He is the first president of Yenching University, a great educator and scholar, Situ Leiden.
For decades, except in the field of college education, ordinary people's perception of him is relatively vague. Debatable. Because of an article, his Chinese story has been misunderstood for many years.
Stuart's parents were missionaries. In 1860, they came to Hangzhou, China, which had just experienced the devastation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
During this period, Stuart's father, John, pastored Tianshuitang in Hangzhou, and his mother, Mary, founded China's second girls' middle school in Hangzhou. Exemption from tuition fees, provision of accommodation, and clothing, and the requirement that girls not bind their feet and do not engage in arranged marriages have changed the educational landscape of Chinese women.
As the eldest son, Situ Leiden was born in Hangzhou. He spent his full childhood on the shore of West Lake. I learned to speak an authentic Hangzhou dialect. In l887, at the age of 11, he returned to Virginia to study. Ridiculed by many classmates as a child who does not speak English. Speaking Hangzhou dialect, use chopsticks to eat.
A family portrait of Stuart Leiden (the one who stands behind).
In 1904, he returned to his hometown of Hangzhou with his newlywed wife. Follow your parents and aspire to spread the gospel for China's progress. Become a second-generation missionary in the United States.
In 1911, when the Xinhai Revolution broke out, he also served as a special correspondent for the United Press News Agency in Nanjing.
In the second half of 1918, the Presbyterian Church of the North and South of the United States, after many mediations, formally issued an appointment order to Stuart Leiden, asking him to help the Chinese and prepare for a comprehensive university.
As a result, this pious and enthusiastic American young man, full of ambition, officially began his path of changing China's education. He rode a small donkey, he traveled to all corners of Beiping, and finally chose the beautiful Yanyuan as the school site.
At that time, the biggest difficulty was that there was no funding for the construction of the school. In order to raise funds, he juvenated between Chinese dignitaries and wealthy Americans, and returned to the United States several times to raise funds. At most, $1.5 million was raised, which was an astronomical amount at the time
In his memoirs, Stuart laughed at himself, comparing himself to a poor beggar in an era of smoke and warlordism.
He once rode a donkey to the ancient city of Xi'an to visit Chen Shufan, the overseer of Shaanxi. Chen Dujun was also interested in the establishment of the school and was touched by Situ Leiden's kindness. In the end, the land was sold to Yenching University for 60,000 oceans.
With 40 hectares of land, and other abandoned gardens purchased in the vicinity, Yenching University's total area is several times larger.
At that time, Yenching University's property consisted of only five classrooms and three rows of modest dormitories. There is only one bathroom, one for the kitchen, one for the library, and one for the faculty's office.
Old photo of Yenching University.
Yenching University is funded without any funding from **. With the exception of a small amount of tuition income, 90% of the school's funding comes from private donations.
Thanks to the hard work of Situ Leiden, Yenching University has built the largest, highest quality and most beautiful environment in modern China in just over a decade. Ranked among the world's leading universities.
According to statistics, by 1937, Yenching University had received a donation of 2.5 million US dollars. But Stuart himself lived a very hard life. At the time of his death, like Mei Tiqi, he had no long things and his sleeves were breezy.
Such a deed could have been fully affirmed, but it was downplayed by others, saying that he had extensive social contacts and had run a church school in China for many years. This is very unfair.
On January 4, 1928, the Yenching Institute was formally established at Harvard University in the United States. For a while, it became famous. World-renowned.
Because Situ Leiden knows how to make good use of people and has a wide range of talents, so for a while, masters gathered. Celebrities are in abundance.
For example, Zhou Zuoren, Yu Pingbo, Gu Jiegang, Feng Youlan, Qian Mu, Zheng Zhenduo, Wu Wenzao, Bingxin, Wang Shixiang, Qian Xuantong, Feng Youlan, Tan Qiji, and other celebrities have all taught at Yan University.
Many of these well-known master's works have been selected and compiled in Chinese textbooks.
