Xiao Zisheng (; 22 August 1894 - 21 November 1976) was a Chinese educator and scholar.

Names

His birthname was Xiao Zisheng (). His

style name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

was Xudong () and his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

was Shutong ().

Biography

Xiao was born in

Xiangxiang Xiangxiang () is a county-level city under the administration of Xiangtan, Hunan province, China. Located on Central Hunan and the west of Xiangtan, Xiangxiang is bordered by Ningxiang County and Shaoshan City to the north, Xiangtan County to the ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

on 22 August 1894, the elder son of Xiao Yueying (), a Chinese educator. He had a younger brother,

Xiao San Xiao San (; 10 October 1896 – 4 February 1983) was a Chinese poet and translator. He was fluent in Russian, French, German, and English. Xiao San was the first writer to write a biography of Mao Zedong. Names His birthname was Xiao Kesen (). ...

. In 1910, he attended Dongshan Higher Elementary School. In 1909, he enrolled in the Dongshan High School and graduated in 1911, where he studied alongside

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

and

. At that school, his father was the physics teacher. In 1911, he was accepted to Hunan First Normal University and graduated in 1915. He studied under

Yang Changji Yang Changji (; 21 April 1871 – 17 January 1920) was a Chinese educator, philosopher, and writer. After advanced studies in Japan and Europe, he taught at Hunan First Normal University, where he exerted considerable influence on Mao Zedong, C ...

. After college, he taught at Chuyi School. In 1918, he founded New People's Study Society with Mao Zedong. In 1919, he traveled to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

for the Work-Study Program, becoming the secretary of China-France Education Association. He returned to China in 1924, and served in various posts in universities and colleges in Beijing. From 1931 to 1945, during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

, he lived in France to escape the violence. He once served as President of China International Library. In 1949, he went to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, then moved to France and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. In 1952, he settled in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. On the 21st November 1976, he died.

Bibliography

* ''Mao Tse-Tung and I Were Beggars'' (1959) * ''Biography of Mao Zedong and Me''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao, Zisheng 1894 births People from Xiangxiang 1976 deaths Hunan First Normal University alumni Educators from Hunan