In 1975, Chiang Kai-shek died in depression. Before his death, he kept chanting the name of a person repeatedly. This person was neither Mao Zedong nor Zhang Xueliang.

In the history of modern China, Chiang Kai-shek is a person who cannot be ignored. In his early days, he followed Mr. Sun Yat-sen and devoted himself to revolution. In his later period, he started counter-revolution for the sake of dictatorship, until he was defeated and fled to Taiwan.

In 1975, Chiang Kai-shek died in depression. Before his death, he kept chanting the name of a person repeatedly. This person was neither Mao Zedong nor Zhang Xueliang.

After hearing this person's name, Jiang Ching-kuo was puzzled. He didn't understand why his father still missed this person before he died.

Chiang Kai-shek and Education

The person whom Chiang Kai-shek kept talking about before his death was Zhang Boling, a famous figure in the modern education world.

So why did Chiang Kai-shek keep talking about him before his death?

Chiang Kai-shek's military life, after the revolution, he nominally unified the country, reached the peak of his momentum and prestige, and was very high-spirited.

However, when facing the Communist Party, there was nothing to do.

Chiang Kai-shek looked down on the Communist Party. At that time, he had a large number of sophisticated weapons provided by the United States and a huge army of more than 4.2 million men, and many of the leaders of the Kuomintang were graduated from Whampoa Military Academy.

However, despite having all the advantages, Chiang Kai-shek still lost to the Communist Party, which puzzled him. It was not until he fled to Taiwan in his later years and died in bed that he seemed to understand something.

When he was summarizing and discussing his failed experiences with Jiang Jingguo, he finally discovered an important point, which was education that he had neglected for a long time.

Although Chiang Kai-shek attached great importance to education, he did not use education to form a cohesion in a real sense, because he did not realize that the patriotism spirit that can inspire the people and resonate is the ultimate goal of education. Although he has done a lot in this area, he is far from being good or precise.

The educator Zhang Boling managed to teach without distinction and created an atmosphere for young people to serve the country wholeheartedly. This is one of the reasons why he has been talking about Zhang Boling repeatedly.

Chiang Ching-kuo had been listening carefully to Chiang Kai-shek's teachings, but finally he heard Zhang Boling's name, which puzzled him. But years later, he finally understood.

Zhang Boling and education

Zhang Boling was born in Tianjin in the late Qing Dynasty. Although he came from a family of scholars, his background was worthless in an era when the building was about to collapse.

Zhang Boling did not want to rely on his family to work. He saw that the country was poor and weak and was bullied by foreigners.

After Zhang Boling worked hard to pass the Beiyang Naval Academy, he joined the Beiyang Navy, wanting to become a soldier who defended his family and the country. However, the failure of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 made him completely disappointed with the Qing Dynasty rulers. .

Later, Zhang Boling went abroad. After learning advanced knowledge, he began to return to China and join the education field.

Zhang Boling was a banner in the education field during the Republic of China.

After several years of exploration, he finally founded Nankai Middle School . After rushing to Columbia University in the United States for further study, he founded Nankai University in 1919 and trained talents such as Zhou Enlai.

After the Anti-Japanese War started in 1937, Zhang Boling resolutely merged his efforts with Tsinghua and moved to Changsha to continue to provide talents for the country.

Zhang Boling is a person who truly cares about the country. He has never rigidly believed that the Kuomintang or the Communist Party is better. As long as he can save China and make China better, that is Zhang Boling's wish.

In order to realize his wish, he not only studied the thoughts of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, but also deeply studied the ideas of saving the country and the people promoted by the Communist Party.

Because of his achievements in the education field, Zhang Boling has a very high reputation in northern China.

After the North China Incident broke out, in order to promote the establishment of the Anti-Japanese National United Front , Zhou Enlai wrote directly to Mr. Zhang Boling, hoping to use his influence to promote cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

Not long after the letter was sent, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the famous " Xi'an Incident" and detained Chiang Kai-shek in Huaqingchi. Zhou Enlai went directly to Xi'an in person, ultimately promoting the peaceful resolution of the Xi'an Incident and achieving the anti-Japanese national unity. battle front.

After the Xi'an Incident broke out, many aspiring young people in Nankai University strongly agreed with the Communist Party's ideas and believed that they should support Chiang Kai-shek to fight against Japan.

At that time, Zhang Boling paid more attention to the Kuomintang and was very worried about Chiang Kai-shek's safety. But even so, Zhang Boling did not deny that Zhou Enlai was a student in the Communist camp. Instead, he believed that he solved the biggest crisis facing the Chinese nation in the best way and praised him highly.

Zhang Boling even placed a photo of Premier Zhou Enlai on the table for a group photo, feeling proud to have such a student. In fact, Mr. Zhang Boling’s educational philosophy is to educate without distinction and learn from others. In his view, if a nation wants to rise, it must be sensitive and eager to learn, not ashamed to ask questions, absorb all correct things, and establish the soul of a nation through education. Only by learning to build the people's sense of belonging can we win the hearts and minds of the people and save the country.

