A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Although Cai Yuanpei can be economical in his work as an official, he is very flexible and not rigid, which can be seen in many places.

Cai Yuanpei said to Li Yu: "Shucai, I have one more thing I need your help with."

Li Yu said: "Just say it!"

Cai Yuanpei said: "(Zhang) Jingjiang, (Li) Shizeng, (Wu) Zhihui and (Wang) Zhaoming have all come to the capital to learn from you and set up an office for studying in France, or to call it the Work-Study Society for Studying in France. suitable."

Unexpectedly, the four elders of the Kuomintang Party were all here.

Li Yu said: "Is it in the nature of a study abroad fund?"

Cai Yuanpei nodded: "We want to encourage young people to study in France, but several of us have studied in Europe and know that the tuition fees are very high. Based on my own experience, I thought of the work-study method."

Li Yu said: "What do you mean, lower the scholarship for each student and let them figure it out on their own when they arrive in France?"

"Yes," Cai Yuanpei said, "This is a bold idea. I'm not sure whether every student can get a job in France, but it is a last resort. I have carefully considered whether every student's study abroad funding will be used. If the cost is reduced to 600 yuan, which is one-third of the previous price, twice as many students will be able to study in France at once, which is a huge benefit."

Li Yu touched his chin and said, "Minister Cai's idea makes sense."

Studying in Europe and the United States is indeed ridiculously expensive, but the quality of education in Europe and the United States is now much higher than that of its neighboring country, Japan.

Cai Yuanpei said: "In terms of connections in Europe, even the minister in France is not as good as you, so I take the liberty of asking Shucai to help future students studying in France find part-time jobs."

Li Yu said easily: "I thought it was right to help fellow students find some work. It's not difficult to do. I can even let them gain experience in top factories in Europe."

Cai Yuanpei said happily: "I know there is a way to thin out talents! I went to President Yuan Da before, and as soon as I made the introduction, he said not to bother him with the details. But when I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director Lu also had no specific measures. .This cabinet! I don’t know what to say!”

Cai Yuanpei and other members of the Tongmenghui knew very well that replacing Sun with Yuan Shikai as interim president was a wrong choice, but it was an inevitable choice.It seems that immature trees can only bear immature fruits, and the anxious people can only swallow its green taste silently after the Revolution of [-].

And based on the situation in early 1912 alone, there is no need to exaggerate the role of Yuan Shikai's personal ambition and strategy.

Unless the revolution can continue, only Yuan Shikai can clean up the situation.

Since the revolutionary camp could not realize the Six-Prong Northern Expedition, nor could it even control the entire southern region, it had only one way to compromise.

Those who often read history books or watch historical dramas will find that most old bureaucrats who have experienced ups and downs in the officialdom are good at figuring out the psychology of others, and the scheming Yuan Shikai is especially good at this.

He first deceived the Qing royal family with his attitude of loyalty, then deceived the revolutionaries with his commitment to the Republic, and then deceived the entire bourgeoisie with unity and order, paving the way for him to ascend to the presidential throne.

A set of combination punches is very skillful.

Li Yu said: "The French Revolution went through decades of ups and downs before it came to an end. We are just at the beginning."

Cai Yuanpei said: "In this case, students should be allowed to study in France and the United States. Looking at the West, these two countries are the only ones that are not constitutional monarchies like us."

"Indeed," Li Yu said, and then asked, "Does the Work-Study Society in France have a school now?"

Cai Yuanpei said: "I will only use a few rooms of Shuntian High School in Andingmen as preparatory school buildings."

Li Yu said: "I have been in the capital for a long time and will help find ways to get a house together."

"There is work and talent is neglected!" Cai Yuanpei said happily, "Let's go to the school building and take a look."

The four elders of the Kuomintang Party were very diligent in this matter and specially compiled a book "French Education", which is divided into general education and higher education, scientific education and literary education, health education and industrial education, art education and music education, and pedagogy. Chapters such as "Group Education" and "Group Education" introduce the situation of French education in detail.

When he arrived at the relatively simple school building, Li Yu discovered that they had hired a Frenchman as a teacher, and what was commendable was that there were women among the students.

Cai Yuanpei said to Li Yu: "It seems that being the Minister of Education is somewhat useful, otherwise we wouldn't even be able to build this school building."

Then Cai Yuanpei waved: "Principal Qi!"

The principal is Qi Rushan. Li Yu had met him before in France and listened to the opera together.

Qi Rushan cupped his hands and said, "Minister Cai, Academician Li."

