Chinois-Franco University
Evolution of School History
The predecessor of Chinois-Franco University was the French Preparatory School founded in 1919 by Cai Yuanpei and Li Shizeng who were studying in France. At the beginning of 1920, the French Preparatory School expanded to two sections of liberal arts and sciences, and renamed itself the Xishan Institute of Chinois-Franco University. After four years of development, Beijing Chinois-Franco University had begun to take shape, and the undergraduate department developed into four colleges, namely, Voltaire College, Comte College, Curie College and Lamarck College. In 1933, the Ministry of Education required Chinois-Franco University to change itself as a national one; In1949, the Chinois-Franco University began to be taken over by government officially when the People's Republic of China was established, and renamed itself the National Beijing Chinois-Franco University.
Chinois-Franco University (1920-1950) present Beijing east Dong Huang Cheng Gen
Memorial photography of the 9th anniversary of Beijing Chinois-Franco University
After the peaceful liberation of Beijing, the Ministry of Education made the decision that the Chinois-Franco University would close down after the termination of summer holiday in 1950. At the end of Chinois-Franco University, the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government decided that the Medical School was merged into School of Medicine, Peking University, led by the Ministry of Health; The Department of Literature and History and the Department of French Literature of the School of Literature was merged into the School of Literature, Peking University; The Department of Economics was merged into Nankai University; Chinois-Franco University and its documents and archives were merged into the College of Engineering, North China University( present Beijing Institute of Technology). The dormitories and buildings were merged into the College of Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology. The professors are in place according to their respective professions. Pharmacy College, Shanghai Chinois-Franco University was merged into Shanghai Medical College. The primary and secondary schools, hot spring sanatorium, Xishan farm and other possessions affiliated to Chinois-Franco University were all taken over by the Beijing Municipal People's Government.
Development diagram of Chinois-Franco University
Tremendous leap-forward was achieved in many aspects in the College of Engineering, North China University around 1950, which was largely attributed to the incorporation of Chinois-Franco University. It embodied the changes in the four aspects: the enlargement of the teaching buildings and the addition of the equipment, the improvement of contingent of teachers, the adjustment of academic institutions and the introduction of the academic talents. Chinois-Franco University opened a gorgeous chapter in the history of China-French educational and cultural exchanges within 30 years since its appearance, which later exerted a profound impact on the development of Beijing Institute of Technology.
Relative Resources in BIT
At present, Beijing Institute of Technology Library retains a large number of collections over the period of Chinois-Franco University, including All-Encompassing Library in over 1600 volumes; Chinois-Franco University Profile, From Yan'an City to Beijing and other books nearly 200 volumes; Science and other bound volumes of periodicals in 250 volumes, approximately 1000 issues; about 100 related pictures of Chinois-Franco University and Chinois-Franco University Library Catalog:
Overview of Cultural Relics in Peiping (1935) was compiled by Peiping Municipal Government Secretariat and published by Peiping Forbidden City Press. It relates Beijing's ancient architecture and historical relics as well as antiques and art treasures of the Forbidden City in detail. A great many buildings and material objects is no longer in existence.
Collected Explanation of Function Words in Ancient Books (1934) was written by Pei Xuehai, a famous linguist and signed by Liang Shuming, an excellent philosopher and scholar. It focused on the explanation of the confusion in the ancient books and summarized the research findings related to the function words by both past and contemporary scholars. The book absorbed the essence, discarded the dross and supplemented the incompleteness and even the neglect, which earned a widespread praise from the academic circles.
Memoires de l'academie royale des sciences
It came out in 34 volumes and was published in French in 1699, covering physics, mathematics, astronomy, geography, chemistry, biology and other science. (Because of the discontinuity of the collection, the book appears with two versions: one is the hardcover with the leather-gold-foil cover and illustrations; the other is in softback, with the same contents.) It is the oldest foreign book among the collections of our library.
All-Encompassing Library was compiled by Wang Wuyun and published by the Commercial Press from the year 1929 to 1937. It has two versions--the printed copy and the photocopy, with 4000 volumes and 1721 categories. Nowadays, Beijing Institute of Technology Library retained more than 1600 volumes, all of which are from the collections of Chinois-Franco University Library.
Inventory of the Four Categories and Index of the Excluded, an index book, was written by Yenching University Library Index Editorial Office and came out in 1932.It belonged to School of Liberal Arts, Chinois-Franco University.
World started its publication in 1907 and is the first photographic pictorial in China. The chief editor of the pictorial is Yao Hui and the editors were Wu Zhihui and Li Shi Zeng. It just published two issues and is extremely rare, which in every issue carried approximately 100 photos with the caption and other treatises. It was compiled and published in Paris, France in the name of World Society, which is made up of the Chinese students in France. Because of its small circulation, it was listed in treasured editions and belonged to the collections of Chinois-Franco University.
The Forbidden City Weekly started its publication in 1929 and ended in 1936, with a total of 510 issues. It gave a vivid description of art treasures of the forbidden city of all dynasties, with a large number of illustrations. The issue collected is the debut issue, which belonged to the collections of Chinois-Franco University.
Reform Our Study, the Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party and Rural Surveys are the earlier versions of the revolutionary literature, which belonged to School of Liberal Arts, Chinois-Franco University
Universalis Encyclopedia Editio Sinica was published by the World Book Co. Ltd in June, 1946 and written by Li Shizeng, Yang Jialuo, etc.
A brief introduction to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was published by Shanghai Liangyou Books Company in 1933. It was divided into ten parts, including community, construction, religion, philosophy, art, literature, education, science, women and life. It detailed all respects of the social life of the Soviet Union through a large number of pictures.
