Huang Yanpei

Huang Yanpei (Chinese: 黃炎培; pinyin: Huáng Yánpéi; 1 October 1878 – 21 December 1965) was a Chinese educator, industrialist, politician, and a founding pioneer of the China Democratic League.

Life

Huang was born in Neishidi, Chuansha, Jiangsu (now part of Pudong, Shanghai) in the fourth year of the reign of the Guangxu Emperor in the late Qing Dynasty. His mother died when he was 13 and his father died when he was 17, so he lived with his maternal grandfather, who gave him a traditional Chinese education. In his young age, he studied at Dongye School (東野學堂) and read the Four Books and Five Classics. Before he reached adulthood, he worked as an informal teacher in his hometown to support his family. In 1899, he topped the imperial examination in Songjiang Prefecture and earned a xiucai (秀才) degree.

Huang's uncle sponsored him to read Western studies. In 1901, he was enrolled in Nanyang Public School (now Shanghai Jiao Tong University), where he met Cai Yuanpei, who was teaching Chinese there. A year later, Huang obtained a juren (舉人) degree in the imperial examination in Jiangnan. Later, he left school with his mates in protest against the expulsion of some of his fellow students, who were expelled for allegedly showing disrespect towards a teacher by leaving an empty ink bottle on the teacher's desk — an act interpreted as mocking the teacher by hinting that he was unlearned. Huang returned to Chuansha, where he established a Chuansha Primary School (川沙小學) for children. During this time, he read Yan Fu's Tian Yan Lun (天演論) — a translation of Thomas Henry Huxley's Evolution and Ethics — and other books on Western ideas.

Huang Yanpei (TV series)

Huang Yanpei is a Chinese historical television series based on the life of Huang Yanpei, a prominent educator, industrialist and politician who was also one of the founders of the China Democratic League. Directed by Hong Baosheng and Zhao Lei, the series starred Zhang Tielin as the eponymous character. The series was first broadcast on CCTV-8 in China on 27 May 2010.

Cast