101 years ago today, on November 11th, 1924 (October 15th, 1924 in the lunar calendar), Sun Yat-sen University was founded. Guangzhou, which was established in the early 1920s, was the center and birthplace of the Chinese revolution. However, until 1923, there were few schools in Guangdong province, only Lingnan University, National Guangdong Normal University, Public Legislative University, Public Agricultural College, Public Medical College and other colleges and universities. Obviously, Guangdong's education could not meet the needs of the booming revolutionary situation. Based on this, at the beginning of the following year (1924), Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded two schools in Guangzhou, one civil and one military: the Whampoa Military Academy, which was organized on January 24, 1924, and the National Academy, which was organized by two Generalissimo Orders on February 4. Guangdong University. Among them, the resources of National Guangdong Higher Normal School, Guangdong Public Legislative University, and Guangdong Public Agricultural College have been successfully optimized and integrated to form a whole-National Guangdong University (Sun Yat-sen University) has since played an important role in China's educational history and educational pattern. important role and has a significant impact. Under the care and guidance of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, although everything was complicated at the beginning of the establishment of National Guangdong University, all the work was carried out in an orderly manner. On June 9, 1924, Mr. Zhongshan appointed Zou Lu as the first president of National Guangdong University. On June 21, 1924, when Guangdong University held the inauguration ceremony of the president and the graduation ceremony of students, he entrusted Hu Hanmin, the general senator, to read out the precepts at the meeting on behalf of the Grand Marshal, "Learn from *, be a saint in Yuren, and graduate from university. The foundation is solid, the industry is famous, the peak is reached, and the ambition is successful. For the social welfare, for the state, and for self-improvement." On November 11, 1924, Guoli Guangdong University held a grand inauguration ceremony. However, because Dr. Sun Yat-sen was leaving northern Guangdong on November 13th, and his official duties were quite busy, he couldn't get out of the general assembly. He extracted from the 20th chapter of the Confucian classic The Doctrine of the Mean, "Learn, interrogate, think carefully, discern and practice", and wrote the founding precept of National Guangdong University "Learn, interrogate, think carefully, discern and practice", and entrusted Hu Hanmin, governor of Guangdong Province. This is the last precept left by Dr. Sun Yat-sen to the Guangdong University he founded. His educational philosophy is condensed in this precept. It has become the school motto followed by Guangdong University (Sun Yat-sen University) for more than 80 years and is also its soul. Preparation Process After Zou Lu took over Guangdong Agricultural College and Guangdong Law University in February, 1924, he convened students from the three universities to hold a meeting in the auditorium of Guangdong Normal University on the 24th of that month. At the meeting, he announced the preparation of National Guangdong University, and reported the preparation process and plan. On March 3rd, Guangdong University held its first preparatory meeting, focusing on discussing and adopting the organizational outline of the Preparatory Office of National Guangdong University. In order to ensure the preparatory work and the smooth opening of National Guangdong University, Sun Yat-sen personally raised funds. The funding campaign of Guangdong University has won the support of all sectors of society. On May 12th, 1924, Guangdong Education Association, Guangdong Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Guangdong General Shantang General Office, Guangdong Student Federation, Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions, Alumni Association in East China, and Student Committee of National Guangdong University Funding Campaign jointly issued the Declaration of Please Compete for Guangdong Customs Surplus and European and American Countries to Refund Boxer Indemnity as Funding for Guangdong University. In July 1925, Guangdong Public Medical University was merged into National Guangdong University. According to the organizational outline of the preparatory office, Zou Lu, the preparatory director, hired the preparatory committee by letter to set up the preparatory office. Finally, Liao Zhongai, Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei, Wu Chaoshu, Ma Junwu, Sun Ke, Xu Chongqing, Jiang Menglin, Li Shouchang (Li Dazhao), Shi Ying, Hu Shi, Wang Xinggong, Wang Shijie, Zhou Lan (Zhou Pisheng), Pi Zongshi, Guo Bingwen, Wu Zhihui, Li Shizeng, Yi Yincun, Yang Shukan, Chen Shuren, Xiong Xiling. After taking over Guangdong Agricultural College and Guangdong Law University, according to the organizational outline of the preparatory office and the actual situation of each school, the school changed the National Guangdong Normal University into liberal arts and science, Guangdong Law University into law, and Guangdong Agricultural College into agriculture. In addition, preparatory courses and engineering courses are set up, and six special courses committees are set up to study and plan the curriculum content and required equipment of each subject. After Zou Lu became the preparatory director, he actively hired well-educated people at home and abroad to be