Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei

Mr. Tsai Yuan-pei

蔡元培字孑民

Mr. Tsai Yuan-pei was born at Shan-ying Hsien, Chekiang province, in 1867. While studying as a youth Mr. Tsai spent much time on Chinese literature and classics and became Licentiate in 1883, a provincial graduate in 1889, Metropolitan graduate in 1890, Hanlin Bachelor in 1892, and Hanlin Compiler, second class in 1894. In 1890 Mr. Tsai became Chief Historiographer of the Shanghai District, Chekiang and after the Sino-Japanese war in 1894 began on translations of European books. In 1898 he organized a club in Peking to study the Japanese language and that year witnessed the Reform movement of Kang Yu-wei and Liang Chi-chiao. Mr. Tsai from this period spent much time in instruction in various government and private schools. In 1901 he founded the Ai-Kuo Girls School at Shanghai of which later he became principal. At this time educationalists in Shanghai organized the Chung-kuo Educational Association and elected Mr. Tsai president. During 1902 Mr. Tsai became interested in revolutionary propoganda and so arrested the attention of the authorities he was asked to sever connections with the Ai-Kuo School and the Chang-Kuo Educational Association, which he eventually did. His friends urged him to study abroad and he later went to Germany. Previous to his departure he studied in Tsingtao and there translated from the Japanese version into Chinese "The Outline Philosophy” by a German author. In October 1903, Mr. Tsai returned from Tsingtao and started a daily paper called, Russia. For a long time he was connected with this paper but later again became principal of the Ai-Kuo Girls School. In 1915 he entered the revolutionary party organized by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and subsequently introduced the elements in Shanghai and acted as secret agent. Having found his revolutionary work unsuccessful, Mr. Tsai returned to his native district and again entered educational work. In 1907 Mr. Tsai went to Germany and while there enrolled in Leipzig University. While there he took courses in Practical Psychology and Esthetics. He attended the Practical Psychology Research Institute and also the Institute for the Research of the History of World Civilization. Besides he compiled a series of text books for middle schools on ethics, wrote "The History of Chinese Ethics,” and translated several German books into Chinese. He returned to China in 1911 when the First Revolution broke out and was appointed by the Nanking Provisional government the Minister of Education. Later when Dr. Sun resigned from the Provisional presidency in Nanking, Yuan Shih-kai was elected to fill his place, and in 1913 when Yuan Shih-kai was President of the government in Peking, he retained Mr. Tsai as Minister of Education Peking. Later he resigned and went to study in Germany again and in 1913 took his family to France where he studied French and assisted Li Shih-tseng and Wang Ching-wei in running the Educational Institute for Chinese laborers and organizing the Sino-French Educational Association. Following this he wrote the novel, The Red Tower Dream, A Brief History of European Esthetics, and a series of lectures for the Chinese Laborers School. In 1916, Mr. Tsai was appointed Chancellor of the Peking Government University and assumed this position in 1917 when he returned to China. Despite adverse criticism and difficulties he encountered Mr. Tsai introduced a wonderful change in the life of China's first seat of learning. In October 1922 Mr. Ts'ai was awarded the First Class Paokuang Chiaho. In January 1923 he was appointed a member of the Educational Sinking Funds Commission. On January 18, he tendered his resignation from the Chancellorship as a protest against Peng Yun-yen, the Minister of Education. Mr. Ts'ai in a manifesto denounced the Minister of Education for having interfered with the Judiciary. On the same day he left Peking. In the summer of 1923 Mr. Ts'ai went to France to continue his study.