In the 33 years since Yenching University was established, although there were fewer than 10,000 graduates, it has trained 42 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 11 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Among the students, Zhou Ruchang, Wang Shixiang, Zi Zhongyun, Huang Zongjiang, Qi Sihe, Wang Zhonghan, Hou Renzhi, Han Suyin, He Baoshan, Zhang Zhilian, etc., are all outstanding talents cultivated by Yan University. It has a profound impact on China's politics, culture, education, art, science and technology.
During the Anti-Japanese War, almost all of the war correspondents who rushed to the forefront were graduates of the journalism department of Yenching University. The graduates of Yan University, in the future anti-Japanese war and national construction, always keep in mind the school motto of Yan University:
To be set free by the truth is to serve. ”
In fact, Yanjing is another name for Beijing.
Yan, named after Zhao Gong Ji Zheng was enshrined in the "Northern Yan," Yan Land was also called Kuang for a short time. Yan and Kuang were originally fake words.
In 1942, the Pacific War broke out. The Japanese turned against the United States, and the Japanese military police broke into Yanyuan and arrested Situ Leiden and 18 teachers and students. He was imprisoned for almost four years. It was not released until Japan surrendered.
Two days after he was released from prison, Situ Leiden did not change his original intention and began to rebuild Yenching University. Classes resumed that year.
In 1948, the civil war broke out. Because of his familiarity with China and his connections from all walks of life, he enjoys a high reputation in China. He was appointed ambassador to China by the United States. Responsible for mediating the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. It is our mission to bring peace to China. He was naïve and somewhat stupid, trying to help form a Chinese unity**. But his efforts were a complete failure. became a victim of the competition between China and the United States.
Neither the United States nor Lao Chiang ate his set. I have not been able to convince either side to back down, he said bitterly. I have failed the trust placed in me by the Chinese people.
He is not a politician, let alone a qualified diplomat, so how can he understand the plans of politicians?
In 1949, an article by the people "Farewell, Situ Leiden". Ended his mission in China. He ended his two-year career as an ambassador in China.
With tears in his eyes, he said goodbye to China where he had served for 45 years. Never came back.
Otherwise, Stuart Layden.
In 1952, Yenching University was abolished and taken over by Peking University, and the liberal arts and sciences were merged into Peking University. The Department of Engineering was merged into Tsinghua University of Law, and the Department of Sociology was merged into the University of Political Science and Law.
In his later years, Stuart suffered from illness. He was paralyzed for 13 years, and his faithful assistant Fu Jingbo's family came to the United States to take care of Stulayden's diet and daily life. and to provide for him in his old age. Later generations commented that Mr. Fu Jingbo and his family are worthy of being virtuous people.
The United States** kept its distance from him.
On September 19, 1962, Stuart died quietly in Washington. He was 86 years old. His last words were to bury his ashes in Yenching University. His best wishes during his lifetime were rejected.
After he died, he could not sleep at the Yenching University that he had built with his life's work. I can't help but say that it is his lifelong regret.
In the end, after several twists and turns, Situ Leiden's ashes could only be buried on the shore of West Lake, where he was born. The soul returned to his hometown, was born in Si, and was buried in Si.
In his memoirs, he wrote: It is not so much that I am an American, but that I am Chinese. I have a deep affection for China and the Chinese people.
Today, Stuart and his parents are buried in Hangzhou, China. He is obsessed with China and loves it deeply. His main works include "The Diary of Situ Leiden", "50 Years in China - Memoirs of Situ Leiden", etc.
Some may say that he is pretending to be love. But is it possible to pretend to be a truly deep love, a love that is not understood?Is it possible to pretend for a lifetime?
Can a foreigner pretend to make China's premier Yenching University so outstanding and among the world's top universities?
Admittedly, Stuart has his own ideological limitations, as well as the limitations of his political vision. This may be the reason why he was unpleasing in several aspects and finally failed.
No matter what criticism he has at home and abroad, Stuart Leiden's contribution to China's higher education is indelible!
Every inch of Yenching University's land will always be engraved with a great name:
An American who loves China, a great educator, scholar, mentor, and Stuart Leiden.