Cai Yuanpei said: "Shucai has promised that when our students go to France in the future, he can help the work-study students find part-time jobs."

Qi Rushan was also happy and said: "Academician Li has been a great help! I am still thinking that if students are still asked to grind tofu in Paris, I am afraid that it will not be able to meet the tuition needs of so many students."

Three years ago, Li Shizeng founded a tofu company in Paris, which for the first time greatly broadened the path of work-study.

Foreigners have always been fond of Chinese tofu, and the company's profits are justified.

Li Yu was a little embarrassed to be praised by them, and he quickly said politely: "No need to thank me anymore, it's really just a small effort."

The Diligent Work-Frugal Society of Studying in France has to help me even if I don’t really want to help.

Later, due to the impact of World War I, domestic remittance channels were cut off. These students studying in France encountered great difficulties in making a living, and there was no help at home.

Li Yu was indeed more able to provide assistance than Li Shizeng and others at that time.

In addition, don’t forget that a large number of Chinese workers were sent to France during World War I, which even formed a breeding ground for a revolutionary force that cannot be ignored in the future.

Li Yu looked around at the students and then asked: "Will you be sent to study in France this year?"

Qi Rushan said: "A group of those who pass the assessment will be selected to go out, while the others will continue to complete the preparatory class."

Li Yu said: "Your school's progress is really tight."

The preparatory school for studying in France also adheres to the characteristics of diligence and frugality. The tuition fee is six yuan a month. In addition to hiring a chef, all other school affairs are completed by the students themselves.

Generally speaking, this group of students is very different from the previous students who went to Europe and the United States, and their characteristics are very clear-poor.

However, poverty is relative, and most people still cannot afford it, but Cai Yuanpei has done his best to greatly reduce the cost.

The effect is still very good.

Among the first batch of students sent to study in France, many made academic achievements, such as the later Peking University professors Li Shuhua and Li Zongtong.

One of the female students, Zheng Yuxiu, became the first female doctor and the first female lawyer in modern Chinese history.

Things to study in France need to be done slowly, and the first batch of students will have to wait until the end of the year. ——

Affected by the Revolution of [-] and the abdication of the Qing Emperor, many schools in the capital were forced to close and are currently recovering.

The one that has recovered the fastest is Peking University, which has just been renamed from the Capital University Hall and has a new president - Yan Fu.

Yan Fu was quite proud to be the first president of Peking University after the Republic of China, and regarded it as fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

Invited by Yan Fu, Li Yu was called to the school as an "alumni".

But after arriving at Peking University, Li Yu felt that in terms of academic style, it was not even as good as the humble preparatory school for studying in France.

In the last few years of the late Qing Dynasty, the development of the Imperial Academy was relatively slow. Lao Naixuan, the last supervisor of the former Qing Dynasty, was an old man loyal to the Qing Dynasty. During the Xinhai period, he hurriedly took over the Academy, but claimed illness and left, leaving behind a mess. .

What's even more troublesome is that there is a lot of bureaucracy in the Capital University, which is contaminated with the corrupt customs of the Qing court.

"Haha! What a talent! You came just in time!" Yan Fu threw down a pile of ledgers and put on his glasses and said.

Li Yu cupped his hands and said, "Principal Yan, congratulations!"

Yan Fu said: "Congratulations, don't worry, the official appointment letter from the Ministry of Education has not been issued yet."

Li Yu said: "Then how did your principal come to be?"

Yan Fu said: "President Yuan Da personally appointed him."

Li Yu's heart skipped a beat. No wonder he had only been the principal for less than a year.

Now that we are in the Republic of China, the president alone cannot have the final say on anything. Congress must agree. Therefore, Cai Yuanpei’s Ministry of Education has some objections to Yuan Shikai’s appointment process.

Li Yu glanced at the account book on the table: "Principal Yan wants to be an accountant?"

"If I could solve the funding problem by becoming an accountant, I would always be an accountant." Yan Fu said.

"Why, is it possible that all the great Peking University is short of money?" Li Yu asked.

Yan Fu said bitterly: "Of course there is a shortage, even in the pre-Qing Dynasty."

Li Yu said: "Didn't it belong to the Qing Academy in the past? Its standards are the same as those of the Imperial Academy. How could it be short of money?"