Zhang Boling, who had witnessed the fall of the Qing Dynasty, rejected the closed-door thinking of feudal society. He used his patriotism education concept to open a new door, gathering the strength of a large number of young people and gaining the support of the people. This is what Chiang Kai-shek has always asked for it.

In fact, after the defeat of the Kuomintang, Zhang Boling understood that only the Communist Party could save the country. Therefore, when New China was about to be founded, Zhang Boling agreed to Zhou Enlai's request to stay in the mainland to continue developing education and declined Chiang Kai-shek's invitation to go to Taiwan. invite.

Zhang Boling saw the founding of New China and continued to work in the career he loved, eventually passing away in 1951.

Chiang Kai-shek finally figured out in his later years that the reason why Zhang Boling chose to stay in the mainland was that the Kuomintang lost the hearts of the people, so he kept chanting Zhang Boling's name before his death. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Zhang Boling and Politics

Although Mr. Zhang Boling was a person who hoped to save the country through education, under the complex social environment at that time, he wanted to expand his educational philosophy and contribute to the country, so it was almost inevitable to participate in politics. thing.

The economic situation of Nankai University was very poor at that time. It even lost three famous academic professors due to salary issues, making it difficult to carry out school work.

At that time, Nankai University was still a private university. The funding for running the school mainly relied on shareholders and assistance from all walks of life. However, opening a school was always a matter of high investment and low income. Therefore, the school was unable to make ends meet for a long time, so Turning to politicians of the day became inevitable.

During the Beiyang government period, school resources at that time were all in the hands of politicians. In order to ensure the smooth running of the school, Zhang Boling traveled among politicians many times. At the same time, he relied on the relationship between Yan Xiu, the founder of Nankai University. , received a lot of support from the then President of the Beiyang Government Xu Shichang , which allowed the school to be successfully established.

In order to obtain teaching resources, Zhang Boling was also very flattering to some reactionary politicians during the Beiyang government, which earned him a lot of infamy. Even Zhou Enlai thought that his approach was to sacrifice the greater for the smaller.

However, considering the complex background at the time, Zhang Boling's approach was certainly wrong, but it also ensured the smooth establishment and normal operation of Nankai University.

Zhang Boling himself was actually quite resistant to such political activities. Although he got close to politicians many times for the sake of the school, he refused many invitations from the Beiyang government and did not take up a position in the then Ministry of Education.

After the National Government replaced the Beiyang Government in 1928, Zhang Boling was completely tied to politics.

In the early days of the establishment of the National Government, it attached great importance to education, and because the domestic situation was slightly more stable at that time, enough funds were injected into national universities. As a result, the disadvantages of private schools like Nankai University became apparent, as there were stable funds It is a national university that originated from China and is developing rapidly.

The change of government and the rise of national universities instantly broke Nankai University's capital chain. The large amount of money owed forced Zhang Boling to find a stable source of funds.

At this time, Chiang Kai-shek extended a helping hand. Zhang Boling accepted Chiang Kai-shek's solicitation out of the need to raise funds for running schools.

This is why he cared about Chiang Kai-shek during the Xi'an Incident. In short, once Chiang Kai-shek dies, no one will give him money to continue developing Nankai University.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Nankai University was bombed and destroyed by the Japanese army, and the entire campus fell into a sea of ​​fire.

Mr. Zhang Boling was very depressed after Nankai University was bombed, but Chiang Kai-shek gave him a shot in the arm and assured him that "China has both and Nankai ". This also made Mr. Zhang Boling even more grateful to Chiang Kai-shek, and he became more participate in politics.

Zhang Boling successively held important positions in the National Government, such as deputy speaker of the National Political Consultative Conference and executive supervisor of the Central Supervisory Committee of the Three Youth League. His relationship with Chiang Kai-shek was "gradually getting better."

Although Zhang Boling strongly agreed with Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles, the National Government led by Chiang Kai-shek obviously did not agree with him. Therefore, Zhang Boling was very cautious while working in the National Government.

In 1941, at the strong request of Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Boling had no choice but to join the Kuomintang. After

joined the Kuomintang, in order to strengthen its control over educational resources, the Nationalist government finally incorporated Nankai University into a national institution in 1946. Zhang Boling's idea of ​​"education independence" also completely failed.

This was also an important reason why Zhang Boling stayed in the mainland when the Kuomintang was defeated in Taiwan. Another reason was because of Zhou Enlai.

Zhang Boling and Zhou Enlai

Zhang Boling and Zhou Enlai have been together for nearly 40 years. They are not only teachers and students, but also comrades who work together to save the country and fight against Japan.

