East China Normal University: Founding in 1951 and Its Early Teaching and Research

In 1951, the central Ministry of Education promoted higher teacher-training institutions organized by large administrative region to address the shortage of secondary-school teachers. The Education Department of the East China Military and Administrative Commission led preparations in East China, principally using Shanghai’s Daxia and Guanghua universities. Their existing arts, sciences and education staff could be concentrated in the new institution, making its preparation a matter of organizational merger and reassignment of disciplines.

On July 18, deputy education department heads Tang Shouyu and Shen Tilan announced the merger at meetings of teachers and students at the two universities. Guangming Daily reported that it had been discussed with Guanghua president Liao Shicheng and Daxia president Ou Yuanhuai. Arts and science students would remain in the new institution; the department would help other students transfer. Staff would generally be retained, with some teachers moving to other universities with their disciplines. These arrangements shaped the place of the former institutions’ teachers and students in the new system.

References: [1] [3]

A nineteen-member preparatory committee was formed on July 24, including education officials, leaders of the two universities, professors and student representatives. The institution occupied Daxia’s former Shanghai campus, with building repairs, admissions and transfers proceeding together. The founding ceremony planned for October 1 was postponed. Teachers and students first took part in two weeks of preparatory study, discussing the new university’s teacher-training purpose.

The founding and opening ceremony took place in Xinxia Hall on October 16. Meng Xiancheng, acting as head of the East China Education Department, presided and announced the university’s establishment. Formal presidential appointments followed: on November 30, the department announced that Meng would also serve as university president, with Sun Taolin and Liao Shicheng as first and second vice-presidents. The preparatory decision, founding ceremony and administrative appointments were separate steps.

References: [3]

The initial departments covered Chinese, foreign languages, education, history, geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, music and physical education. A Xinhua report in November 1951 specifically records the incorporation of Fudan’s education department, Tongji’s zoology and botany departments, the University of Shanghai’s music department, and the East Asia Physical Education College, concentrating resources for secondary-school teacher training.

Meanwhile, Daxia and Guanghua’s civil-engineering departments moved to Tongji, while finance, politics and law departments went to other universities. The new institution inherited selected and supplemented teaching resources. During the national departmental reorganization of 1952, St. John’s science college, education departments from several universities, and Zhejiang University’s geography department were among further additions, accompanied by teachers, books and equipment. This expansion followed the founding.

References: [2] [3]

The first students included transfers from the former universities and new entrants. Zheng Yingyuan, a member of the 1951 mathematics cohort, recalled that twenty students first reported in late September 1951, with five recommended students from Fujian joining the following February. They lived in Qunce Zhai and attended classes in Qunxian Hall, initially without a fixed classroom. Their small cohort’s record also shows teaching space being arranged as the university began operating.

According to the memoir, after participating in social activities, the mathematics class began formal classroom teaching in mid-February 1952. Courses included analytic geometry and elementary calculus, general physics, and general courses such as education and Russian. Mathematics teaching methods were added later, with students undertaking practice in affiliated and other secondary schools. University-level plans combined politics, education, disciplinary study and teaching placements, coordinated by a placement committee linking academic administration, departments and school supervising teachers.

References: [4] [3]

Training teachers also required improved academic standards. A research department was established in October 1952 under Tian Peizhi to organize research plans. In October 1953, research classes opened in seven specialties, including education, physical geography and mathematical analysis, to train teaching staff for higher normal institutions.

A scientific research committee was established in February 1955, chaired by Meng Xiancheng. On November 15, the ECNU journal began publication, providing an institutional outlet for research. Early topics included general disciplinary study and secondary-school teaching: education and biology faculty jointly investigated biology teaching-research groups in Shanghai secondary schools. By the first scientific discussion conference on January 31, 1956, teaching, teacher training and research were beginning to connect through plans, publications and meetings.

References: [3]