The Hunan Self-Study University (

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one that is simpler (usually shorter), according to a well-founded ordering. Examples include: ...

:湖南自修大学;

traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

: 湖南自脩大學;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

:''Húnán zì xiū dàxué'') was an educational organization which operated on the grounds of the Yuelu Academy. It is on the current site of Chuanshan Academy, on Zhongshan East Road in Changsha.

History

It was created in August 1921 by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

due to his frustration with the traditional

shuyuan The ''Shuyuan'' ( zh, t=書院, s=书院, p=shūyuàn, first=t), usually known in English as Academies of Classical Learning or simply Academies, were a type of school in Imperial China. Unlike national academies and district schools, ''shuyuan'' ...

, aiming for a new type of school which would promote the ideas of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. Mao's former teacher and then-

Beijing University Peking University (PKU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. It i ...

professor

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 ...

had written an article called ''On the Necessity of Establishing a Provincial University in Hunan'' based on the shuyuan model. This encouraged Mao to propose a new model: In 1922 founding party member and writer Li Da was named the head of the school, and he edited the school's journal, "New Era" (新时代) which documented the school's founding goals and published works by other early Chinese Communists. The university operated until late 1923, when it was closed by General

Zhao Hengti Zhao Hengti (; 12 January 1880 – 23 November 1971), was a general and warlord in Hunan during the Warlord Era of early Republic of China. Biography Zhao was a native of Hengyang in Hunan Province. He was sent to Japan in 1904 to study at the T ...

of the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947. From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...

on the grounds that it violated a public order. A notable student of this university was

Yang Youlin Yang Youlin (, ''Youlin Yang'', 1899–1935), nickname Shifu (), was a Chinese politician and a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), being the Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the Hunan Hubei Jiangxi Soviet Provincial Government befo ...

, who became an influential leader in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

. Other notable students included

Li Weihan Li Weihan (; 2 June 1896 – 11 August 1984) was a Chinese Communist Party politician. After pursuing his studies in France in 1919–20, he returned to China for the first 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, National Congress o ...

Xia Minghan Xia Minghan (; 1900 – 30 March 1928) was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Revolution, revolution martyr, and a pioneer of Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was arrested and executed by the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1928. Early life Xia was ...

, Yi Lirong, Jiang Mengzhou, Guo Liang, and

Mao Zemin Mao Zemin (; April 3, 1896 – September 27, 1943), also using Zhou Bin () as his alias, was born in Xiangtan, Hunan province. He was the head of the state bank of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Ruijin and also the Minister of National ...

References

Defunct schools in China Chinese Communist Revolution {{improve categories, date=December 2024