Today is September 10, 2025, the 41st Teachers' Day of the People's Republic of China. On this special day of respecting teachers and valuing education, looking back at history, we cannot forget those great pioneers who used education as the torch to light up the nation's journey forward in modern China. With firm belief, outstanding wisdom and unremitting practice, they have laid a solid foundation for the construction of China's modern education system, and their thoughts still shine with the light of wisdom.
This article aims to systematically sort out and introduce in detail ten great educators who are milestones in the history of modern Chinese education. It should be clear that although there are various lists of "Top Ten Modern Educators" circulating on the Internet, most of these lists are sorted out by the public and have differences, and no official list and selection criteria were found for authoritative academic institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Education Sciences or the Chinese Society for Education History.
Therefore, the selection criteria of this article are based on the following points: First, the characters have wide recognition in the academic community and the public; second, their educational ideas and practices are groundbreaking, systematic and far-reaching influence; finally, they cover multiple fields such as higher education, civilian education, vocational education, rural education, and early childhood education, in order to fully demonstrate the breadth and depth of modern educational changes.
The "modern" defined in this article mainly refers to a period of severe social transformation from the late 19th century (late Qing Dynasty) to the mid-20th century (before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949). We will analyze the life, core educational concepts, landmark practical cases, their historical influences and contemporary values one by one, and quote the provided online research materials as evidence throughout the process.
1. Cai Yuanpei: The founder of university education and the flag bearer of ideological liberation
Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940), is known as "a master of academic circles and a role model in the world". He is an undisputed giant in the history of modern Chinese education. His contribution is not only in theoretical construction, but also in his revolutionary practice as president of Peking University, which deeply shapes the soul of modern Chinese universities.
Cai Yuanpei resolutely gave up his official position and went to the University of Leipzig, Germany and other places to study in Western philosophy, psychology and education systematically. This experience has integrated his thoughts into Chinese and Western culture, with a profound foundation in Chinese studies and a broad international perspective. After returning to China, he served as the first president of education in the Republic of China, and later served as the president of Peking University from 1917 to 1927, opening the "Cai Yuanpei era" of higher education in Peking University and even China.
Cai Yuanpei's educational thought system is grand, and its core can be summarized as follows:
1, "Free thoughts, inclusiveness and inclusiveness": This is his most praised school policy. He firmly believes that universities are places for studying profound knowledge and that various schools of thought must be allowed to develop freely and argue with each other. He advocated "following the principle of freedom of thought and taking inclusiveism", and recruited scholars with different academic views and political tendencies, such as Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, Li Dazhao, Gu Hongming, etc., to teach at Peking University, creating an unprecedentedly active academic atmosphere.
2, "Five educations at the same time" : In response to the disadvantages of traditional education, he proposed a comprehensive development idea including "military and national education, practical education, civic moral education, world outlook education, and aesthetic education". He attached great importance to aesthetic education, believing that aesthetic education can cultivate sentiments and purify emotions, is the key to completing personality education, and can replace the role of religion.
3, Education independence and professorial school management: He emphasized that education should be independent of politics and religion, and universities should be managed by scholars and professors, not bureaucratic politicians. He established a parliament at Peking University, and as the highest authority of the school, he laid the institutional foundation for modern universities' democratic management and "professor-school management".
Under Cai Yuanpei's leadership, Peking University has jumped from a decadent old bureaucracy to the center of the New Culture Movement, the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement, and an important base for the early spread of Marxism in China. The university management model he created and the academic freedom advocated provided a blueprint for the establishment of China's modern university system.
Although later researchers tried to use quantitative methods to evaluate their impact, existing data show that such research is still in the exploration stage and lacks mature quantitative analysis cases. The impact is more reflected in the shaping of the spiritual core of China's higher education. Some of his original archives such as diaries and letters have been digitized and included in platforms such as the "Mr. Cai Yuanpei Digital Memorial Hall", providing valuable information for future research.
2. Tao Xingzhi: The advocate of life education and the "Teacher of All Times" of civilian education
Tao Xingzhi (1891-1946), praised by Mao Zedong as the "great people's educator" and Soong Ching Ling called him the "model of all ages". He devoted his life to the cause of civilian education and rural education, and his "life education" theory is a valuable asset of modern Chinese educational thought.
Tao Xingzhi studied in the United States in his early years and studied under the famous educator John Dewey. He was deeply influenced by the pragmatic education idea. However, he did not copy Dewey's theory, but instead creatively developed his own educational theory in combination with China's national conditions, especially the reality of the vast rural and lower-class people.