The relationship between the two of them is a microcosm of Nankai, which reveals the sincere patriotism of teachers and students in Nankai back then.

Mr. Zhang Boling had both merits and demerits in his life. Although he also flattered politicians and helped the reactionary forces of the Kuomintang, his starting point cannot be denied or questioned. He founded the school for the rise of the country and the rejuvenation of the nation. The students he cultivated have an impact. An entire era is worthy of recognition.

In his patriotic education concept, students must not only have the spirit of public service, responsibility, struggle, hard work, and cooperation, but also have strong patriotism and patriotism.

Therefore, he asked Nankai students to learn more practical skills during their studies, unite and strengthen their bodies, and contribute to the rejuvenation of the country.

Zhou Enlai was deeply influenced by Zhang Boling's educational philosophy when he was studying in Nankai. Although he was born in poverty, he was really meticulous in his studies and used all his time to enrich himself.

This spirit of learning influenced Zhou Enlai's life. When he went to study abroad in the later period, Zhou Enlai still maintained his hard-working and studious spirit, laying a solid foundation for his subsequent investment in the red cause.

Zhang Boling admired Zhou Enlai who was born in a poor family. After learning about his family difficulties, Zhang Boling not only did not ignore him or despise him, but directly waived his tuition, book fees, tuition and miscellaneous fees, and also helped him find some chores to support his family. .

Zhou Enlai's neither arrogant nor impetuous temper also won Zhang Boling's love. Even though Zhou Enlai later joined the Communist Party and his positions were different from Zhang Boling's, he still felt that Zhou Enlai was the best student in Nankai.

Of course, Zhou Enlai always remembered Mr. Zhang Boling’s sincere teachings. After joining the revolution, he also talked about Principal Zhang Boling and Nankai Middle School many times.

However, although Zhou Enlai respected Mr. Zhang Boling, he never followed him blindly. After the May 4th Movement in 1919, Zhou Enlai had changed his mind and looked at China's development with a new world view. Therefore, although he respected Mr. Zhang Boling, he also criticized him. He made fun of the Beiyang government in order to run a school.

Zhang Boling himself has always been looking for the direction and way out of Chinese education, and he will naturally listen to outside suggestions with an open mind. Under Zhou Enlai's suggestion, he also believed that China's education needs to fundamentally change, and everything cannot be copied from Western textbooks. It is because we should find an education path suitable for China.

Mr. Zhang Boling believes that the purpose of education cannot be just for the individual, but must seek social progress, and education must be carried out in a scientific way.

In December 1919, Zhang Boling entrusted Zhou Enlai to announce the educational reform outline to all teachers and students in the school. This was a fusion and breakthrough of the educational concepts of both parties.

Since then, Nankai’s education landscape has taken on a completely new look, which also made Zhang Boling more concerned about the new trend of thought pursued by Zhou Enlai. In 1944, Chiang Kai-shek was preparing to expand the number of troops under the pretense of resisting Japan and essentially launching a war against communism and the people. Therefore, he shouted the slogan "One inch of mountains and rivers, one inch of blood; one hundred thousand young people, one hundred thousand troops."

At that time, Zhou Enlai found Zhang Boling and exposed Chiang Kai-shek's conspiracy.

Zhang Boling also sighed afterward, saying that Chiang Kai-shek's actions were not conducive to the development of the country. Nankai teachers and students also boycotted Chiang Kai-shek's military recruitment activities.

After the Liberation War, Zhang Boling met and talked with Chairman Mao, the great leader of our party, through Zhou Enlai's matchmaking. He gained a deep understanding of Chairman Mao's thoughts and the Communist Party's policies, and finally chose to reject Chiang Kai-shek's invitation and stay in China. Mainland China continues its education career.

Zhou Enlai did not care about Mr. Zhang Boling's participation in the activities of the Kuomintang government in his later years, but focused on his educational career. This mind and spirit of serving the people are worth learning from.

Conclusion

Throughout Mr. Zhang Boling’s life, although he made occasional mistakes, his contribution to education cannot be ignored. He was born in a turbulent era. Although he experienced setbacks, he honed his perseverance and perseverance. His patriotism eventually penetrated into his educational philosophy and cultivated a large number of aspiring young people for the rise of China.

What Mr. Zhang Boling brought was an idea and even more of a national spirit. The education he pursued was patriotic education, using scientific methods to love the country and build strong national cohesion to save the country.

This is what Chiang Kai-shek's government has always lacked. The reason why the Kuomintang was defeated was that it lost its patriotism in the late period of the Nationalist government and began to intrigue and indulge in power, which led to the loss of popular support.

It is a pity that he did not understand this until Chiang Kai-shek died, and Chiang Ching-kuo did not finally understand this until the Kuomintang completely declined and could not hold on in Taiwan: the patriotism of the nation cannot be lost, and the cohesion of the people cannot be lost.