Cai yuanpei biography sample

Cai Yuanpei (Chinese: 蔡元培)(1868-1940), the leading liberal educator of early twentieth-century China, was best known for being the Republic of China’s first Minister of Education, Chancellor of Peking University, and the founder and first president of the Academia Sinica, China’s highest national research institute.

Cai yuanpei biography sample

He was also noted for his pioneering work in reforming the system of traditional education and for his efforts to synthesize Chinese and Western educational ideas.

Biographical sketch

Cai Yuanpei was born on January 11, 1868 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

As his father was the manager of a local bank, Cai had a comfortable family life. This enabled him to receive a traditional education which concentrated on knowledge of the classics and to successfully complete the civil-service examinations.

At the age of 22, Cai earned the title of jinshi (doctorate) and became a member of the Hanlin Academy, the highest honor accorded to a scholar in feudal Chi