Tao Xingzhi's educational thought is the "life education" theory, which is specifically explained as:
1, "Life is education" : He opposes the ills of traditional education being separated from life and advocates that education must originate from life and for life. He believes that life itself is the broadest classroom and contains the richest educational content.
2, "Society is a school" : He expanded the boundaries of education from a closed campus to the entire society, believing that all people, things and things in society can become educational resources. This greatly expands the connotation and extension of education.
3, "Teaching and doing in one" : This is his methodology. He emphasized that "doing" is the center of learning, "to teach and to do it." Theory and practice must be closely combined, and true knowledge and ability can be gained through personal practice.
In order to practice his theory, Tao Xingzhi carried out a series of groundbreaking work:
1, founded Xiaozhuang Experimental Rural Normal School: In 1927, he founded Xiaozhuang School outside Nanjing, personally led teachers and students to clear land and farm, build school buildings, and turn the school into a self-sufficiency "life education" experimental base. Xiaozhuang School’s practice aims to cultivate new teachers who can go deep into the countryside and serve farmers, and has had a profound impact on China’s rural education reform.
2, implementing the "little gentleman system": In order to solve the problem of lack of teachers, he creatively proposed the "little gentleman system", that is, let literate children teach illiterate families and neighbors, forming a knowledge dissemination chain of "knowing and being inherited". This method was widely adopted in Yan'an and other places during the War of Resistance Against Japan and achieved great success.
3, popularize civilian education: He founded the Yucai School, hosted children with difficulty, explored and created education; launched the "One Money A Day" campaign to raise funds for civilian education. All his efforts point to one goal: to make education benefit every ordinary person.
Tao Xingzhi's theory and practice provide valuable experience for China to explore the path of educational modernization that suits the national conditions. Although there is currently a lack of academic research on using statistical methods such as regression analysis to quantify the impact of its theory on modern rural enrollment rates, its ideas still have strong practical guiding significance for the balanced development of quality education, labor education and urban and rural education that we advocate today.
III. Zhang Boling: A giant of private education and an advocate of a sports power
Zhang Boling (1876-1951) is a famous private educator in modern China. He spent his whole life to establish the famous Nankai series of schools. His "public energy" motto has influenced generations of students.
Zhang Boling was born in a poor family and graduated from the Beiyang Navy School in his early years. The disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 made him deeply realize that "the way to self-improvement lies in education." He believes that the purpose of education is to cultivate "public morality of patriotism and love for the people and the ability to serve the society", that is, the famous "public energy" spirit. He emphasized that education must be closely linked to the destiny of the country and cultivate modern talents who have the ambition to serve the country and have the talent to work hard.
Zhang Boling's educational practice is concentrated in the creation and development of Nankai series of schools. Since he founded Tianjin Nankai Middle School in 1904, he has successively founded Nankai University, Nankai Girls' Middle School, Nankai Primary School, and even founded Nanyu Middle School in Chongqing, forming a complete education system.
1, focus on sports: Zhang Boling was one of the earliest educators in modern China to elevate sports to the height of a strong country. He issued the famous "Three Questions on the Olympics" (When will the Chinese send athletes to the Olympics? When will the teams to the Olympics? When will the Olympics be held?), and vigorously promoted sports in Nankai, aiming to change the image of the Chinese people as the "sick man of East Asia".
2, Strict management and personality influence: Nankai School is known for its strict management and excellent school spirit. Zhang Boling himself set an example and focused on the influence of students' personality. He has a close relationship with students and is affectionately called the "old principal".
3, Patriotism Education: During the Japanese invasion of China, Nankai University was bombed. Zhang Boling led teachers and students to resolutely move south, forming the Southwest United University with Peking University and Tsinghua University. He insisted on running schools under extremely difficult conditions, showing the iron-for-solidarity of Chinese intellectuals.
Zhang Boling successfully embarked on a path of promoting education in private education in China. The Nankai School he founded has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents, including Zhou Enlai and Cao Yu. His educational practice has proved that high-quality private education can become an important supplement to the national education system. The spirit of "public energy" and the idea of building a strong country in sports are still valuable spiritual wealth that inspires Chinese youth.
IV. Mei Yiqi: The interpreter of the university spirit and the guardian of the "master"
Mei Yiqi (1889-1962) has served as the president of Tsinghua University for a long time and is known as the "eternal president" of Tsinghua University. With his low-key, pragmatic and tenacious character, he made indelible contributions to the development of Tsinghua University, and his educational philosophy has profound inspiration for the management of higher education in China.