professors at the school. By July 1924, celebrities at home and abroad were hired: Zhang Zhenru (Doctor of Philosophy from the United Kingdom and the United States), Fei Hongnian (Biology), Xie Wuliang (Chinese Studies), Zhou Lisheng, Pi Zongshi (Science), Xu Chongqing (Education), Zhou Fohai (Economics), Xiao Cheng, Wang Xueting, Huang Guohua, Liang Long, Ma Honghuan, etc. After all kinds of school-running elements such as system, teachers, funds, and students are complete, National Guangdong University is scheduled to officially hold classes on September 15th, 1924. At that time, the school did not hold the opening ceremony and inauguration ceremony. On September 30th, the school held the second school affairs meeting, at which the matter was resolved, and it was decided to organize a preparatory meeting and choose a day to make up the inauguration ceremony. After reconsideration by the school meeting, the opening ceremony and inauguration ceremony were set on November 11th, 1924, which became the anniversary day of National Guangdong University. At the beginning of the founding of National Guangdong University, liberal arts was divided into five departments: Chinese literature, English literature, historiography, philosophy and education, and three departments: literature and history, English and society in normal universities. Science is divided into five departments of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geology, and two departments of mathematics, physics and chemistry and natural history in normal universities; Law is divided into three departments: law, political science and economics; Agricultural science is divided into three departments: agronomy, forestry, agronomic chemistry and agricultural department; Medical departments are not divided into departments, with the first and second hospitals and nursing schools attached; The preparatory course is divided into five groups: liberal arts, science, law, agriculture and medicine, and it is affiliated with junior normal schools and primary and secondary schools, all of which are handled according to the new western academic system; Each subject has seniors, preparatory courses and directors of attached schools, who handle educational affairs respectively; Set up a secretariat, accounting office and library to handle school affairs and organize school affairs meetings respectively to evaluate and plan important school affairs; Set up an engineering preparatory committee, plan to set up additional engineering courses, and set up an overseas department of the University of Lyon in France to send students studying in France. Guangdong National University is in a good situation to recruit preparatory students for the first time. There are 1,260 applicants from all over the country. After the preliminary examination and second examination, 372 applicants were finally admitted. Although the number of students enrolled is relatively small, the school has actually not completed the enrollment plan, with 372 students enrolled less than four-fifths of the 520 students enrolled in the enrollment plan. It can be seen that the recruitment of preparatory students in National Guangdong University pays more attention to quality than weight. According to the statistics of the next semester of 1924, Guangdong University has 764 undergraduate students, 532 preparatory students, 1,228 students from affiliated normal schools, middle schools, primary schools and kindergartens, and a total of 2,524 students. At the beginning of running a school, the school leaders vigorously recruited talents from all walks of life, and opened the list of teachers in the 1920s and 1930s recorded in the school history. It was really a gathering of famous teachers. Among them, many famous scholars are leading the way, and they are top figures in the academic fields they are engaged in research. Their academic personality, scholar's demeanor, academic methods and attitudes have condensed into cultural accumulation and become the precious spiritual wealth of Sun Yat-sen University. Scholars of Sun Yat-sen University, although they have different views, respect each other, and take it as their duty to stick to their own academic views and maintain a rigorous academic attitude. The "spirit of independence and thought of freedom" marked by Mr. Chen Yinque, a master of Chinese studies, reflects the demands of * and science after the May 4th Movement, and has become a banner of respecting academic individuality and freedom of thought. Before it was merged into Guangdong University, the original school had a group of successful and famous professors and experts. Such as Deng Zhiyi, Ding Ying, Shen Pengfei, Hou Guo, Li Yin, etc. in science. In order to adjust and enrich the teaching staff, the school has successively hired many famous scholars with expertise, such as Guo Moruo, Yu Dafu, Cheng Fangwu, Mu Mutian, Zheng Boqi, Feng Youlan, Zhou Fohai, Chen Qixiu, Chen Zhongfan, etc. in liberal arts. He Yanluo, Zhang Yun, Chen Kezhong, Chen Zongnan, Wang Ruoyi, Li Guochang, Fei Hongnian, Huang Bin, etc. in science. They brought a new atmosphere of teaching and research to the school. In order to cultivate revolutionary, scientific and cultural talents, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, in the name of the Grand Marshal of the Army and Navy of the Republic of China, issued two orders on February 4, 1924: "Merging National Normal University, Guangdong Law University and Guangdong Agricultural College into National Guangdong University" and "appointing Zou Lu as the preparatory director of National Guangdong University".