Academic Conference on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tang Wenzhi held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University

On December 10, 2015, the Academic Conference on Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tang Wenzhi was held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Tang Wenzhi was an outstanding educator and master of Chinese culture, who served as the president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University from 1907 to 1921.

The Conference, as one of the important activities of the 120th anniversary of SJTU, was jointly organized by Guang Ming Daily and Shanghai Jiao Tong University and undertaken by the Publicity Department, Archives, and School of Humanities.

Participants of the conference included Zhang Jie, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Li Chunlin, Deputy editor-in-chief of Guang Ming Daily, Xie Shengwu, the former president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhu Jian, Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Tang Deming, Mr. Tang Wenzhi’s eldest great-grandson, Tang Xiaohui, Mr. Tang Wenzhi’s granddaughter, Chen Yihong, successor of Tang tune, Xu Zhongxian group leader studying on Supai educator Tang Wenzhi in Jiangsu Province, Yan Shoucheng, scholar of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, as well as many other experts and scholars studying on Mr. Tang Wenzhi both at home and abroad.Zhu Jian chaired the conference.

Li Chunlin said in his speech that Mr. Tang Wenzhi, a great educator, master of Chinese culture and iconic figure of modern education and cultural history in China, in the fourteen years of serving as the president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, made every effort to establish engineering education with foresight and sagacity, advocating to pay equal stress on engineering course and liberal arts and dedicating to the integration of traditional cultural resources with modern scientific education, which laid the foundations for the development of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Zhang Jie made the key-note speech entitled “from the first class university to world-class university”. He reviewed the goal of running university development history since the founding of Shanghai Jiao Tong University 120 years ago and stressed that the dream of building the world-class university began from Mr. Tang Wenzhi. As early as 100 years ago, old president Tang Wenzhi put forward the goal of building the first class university. Exactly, this grand vision offered the passion and dream for the pursuit of excellence in more than 100 years and guided Shanghai Jiao Tong University to march forward courageously in the historical orbit of Race to the Top. Zhang Jie pointed out that Mr. Tang Wenzhi was one of the most important presidents in early history of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, always respected and admired by teachers and students of SJTUas well as other educational and cultural communities.

Participating experts agreed that Mr. Tang Wenzhi set his sights on building the first class university in China with emphasis on practice and application of knowledge and pioneered three subjects of railway, electrical machine and navigation which laid the foundation for the development of SJTUand modern technological universities in China. At the same time of learning from and drawing on western educational experience, Tang Wenzhi explored university education model of paying equal attention to science and Chinese culture combined with cultural traditions and national conditions. A large number of technology talents and masters of Chinese culture both good at liberal arts and science were cultivated, which promoted the prosperity of modern university education in China. In addition, Prof. Yang Qingcun Dean of School of Humanities, introduced the launch of compilation of “The Complete Works of Wenzhi Tang”.

Presentation ceremony of “Si Shu Da Yi” was also held in the conference. The old president Tang Wenzhi paid great attention to carrying out education of Chinese Culture and compiled many textbooks of Chinese Culture by himself, in which “Si Shu Da Yi” was an important magnum opus. The hardback of “Si Shu Da Yi” was elaborately published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press and presented to the delegates. In-depth discussion focusing on Tang Wenzhi Study was also carried out in the conference.