List of the book purchase of Voltaire School, Chinois-Franco University (1933)
All kinds of the notices of Chinois-Franco University Library between 1931 and 1935
The list of the post of the Chinois-Franco University in 1938
The teaching materials of library science, the collections of Chinois-Franco University, was compiled by Correspondence Course Society, Shanghai Libraries Association during the period of Republic of China.
All types of tables and sheets belonging to the Chinois-Franco University affiliated high school around 1931
Photocopy of the books of the Song Dynasty of Seikado Bunko was compiled by Morohashi Tetsuji, a Japanese scholar. The book collected the Photocopy of the books of the Song Dynasty from Bisonglou of Lu Xinyuan, a Chinese collector, which contributes to the research on the dispersion of Chinese ancient books.
Historical materials and literature during the period of the Chinois-Franco University
Researches and Literature between 1992 and 2014 concerning the history of Chinois-Franco University
Li Linyu Overview of Chinois-Franco University Library (1933).The book details the development of Chinois-Franco University Library in the course of ten years since being constructed, including its architecture, collections, management, etc.
Li Linyu Chinois-Franco University Library’s Bibliography of Chinese Books (1933) The collections of the Chinese books in Chinois-Franco University Library at that time were listed at length in this book.
The Roll of Private Chinois-Franco University Faculty （1935）Alumni and Faculty Book of Private Chinois-Franco University（1935）They include the name list of the staff in Chinois-Franco University, affiliated primary and high schools as well as agriculture and forestry experimental field before 1935.
Alumni Book of Peiping Chinois-Franco University (1935)Li linyu signed the book and inscribed the words ‘Alumni Book of Peiping Chinois-Franco University’ on it. The book collects the picture of the school and photos of teachers and students.
Chart of Chinois-Franco University Library Handover (handwritten version 1950)It illustrates Chinois-Franco University Library’s transferring books and other resources as well as the relevant certificates of transfer.
Beijing Chinois-Franco University Profile(1928)It was published by Chinois-Franco University in 1928, covering the development and the school-running orientation of Beijing Chinois-Franco University in the initial stage.
The official documents of Board of Chinois-Franco University Association (1926)
Alumni and Faculty Book of Beijing Chinois-Franco University (1928)The roll of students and teachers of 1927 in Chinois-Franco University were listed.
The Stack of the Chinese Book Reading Room
Auditorium Internship of Students
History
Chinois-Franco University enjoyed a special place in China’s educational circles because it is of historical importance. As its name suggests, Chinois-Franco University seems to adopt French education model and run by Chinois-Franco joint venture, just like other cooperative universities. Actually it is not the same. First and foremost, Chinois-Franco University is Chinese autonomous educational institute, funded by the school board organized by Chinese and French sources. In the second place, the founder of the university has a lofty ambition. He wanted to implement a new educational system because the ideals of French correspond with ours. Under this circumstance, so they deliberately based our educational system on it according to national conditions. It was the new educational system that distinguished the Chinois-Franco University from international cooperative schools or church schools. Chinois-Franco University desired to have an integration of both Chinese and western educational systems and to invent an ideal one. Nowadays, a considerable number of research books and magazines have sprung up, such as Eternal Complex, Memoirs of the College of Engineering, North China University, etc. Beijing Institute of Opto-Electronic Technology is the site where Chinois-Franco University stood. The inscribed words” Three Principles of the People” now still remain in the interior wall of the auditorium.
Researches and Documents Concerning the History of Chinois-Franco University
Chinois-Franco University Special Literature and China-French Cultural Exchange Academic Symposium was held in Beijing Institute of Technology on 22, December 2015. Over 30 individuals participated in the symposium. They came from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University Library, the Institute of Gugong Studies, Shanghai Normal University, National Library of China, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing Open University, Beijing Institute of Technology Library, History museum and some of them are Chinois-Franco University alumni. They discussed and exchanged their ideas about the Chinois-Franco University’s educational mode, educational philosophy, history, cultural, etc., which contributed to the cultural exchange between China and France.
Chinois-Franco University Special Literature and China-French Cultural Exchange Academic Symposium (December, 2015)
Activities
Chinois-Franco University was established in Lyon, France in 1921. As the overseas branch, Institute Franco-Chinois de Lyon provided the convenience and support for Chinese youngsters to study in France during the China-France work-study program. Thus, it was undoubtedly the forerunner of the international construction of the modern Chinese higher education and of unique historical interest.
2014 witnessed the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, both China and France organized a large-scale exchanges and commemorative events. During the state visit to France, President Xi Jinping visited the former site of Institute Franco-Chinois de Lyon on March 26, 2014. He said:“Institute Franco-Chinois de Lyon witnessed a special history of diplomatic relations between China and France and recorded two major foreign exchanges of China since modern times. China is willing to cooperate with French to collect, protect and research the relevant documents. I hope that an increasing number of Chinese will visit here, and wish the exchanges between Lyon and China continue to deepen.”
President Xi Visited Institute Franco-Chinois de Lyon (March, 2014)
On 24, September 2015, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Beijing Institute of Technology, Historical Memorial Exhibition of Chinois-Franco University was held by Beijing Institute of Technology Library. Throughout pictures, books and other historical information, the majority of teachers and students had a better knowledge of Chinois-Franco University and the spirit of democracy, freedom, equality and fraternity from the history of Chinois-Franco University.
Special Book Exhibition of Chinois-Franco University (September, 2015)