Cai Yuanpei: Selected Writings on Education

Cai Yuanpei was one of China’s most prominent democratic revolutionary thinkers and educators of the 20th century. He was among a group of intellectuals that included Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, and Hu Shih who advocated for a new academic culture promoting democracy and science. Cai integrated Chinese traditions with ideas he learned from his studies in Europe, including Germany and France. As President of Peking University, he supported literati, educators, and students to create one of China’s most dynamic universities, which played a pivotal role during the May Fourth Movement. He contributed significantly to modern Chinese education and culture by advocating for science and democracy, freedom of thought, and aesthetic education.

Preface



1 My View on New Education

 February 8, 1912



2 Textbook on Moral Education in the Middle School

 May 1912



3 Statement of Political Views to the Senate

 May 13, 1912



4 Opening Remarks at the Inaugural Interim National Educational Conference

 July 10, 1912



5 The University Bill

 Promulgated by Order No. 17 of the Ministry of Education on

 October 24, 1912



6 A View of the World and a View of Life

 Winter 1912



7 Forewords to the Journal of Learning Spirit

 Summer 1914



8 The Mission of the World Society

 1915



9 A Preface to the Journal of Work and Study

 October 30, 1915



10 Lecture Notes for the School for Overseas Chinese Laborers

 Summer in 1916



11 On the Absorption of Civilizations

 August 15, 1916



12 The Inaugural Address of President of the Peking University

 January 9, 1917



13 A Speech at the Patriotic Girls’ School

 January 15, 1917



14 The Declaration of China Vocational Education Society

 January 1917



15 A Speech to Senior-Grade Students of Tsinghua College

 March 29, 1917



16 Replacing Religion with Aesthetic Education—Speech at Beijing Shenzhou Academic Meeting

 April 8, 1917



17 Public Statement on the Establishment of the Sino-France Education Association

 April 1917



18 Remarks at the Meeting at NanKai Middle School: Held by the Association of Professionalism, the Association of Diligent Study, and the Association of Youth

 May 23, 1917



19 Facts and Reasons for University Restructuring

 April 1918



20 The Fundamental Differences between New Education and Old Education–Remarks at the Welcome Ceremony of the Primary Schools’ Meeting of Hebei Province Organized by Zhonghua Book Company (Tianjin)

 May 30, 1918



21 Preface to an Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy

 August 3, 1918



22 Forward to the Peking University MONTHLY JOURNAL

 November 10, 1918



23 Philosophy and Science

 January 1919



24 A Preface to the Journal The Chinese Citizen

 January 1919



25 An Application for Establishing the National Language Research Association

 January 1919



26 On Developing Complementarity in Education

 February 1919



27 Why Initiate the China New Education Co-Progess Association

 February 1919



28 A Letter to Gong Yan DAILY and a Response to Lin Qinnan’s Letter

 March 18, 1919



29 Mind Cultivation and Science—A Speech Presented at the Mind Cultivation Society of the Beijing Normal COLLEGE Achievement Club

 April 24, 1919



30 Statement of No Intention to Be President of Peking University Again

 June 15, 1919



31 A Speech at the Dinner Party for the 60th Birthday of John Dewey

 October 20, 1919



32 Don’t Forget Aesthetics in Cultural Movement

 December 1, 1919



33 Obligations and Rights—a Speech at Peking Women’s Normal School

 December 7, 1919



34 Remarks at the Opening of the Public Evening School by Peking University Student Union

 January 18, 1920



35 Introduction to the Overseas Returned Scholars Association Magazine

 March 10, 1920



36 The Flood and the Beast

 April 1, 1920



37 A Speech at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Journal of Education and Society, Beijing Normal College

 April 15, 1920



38 A Retrospect of the May Fourth Movement and Expectations for the Future

 May 1920



39 Opening Remarks at the Ceremony Awarding Honorary Degrees to His Excellency, Professor Paul Painlevé and Others, at Peking University

