On The Study Of Lingnan Universitiy's Chinese Presidents

Christianity came to China four times:the first is the introduction of Nestorian in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, under the emperor Tang Wu-Zong's evacuating Buddha policy,and it was affected and disappeared; the second was the coming of Yelikewen in Yuan Dynasty, but it was only a flash in the pan; The third was the re-imported period in Ming and Qing Dynasties, because of "Chinese rites" and emperor Yongzheng's banning religion policy in 1724, Christianity was expelled from the mainland of China again, and the missionary activities were limited to only one corner of Macau; Down the Fourth is the Opium War, under the powers of the invaders'gunboat and the asylum of the "Treaty Policy", the Christianity spreaded into China in a large scale, which was the late Qing dynasty education period. As a result of the impact of cultural traditions, churches and schools are closely related, "When the missionary start to work in a new country, it is important to take the creation of a Protestant school as its beginning."During Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's capitalism began to be sprout, of GuangDong's unique natural and geographical conditions, foreign trade grew prosperity gradually. After the Opium War, with the invasion of foreign powers, a series of unequal treaties were signed and GuangZhou became into commercial port. Due to geographical advantages, GuangDong was the first place contacted with the West, where also appears China's first church schools to carry out education. Lingnan University was the first university in GuangDong, which was the highest Christian institution in GuangDong, and had a great effect on GuangDong province. Because of historical reasons, from the founding of it, Lingnan University was possessed by foreign churches. In the time's historical background, the introduction of Christianity caused the fierce collision between Chinese and Western cultures. The invaders' gunboat policy powered up the main contradiction, and the anti-Christianity movement grew seriously, in which the Boxer Rebellion was the climax. Different from Boxer Rebellion's blind anti-foreign actions,1922-1927's "Anti-Christian Movement" contains wealthy rational factors, which wasn't only the result of the new recognition for Chinese culture after "May 4th Movement", but also a symbol of the arising awareness of Chinese nationalism. And the most achievement of 1922-1927's "Anti-Christian Movement" was the recovery of education rights. "The recovery of education rights" made foreign schools begin to register for the Chinese government, and Chinese began to grasp school's adminstration. So Lingnan University's recovery from their own people was the result of the "Anti-Christian Movement", and especially, "The Recovery of Education Rights".After Lingnan University recovered the education rights, three Chinese presidents Zhong Rong-Guang, Li Ying-Lin, Chen Xu-Jing took management serially. At that time, all of them faced the ever-changing historical background, and made their own efforts to obtain the attentive achievement, which set Lingnan University's status of higher education in China's modern history.Zhong Rong-Guang was the first Chinese president of Lingnan University, and had deep roots with it, known as the "Father of Lingnan University ". In his tenure, Zhong Rong-Guang recovered the education rights, collected raising-fund, founded the Lingnan Agricultural University, Institute of Technology, School of Medicine and recruited teachers; In the students'education, paid attention to patriotism, overseas education, love of education, and advocated students'self-government,which made Lingnan University soon enter the formal processing and achieve Lingnan University's localization. Li Ying-Lin was the second Chinese president, as a result of the Anti-Japanese War and the Japanese invasion, Lingnan University faced with unprecedented difficulties, but Li Ying-Lin insisted on school construction around the northern part of GuangDong and HongKong, raising fund, at the same time advocating students'self-government, implementing work-study system, hiring good teachers, supporting the Anti-Japanese War in a patriotic heart, focusing on moral education, setting the "Lingnan Spirit", which had become the soul of Lingnan's development. After Li Ying-Lin, the successive Chen Xu-Jing was a scholarly school president, so his school managing was full of academicals atmosphere, especially concerned with Professor team-building, fund-raising. In addition, Chen Xu-Jing strengthened the campus culture to promote academic quality. He was strict with school management and democracy and paid attention to the quality of students to expand Lingnan University, and had laid a further impact on China's modern education history.Based on three president's school managing idea and strategy, we can analyze their commons and individuals. In the process of school managing, Lingnan University's three Chinese presidents had all focused on the application of democracy, fund-raising, and cost-saving, professor-building, academic research. Besides they all insisted on governing independence, paid attention to the overall quality of students, the four-round education, and advocated the love of education, especially the patriotism. At the same time, the common subjective factors they managed Lingnan University, such as self-confidence, high-educated knowledge, the courage and wise insighting are the reasons that are spoken by people.In a summary, three Chinese Presidents played an important role in Lingnan Universtiy's "Sinicization" and had a great effect on the process of East-West cultural exchanges.And the study of three Chinese presidents on Lingnan University is significant for the contemporary university construction:First, the background of education takes an important part in the development of the University; second, the president's outstanding personal qualities are the most school master's good model. Third, the concept of school administration and methods could be a reference for the contemporary university's presidents. Fourth, education spirit which created under their mastering is the soul of a University.