Yan Fu said: "You may not know that since the establishment of the Qing Dynasty Academy, Rongqing, the Minister of the Academy, in order to suppress Zhang Baixi, the Minister of Management of the Capital University, and monopolize the management power of the Capital University, he requested that the Huayodaosheng Bank be provided directly to the Capital University. The special funds used for management are transferred to the academic department, and then the academic department allocates it to the Capital University Hall every year."

Li Yu said speechlessly: "When the money comes into the hands of the court, it will lose its skin."

"More than just a layer of skin," Yan Fu said. "After the Wuchang Uprising, military expenditures surged, and the academic department stopped allocating funds to the Capital University, and the university came to a standstill. At the beginning of the change of power, the salaries of various yamen of the provisional government, except for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Except for the Postal and Communications Department, the Army Department, etc., which are relatively secure, other departments are all in serious shortage. The branches and departments will not allocate funds to the Capital University."

Li Yu asked: "Are the funds guaranteed now?"

Yan Fu said: "Fortunately, my old face is worth some money. After all, I borrowed 7 taels from China-Russian Daosheng Bank, and President Yuan Da also approved it. Otherwise, the school will continue to be closed."

Li Yu felt something in his heart again. Yuan Shikai's style of doing things was indeed not "republican" enough. He made his own decisions, and sooner or later there would be friction with the revolutionary party.

Li Yu said: "Anyway, it will be fine if it operates normally."

Yan Fu said: "I have calculated that to maintain normal school operations, we need 2 taels per year. This money will be enough to last for a while."

Li Yu said: "Plans cannot keep up with changes and money will never be enough. It is best to make some effective reforms."

Yan Fu said: "I have decided to make personnel adjustments, especially for teachers. I can no longer be as casual as usual. You'd better help find a group of teachers, especially science teachers. You are the authority in this regard. Or help teach for a few months. class, many people will come here because of your reputation."

Li Yu said with a smile: "That's easy to say. But there are some old customs in the school that Principal Yan needs to find a way out of."

Yan Fu said: "What old custom?"

Li Yu said: "I have studied in the university hall, and I know the habits of students, especially in the official academy. They usually have little interest in learning. Anyway, as long as the years are completed, they can get a diploma.

"Many teachers are also careless. After printing out the lecture notes and distributing them to the students, they only read them once on the platform. The students must find it boring, so some doze off and some read miscellaneous books. After class is over, they take the handouts back. Stacked on the bookshelf.

“When it comes time for semester, school year or graduation exams, students will spend all night reading the lecture notes for subjects that teachers are serious about, just to get over the exam and never read it again.

“If the teacher is more accommodating, the students will ask the teacher to tell them the questions to be asked, or at least indicate a range of questions; in order to avoid students’ resentment and to protect their own dignity, teachers often tell students the questions or range.

"So the students' habit of not studying is guaranteed."

Do these words sound familiar?

They are exactly the same as many college students lying flat 100 years later!
A century of inheritance!

But this is Peking University!
Yan Fu adjusted his glasses: "Is this really the case?"

"I am a student, how could I not know? Besides, how could I lie to you!" Li Yu continued, "This situation is the most serious in the Capital University, which is much more powerful than the Tianjin Beiyang University next door! Everyone calls the Capital University The students of the hall are called 'masters' because many of them actually have official status; while the supervisors and teachers are jokingly called middle hall or adults in private."

Yan Fu was surprised: "According to what you said, I actually became a middle school? But students in school should complete their studies, right?"

Li Yu obviously understood the psychology of students better than Yan Fu, and went on to explain: "Their purpose is not only to study, but also to focus on the future after graduation. Therefore, they may not welcome teachers who specialize in academics; if they were more serious when calling their names, , if the examination is stricter, they may use excuses to oppose him, even go on strike. If a person with status in the court comes to teach part-time, they will welcome it very much, because after graduation, they can have a rich teacher as a teacher backing."

Yan Fu sighed: "These are all bad habits left over from the imperial examination era, and they are a great hindrance to your studies. But why has it been so long and the poison of the imperial examination has not dissipated?"

Li Yu spread his hands: "Because the Capital University has not been truly reformed in the form of a modern university in these years."

Yan Fu clenched his fists and said: "Since President Yuan Da has appointed me as the president of Peking University, I will transform the school into a first-class institution!"

Li Yu didn't answer because he knew that although Yan Fu was determined, it would be impossible to do it.His term of office was too short, and he did not have the management ability to be a modern university president.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on him.

In short, if we want Peking University to be reborn, complete its transformation, and become a world-class university, we must wait until Cai Yuanpei becomes president in a few years and carry out drastic reforms.