principle, Cai Yuanpei clarified the sutdents' purpose, recruited erudite and enthusiastic faculty, and initiated the guiding academic princpal "freedom of thought through inclusiveness".Next, he reformed the school administrative system, including the founding of the Council of Universities, to achieve democratic management by the professors.Moreover, Cai reformed the focus of the curricula, Peking University put more emphasis on the development of liberal arts, science, and on teaching managment reform, additionally, the elective system was introduced. Finally, Cai encouraged students to found autonomous organizations and various associations, for a purified and enriched the campus culture. Through these reforms, Peking University gradually esteblished an integrated modern administrative system, and a talent cultivation model with unique features took shape.Towards the end of the 1920s, Peking University temporarily lost it's independent educational authority, as it was forced by government authorities to merge into first Captial University and then into Zhong-Hua University. By August 1929, when Peking University regained autonomy, in found itself in chaotic disarray, confronted with a lack of qualified instructors and a shortage in funding. Under these circumstances Jiang Menglin was appointed as the president of the university. He reinstated Cai's educational philosophy and principel of university managament. On this basis Jiang carried out reforms: he introduced a system in which the faculty were responsible for managing academic affairs while the president was in charge of administrative matters;he initiated a college system, and consequently, administrative management was divied into lower level organization, which gratly contributed to increasing efficency; at the same time, teaching management was improved through the implementation of a credit system. While emphasizing the cultivation of acdamic capabilities and awareness,Jiang also paid great attention to specialization training, with particular attention to the development of science. Owing to years of hardwork by both teachers and students,unnder the leadership of Jiang Menglin , the glory of Peking University was revived.The Peking University talent cultivation model, which is based on personality development, was established and completed during Chiang's period..Through the joint efforts of Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Menglin, Peking University has established a distinct model of talent cultivation. Based on the "profound knowledge through research" principle, that primary function of a university is to serve as an agent of higher learning, Peking University aims to cultivate learned scholars with a healthy personality and devotion to academic research. Peking University emphasizes academic ability, initiative and self-government of its students, Beida grasuates which matured under these circumstance show charming charactristics:patriotism, pursuit of freedom, respect for individuality, strong acdemic capability, and so on. Peking University's talents cultivation model relies on the following factors: the educational philosophy of the presidents, a relatively free social enviroment, and the faculty's quality. The reform of the present day talent culvation model can absorb these factors and benefit from past experience.