Mei Yiqi is one of the first batch of students studying in the United States at Tsinghua School. Since 1931, he officially served as the president of Tsinghua University until he left the mainland in 1948. He has been taciturn throughout his life, but he interpreted his understanding of university with his actions. The most famous educational quote is: "The so-called great people do not mean having buildings, but having masters." This statement incisively points out that the essence of a university is to gather first-class scholars, rather than just having grand buildings and equipment. He believes that the responsibility of the university president is to create an environment for the "masters" to study freely and teach with peace of mind.
Main educational practices and influences: Mei Yiqi's career as a president was the golden age of Tsinghua University.
1, recruiting talents: With great sincerity and patience, he has recruited a large number of academic giants such as Chen Yinke, Feng Youlan, Ye Qisun, and Zhu Ziqing for Tsinghua University, making Tsinghua University shining with its stars and rapidly rising into a world-class academic hall.
2, General education and academic independence: He advocates the implementation of general education, focusing on the broadness of students' basic knowledge and the comprehensive development of personality. He firmly safeguarded academic independence and professorial dignity, and created a stable and free academic atmosphere for Tsinghua University.
3, presided over Southwest Associated University: During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he served as the Standing Committee and Chairman of the School Affairs Committee of Southwest United University, and actually presided over school affairs. Under the conditions of extreme scarcity of materials and extremely harsh environment, he and his colleagues miraculously maintained a high-level teaching and scientific research, preserved the spark of Chinese higher education, and created a miracle in the history of world education.
Mei Yiqi's "Master Theory" has become a classic criterion for measuring the level of a university. As an outstanding university manager, his practice of "professoring the school", respect for scholars, and persistence in the spirit of the university in difficult times set an immortal example for future university presidents.
V. Huang Yanpei: a pioneer of vocational education and a practitioner of social improvement
Huang Yanpei (1878-1965) is the founder and main advocate of modern vocational education in China. He devoted his life to improving society through education, and his thoughts and practices have had a profound impact on the establishment of China's modern vocational and technical education system.
Huang Yanpei was also deeply influenced by traditional culture in his early years, and later devoted himself to revolution and social improvement. After inspecting domestic and foreign education, he deeply realized the serious problem of the disconnection between traditional education and social needs. He proposed the purpose of vocational education "preparing for individuals to make a living, preparing for individuals to serve society, and preparing for the country and the world to enhance productivity." Its core idea is "using hands and brains" and "integrating learning in one way", and advocates that education must serve social production, so that students can learn a skill, support themselves, and contribute to society.
In 1917, Huang Yanpei joined hands with wise men from all walks of life to establish the China Vocational Education Society in Shanghai, which is the first national vocational education group in China. The following year, the Chinese Vocational School was founded as a base for practicing its philosophy.
"School motto of "Dedicated and Lequn": He established the school motto of "Dedicated and Lequn" for Chinese Vocational Schools and designed a unique "Harves" school emblem, symbolizing labor and creation.
Promote vocational education: Through the China Vocational Education Society, Huang Yanpei vigorously publicizes the importance of vocational education nationwide, establishes publications, organizes surveys, and opens workshops to promote the establishment of vocational schools in various places.
Great vocational education: He expanded the scope of vocational education, believing that not only schools should conduct vocational education, but families, society and even individuals should be influenced by vocational education throughout their lives to form the concept of "big vocational education".
Huang Yanpei's vocational education thoughts and practices had a huge impact on China's education reform in the 1920s and 1930s, and cultivated a large number of urgently needed technical and management talents for the country. Against the backdrop of China's vigorous development of modern vocational education and emphasizing the spirit of craftsmanship, reviewing Huang Yanpei's educational thoughts is of great practical significance for building a complete modern vocational education system and promoting the deep integration of education and industry.
VI. Yan Yangchu: International pioneer in civilian education and rural construction
Yan Yangchu (1890-1990) is an internationally reputable civilian educator and leader of the rural transformation movement. He devoted his knowledge and talents to the vast majority of farmers in China, and his practice in Ding County, Hebei has become a model of rural development projects around the world.
Yan Yangchu graduated from Yale University and Princeton University. During World War I, when he served Chinese workers in France, he deeply realized the illiteracy problem of Chinese workers and has since been determined to devote himself to civilian education. His core idea is to "eliminate illiteracy and be a new citizen." He believes that China's fundamental problem lies in the "people", and the four major diseases of "people" are "fool, poverty, weakness, and private". Therefore, he proposed a systematic plan to treat these four major diseases with the "four major educations" (literary and artistic education, livelihood education, health education, and civic education).