 August 31, 1920



40 On the University Flag of PEKING University

 October, 1920



41 What Is Culture?

 October 27, 1920



42 Regular Education and Specialized Education

 December 5, 1920



43 The Relationship between the Arts and Science

 February 22, 1921



44 My Hope for Normal School Students

 October 29, 1920



45 My Hope for Students

 October 28, 1920



46 Remarks at the Reception Hosted by the Edinburgh Chinese Students Association and Academic Research Association

 May 12, 1921



47 The Integration of Western and Oriental Cultures—Remarks at Georgetown University in Washington

 June 14, 1921



48 Remarks at the Berkeley Chinese Students Association

 July 19, 1921



49 The Issue of Knowledge—Remarks at the Chinese Student and Scholar Association of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu

 August 23, 1921



50 On Aesthetics

 Autumn, 1921



51 The Proposal to PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF Peking University Faculty

 February 11, 1922



52 On the Independence of Education

 March, 1922



53 Approaches to Aesthetic Education

 June, 1922



54 A Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 1st Annual Meeting of The Institute for Improving Chinese Education (IICE)

 July 3, 1922



55 On the Launch of the Peking University Alumni Association

 October 12, 1922



56 On the Letter from Einstein

 January 3, 1923



57 Advice on the Preparations for Establishing Hangchow University by Cai Yuanpei et al.

 January, 1923



58 Guiding Principles of Hangzhou University

 March 27, 1923



59 Why Schools Should Promote Physical Education

 September 1923



60 The Renaissance in China—a Speech at University Du Travail Paul Pastur Charleroi in BELGIUM

 October 10, 1923



61 The Development of Chinese Education

 April 10, 1924



62 Memorandum Concerning the Disposal of the Boxer Indemnity Fund

 April 15, 1924



63 INSCRIPTION to the Alumni Album for Graduates from the Department of Economics, Peking University, in 1925

 May 1925



64 Preface to the Prospectus of Peking University Institute of Chinese Classics

 June 27, 1925



65 CHINESE EDUCATION—Its Historical and Its Present Conditions

 July 25, 1925



66 The Preface to Logic

 June 5, 1926



67 Studying IN THE UNIVERSITY and Saving the Country—a Speech at Hangchow University

 March 12, 1927



68 Motion for the Establishment of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of China

 June 13, 1927



69 The Trends of New Education in China—a Speech at Jinan University

 November 12, 1927



70 Motion on Independent Education Grants and Funding

 December 22, 1927



71 Proposal for Establishing the National University of the Arts

 December 1927



72 Foreword to The Bulletin of the Ministry of Education and Reasearch

 January, 1928



73 Remarks at the New Year Celebration of the Shanghai Branch of the Science Society of China

 January 18, 1930



74 Opening Remarks at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Science Society of China

 August 12, 1930



75 What Does It Take to Be a Modern Student?

 October 1930



76 The Chinese Nation and the Doctrine of the Mean—a Speech Given to the Asia Society

 November 20, 1930



77 Aesthetic Education as a Replacement for Religion

 December 1930



78 Aesthetic Education as a Replacement of Religion—a Speech to the Chinese YMCA in Shanghai

 December 1930



79 University Education

 1930



80 Aesthetic Education

 1930



81 Criteria for Choosing an Occupation—Remarks at the China Vocational Education Association

 April 4, 1931



82 Gist of Speech at Suzhou High School

 October 1931



83 Aesthetic Education and Life

 Approximately 1931



84 Aesthetic Education as a Replacement for Religion

 1932



85 Inaugural Address Delivered as the President of the Music and Literature Society of the National Conservatory of Music

 March 1, 1933



86 My Days at Peking University

 January 1, 1934



87 Recollections of My Orthodox Chinese Education

 April 4, 1934



88 Lessons from My Reading Experiences

 April 10, 1935



89 On Reading Confucian Classics

 May 10, 1935



90 A General Introduction to Collections of China’s New Literature

 August 6, 1935



91 Guiding Principles for the Work of Academia Sinica

 April 16, 1936



92 An Introduction to Great Figures of Science

 May 20, 1936



93 The Spiritual Life of Confucius

 August 17, 1936



94 Mozi’s Non-Attack and Good Defense

 October 11, 1936



95 My Experiences in the Education Community

 December 1937



96 Stories of George Washington in China’s Education

 February 20, 1939