Cai Yuanpei

Cai Yuanpei was praised as one of the most influential educator and thinker in Modern China. He was saturated with Chinese traditional thoughts at a young age and then was greatly influenced by western thoughts. During his time, his homeland was suffering from wars, and there was an urgent need to reform the society in a different direction: Cai took the responsibility. He reformed the structure and the curriculum of universities, released regulations and policies on common education, advocated for the importance of aesthetic education, and showed up as a firm supporter for women’s rights, especially equal rights to receive the same education as men. Under his leadership, Beijing University, the university he was in, attracted renowned scholars from all over the country and became the cultural center of the country. He actively promoted communications between China and the west and encouraged people to open access to whoever hoped to learn. As a virtuous thinker and respected educator, he influenced his era to a great extent. Till today, he is still admired by numerous scholars and educators.