Main educational practices and influences: In 1926, Yan Yangchu chose Ding County, Hebei as the experimental base for rural construction, established the China Civilian Education Promotion Association (hereinafter referred to as "Pingjiao"), and carried out a large-scale social experiment for more than ten years.
Dingxian Experiment: In Dingxian County, Yan Yangchu and his team went deep into the countryside, eating, living and working with farmers. They have compiled easy-to-understand textbooks such as "Thousand Character Class of Civilians", opened literacy classes, and eliminated illiteracy; introduced excellent cotton and pig breeds, improved agricultural technology, and increased farmers' income; established medical and health networks, promoted scientific birth delivery and epidemic prevention knowledge; organized civic groups to cultivate farmers' public spirit and autonomy capabilities.
"Doctor Going to the Countryside" : He called on and attracted a large number of intellectuals with expertise to come to Ding County, forming a unique landscape of "Doctor Going to the Countryside", combining the most advanced scientific knowledge with the actual needs of the countryside.
Yan Yangchu's Dingxian experiment was a bottom-up and comprehensive social transformation project, with its scale and depth unique in the world at that time. The civilian education and rural construction model he pioneered was later promoted to many developing countries such as the Philippines and India, providing the "county experience" for global poverty alleviation and development. His famous saying "I am willing to serve farmers and must live with farmers" is still the motto of all grassroots workers.
7. Chen Heqin: The founder of modern early childhood education in China
Chen Heqin (1892-1982) is known as the "father of Chinese early childhood education". In a blank field, he pioneered the establishment of a modern early childhood education theoretical system and practical model that conforms to China's national conditions.
Chen Heqin also has a background in the United States and graduated from the School of Education of Columbia University. He conducted continuous observations and records of his son's growth process for 808 days. On this basis, combined with advanced Western educational theories and Chinese cultural traditions, he proposed the famous "living education" theory. Its core view is:
Children's Center: Advocate that education should be centered on children and respect children's physical and mental development laws and interests.
"Nature and society are living textbooks" : Oppose the book center, emphasizing that children should learn from direct contact with nature and society.
"Teach by doing, learn by doing, and seek progress by doing" : It is similar to Tao Xingzhi's thoughts, emphasizing promoting children's development through games, operations and practice.
Main educational practices and influences: In 1923, Chen Heqin founded China's first modern experimental kindergarten-Gulou Kindergarten in Gulou, Nanjing. This kindergarten became his base for practicing the theory of "living education".
Curriculum reform: He abolished the subject-subject teaching and designed unit courses centered on children's life, such as "Water", "Spring is Coming", etc.
Environmental creation: He attaches great importance to the educational role of the environment and sets up sand, pools, feeding corners, and plantations in kindergartens so that children can explore and learn while playing.
Writing textbooks and toys: He personally wrote a large number of children's songs and stories for children, and designed and produced a variety of toys and teaching aids suitable for children's operation.
Rural Education Experiment: He also actively participated in rural education experiments and promoted the concept of early childhood education to rural areas.
Chen Heqin's "live education" theory and his practice in Gulou Kindergarten have laid the foundation for the scientific and modernization of early childhood education in China. The educational concepts he advocates, such as respecting children, gamified teaching, and getting close to nature, are still the mainstream ideas in the field of preschool education around the world.
8. Zhang Jian: a pioneer in "industry and education to save the country"
Zhang Jian (1853-1926) is a legendary figure who turned from a top scholar to an industrialist and educator. He took the lead in putting forward the slogan of "father's education, mother's industry", closely combining the development of local industries with the establishment of new education, and providing a valuable example for regional modernization construction.
Life and core ideas: After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Zhang Jian, who was the top scholar, felt deeply corruption and incompetent in the Qing government, resolutely gave up his career and returned to his hometown to start an industry. He believes that a country's prosperity and strength must rely on developed industries and civilized people's wisdom. The two are each other's premise and should not be neglected. His core idea is to "save the country through industry" and "education to save the country through education". He devoted most of the profits he earned from starting his business to education and social welfare.
Main educational practices and influences: Zhang Jian conducted a grand social construction experiment with his hometown of Nantong as a base. He systematically planned and established a huge educational network around the Dasheng Spin Mill and other enterprises he founded.
Establish a complete education system: Since the founding of China's first private normal school, Tongzhou Normal School, in 1902, he has successively founded nearly 400 schools of various types, including primary schools, middle schools, junior college schools (such as textiles, agriculture, medical schools), and blind and dumb schools, forming a complete system from basic education to higher education, from general education to vocational education.
