Tatung University's Vague Dream of Tatung at Sea--Shanghai Tatung University

Tatung University was one of the most famous private universities in Shanghai during the Republic of China (R.O.C.) period, especially for its science and technology, and was known as "Nankai in the North and Tatung in the South". On the other hand, the history of the founding and maintenance of Tatung University by the Lida Society, a group of intellectuals dedicated to the cause of education, shows that Tatung University can be called "an example of patriotic schooling". In January 1911, the Qing government approved the establishment of the Tsinghua School (the predecessor of Tsinghua University), which specialized in training students selected nationwide to study in the U.S. Hu Dunfu was appointed the first provost of the school.

Hu Dunfu (1886-1978) was a mathematician and educator. Born in wuxi county, jiangsu province, his father hu yixiu and uncle hu yuren are in the late qing dynasty in the beginning of the new school in the local influential educator and water undertakings. 1907, hu dunfu and elder sister hu bingxia are through the examination, become our country for the first time to send students to stay in the U.s.a. In september, hu dunfu to the U.s. Cornell university to study mathematics, after graduation in 1909, coincided with the establishment of the Qing dynasty to travel to the U.S. academic affairs department, that is, was recruited back to participate in the selection of students to the United States. He was recruited to participate in the selection and dispatch of students to the United States. From August 1909 to June 1911, he presided over the examination and selection of only three groups of direct students in the United States, ****180 people. Many of them later became famous Chinese scientists and educators, such as Mei Yiqi, Zhu Kezhen, Hu Gangfu, Hu Mingfu, Hu Shi, Zhao Yuanren, Jiang Lifu, etc., which shows that Hu Dunfu was a good choice of talent.

At that time, Tsinghua School of the United States faculty and Chinese faculty treatment disparity, not only the salary of nearly ten times the difference, living conditions are a world of difference. Moreover, due to the travel to the United States and many of the work of the Tsinghua School are subject to the U.S. Embassy, in the teaching of a little less than the Americans want, the Embassy will interfere. The U.S. side must be in Tsinghua to open the U.S. history, politics, civics and other courses, and students will be the U.S. presidents, historical celebrities, as well as all the states, state capitals, every river, every mountain and river are memorized. All this caused strong resentment among the Chinese faculty and staff, and also made Hu Dunfu, who was the provost, very resentful.

In order to defend his rights, Hu Dunfu and Ping Hailan, Zhu Xiang evening, Wu Zaiyuan, Gu Shanchen, Yu Shaohua, Zhang Jiyuan, Gu Yangwu, Hua òyin, Zhou Runchu, Zhao Shizeng and other eleven people in June of that year, the organization of the Lida Society. Society to "self-reliance, self-development," for the purpose, Hu Dunfu as president. According to the "Lida Society Charter" issued in the early stage of the founding of its main social services are divided into three parts: education, "or construction, or subsidies, or publications, but does not interfere with the political sector, the power to the extent that the section to be carried out"; standing annual summer general assembly proceedings, held monthly regular seminars; miscellaneous affairs "to cut the answer to the letter, revenue and expenditure". The General Assembly held a general meeting every summer and held monthly regular meetings and lectures. Jane did not specialize in the establishment of schools of higher education in the intention of education, mainly through the inclusion of membership fees, donations and other social costs to subsidize or fund education, etc., but subsequent encounters contributed to their eventual relationship with the founding of private higher education.

After the start of the summer, Hu Dunfu advocated that the students of Tsinghua should read more science and technology courses, which differed from the views of the American instructor Wald, who advocated for more English and American literature, American history and geography, and so the U.S. Minister intervened. He resigned angrily and left Tsinghua to return to Shanghai. Wu Mi commented that Hu Dunfu "was very rich in talent and learning, and since he took office, he was very organized, but all kinds of actions were too authoritarian, and he took his own decisions without consulting with the people, so he was not in harmony with those American faculty members, and he was arrogant in nature." In October, the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, more than ten members of the Lida Society also resigned collectively, and went south to Schenzhen to make peace with Hu. On March 19, 1912, Cosmos College, founded by the Lida Society, put up its sign in Nanyangli, Zhaozhou Road, in the southern city of Shanghai, on the 26th birthday of its first principal, Mr. Hu Dunfu.

At that time in Shanghai, although the new school was more developed, except for a few government-run schools with the nature of a university such as the Nanyang Public School, the vast majority of them were parochial schools, and a few government-run schools invited foreign teachers and used foreign teaching materials. On the other hand, as educators, the members of Lida were able to see the shortcomings of the times, and ran schools perfunctorily, not emphasizing on the cultivation of students' moral education, and the students specialized in foreign languages to prepare for studying abroad in school, and paid no attention to the absorption of science and traditional learning. In this regard, "the founding of Datong record" has this record: in the emotion of the social bad, government schools are outside the office of the whitewash and perfunctory work, favoring intellectual education and put the moral education in no way, only to be the end of the evil of the Ji Ji. The performance of the professors was based on whether the students were able to upgrade their skills. In the courses of gymnastics, drawing, handicrafts, singing, etc., there is no score below ninety. In important subjects, even though the students' grades were poor, they were not in danger of being demoted or repeating a grade. Foreign languages were emphasized, while science and Chinese language were relegated to the ranks of the subordinate. Education is mechanical, and the natural ability of scholars is not developed, and it is thought that if no one comes out to improve, the race will degenerate.

Therefore, the founding of a non-attached to the foreigners, academically independent, truly belong to the Chinese own university, not only to assume the important task of teaching and learning, but also to cultivate a sound personality of the students, so that they have a high moral character - to become a long time haunting in the heart of Hu Dunfu and other Lida people's aspirations. "Cosmos", is taken from "Rituals. Rites of Passage", the meaning of "the world is common, is Datong", "in the bright virtue, in the new people, in stopping at the highest good" as the motto of the school, and "the study of academics, the understanding of the body to achieve the use of" as the purpose. Tatung College is the product of Chinese intellectuals' persistent pursuit of education to save the country and science to save the country; it is the earliest school of higher education established in China after the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China.