Integration of industry and education: The professional settings of the school he founded are closely linked to local industrial development, such as cultivating technical talents for textile factories and cultivating agricultural technicians for agricultural development, achieving the early "integration of industry and education".
Build the "First City in Modern Times": In addition to running education, he also used the profits of the company to build roads, open parks, establish museums, libraries, theaters and other public cultural facilities in Nantong, making Nantong a famous "model county" in the country and is known as "the first modern city in China."
Zhang Jian's practice is the most successful case of local elites promoting regional modernization in modern Chinese history. With one person's strength, he built a backward agricultural county into an emerging city with modern industrial, educational and cultural facilities. Its model of "industry fostering education, education promotes industry" still has extremely high reference value for today's discussion on how to serve local economic and social development through education.
9. Yan Fu: The fire-spreader of Western learning enlightenment
Yan Fu (1854-1921) did not host a school for a long time like other educators, but through translation and introduction of Western academic thoughts, he profoundly influenced the modern intellectual and educational circles in China. He is a well-deserved Enlightenment thinker and theoretical pioneer of educational change.
Yan Fu studied in the Royal Naval Academy of Greenwich, England in his early years and systematically studied Western modern science and political sociology. After returning to China, he devoted himself to awakening the Chinese people by translating Western classics. The core of his plan to save the country, "boosting people's strength, opening people's wisdom, and new people's morality" is to improve the overall quality of the people, and education is the key to achieving this goal. He believes that the fundamental reason for the gap between China and the West is the way of thinking, and Western logic and scientific methods must be introduced to achieve real change.
Main educational practices and influences:
Translation of famous Western works: Yan Fu's most important contribution in his life lies in his translation of a series of Western classic works such as "Evolution of Heaven", "Original Fu", "Fa Yi", and "Mul's Fa Mingxue". With the elegant translation standards of "faithfulness, understanding, and elegance", he systematically introduced modern social science theories such as evolution, economics, law, and logic to China for the first time. The idea of "sustaining in nature and survival of the fittest" in Huxley's "Evolution of Heaven" was like a thunder in the ideological world at that time, greatly inspiring the Chinese people's sense of crisis and desire to strengthen their strength.
Advocacy of educational philosophy: He has served as the chief teacher of the Peking University (the predecessor of Peking University) and the president of Fudan Public Security Bureau. He called for the abolition of eight-legged essays, reforming the imperial examinations, advocating scientific education and sports, and emphasizing the cultivation of students' independent thinking ability.
Yan Fu's translation and thoughts provided important ideological resources for the Reform Movement of 1898, the Revolution of 1911 and the later New Culture Movement. He laid a solid theoretical foundation for the transformation of Chinese education from tradition to modernity, and influenced generations of intellectuals, including Cai Yuanpei. It can be said that without Yan Fu's enlightenment, there will be no way to talk about the reform of modern education in China.
Summary
Retracing the thoughts and practices of these nine educators, Cai Yuanpei, Tao Xingzhi, Zhang Boling, Mei Yiqi, Huang Yanpei, Yan Yangchu, Chen Heqin, Zhang Jian, Yan Fu and other nine educators, we can clearly see the magnificent transformational picture of modern Chinese education. Although their paths are different - either focusing on higher education institutions, or taking root in the countryside; or working on vocational training, or caring for young children's enlightenment; or focusing on theoretical enlightenment, or focusing on industrial development to promote learning - their spiritual core is highly consistent: that is, deep patriotism and strong belief in "education to save the country".
Together they have promoted the difficult transformation of Chinese education from tradition to modernity, and their contributions are reflected in:
The foundation of the system: established a modern education system from preschool education to higher education, from general education to vocational education.
Emancipation of thought: introduced modern concepts such as science, democracy, freedom, and equality, and profoundly transformed the thoughts of the people.
Innovation of methods: creating a series of educational models that conform to China's national conditions, such as "life education", "live education", and "integration of industry and education".
Spiritual inheritance: They establish their own teachings, their personal charm and dedication have become immortal monuments that inspire future educators.
In today's China, we are facing a new mission of building an education power. Revisiting the wisdom and character of these modern education pioneers is not only for commemoration, but also for the purpose of drawing strength. Their profound insight into the essence of education, their deep concern for social reality, and their unremitting pursuit of reform and innovation are still the valuable sources of our ideas for deepening education reform, cultivating innovative talents, and realizing educational equity today. Their careers will be passed down from generation to generation and will last forever.
