Source:

01-13-2006 16:55

Huizhou was the name of an inland province on the south bank of the Yangtze River. It is now divided between Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. The area was regarded as a place where ancient customs survived the longest. Over one and a half thousand years ago, the poet Tao Yuanming（陶淵明） wrote The Story of Peach Blossom Valley. The tale depicts a Chinese Arcadia governed by traditional virtues where people live in harmony with nature. The Huizhou clan surnamed Tao claim to be descended from the poet and settled in their own Peach Blossom Valley. Even now, the village retains the atmosphere of ancient times.

In feudal times, money alone did not give successful merchants their prestige. Knowledge and rank were considered more respectable than money. Wealth had to be accompanied by virtue and learning. Huizhou people valued education highly. One of the famous scholars from the area was the educationalist, Tao Xingzhi（陶行知）. Active in the early 20th century, he believed that only modern education could change China’s fate. After a period spent overseas, his thinking was a mixture of Dewey’s Pragmatism and Chinese Confucianism.

Tradition, family values and respect for education are recurring themes in Huizhou’s history. The area was heavily influenced by Confucian thinking which emphasized social stability through traditional virtues and roles. Tao Xingzhi was one of the first Chinese students to receive further education overseas. Yet, on his return to his homeland, his thinking still had a distinct Confucian flavour. Hu Shi was one of the leading reformists of the early 20th century. In theory, he advocated overthrowing feudal ideas and practices. But, in his personal life, the pressure to obey the will of his parents was too strong.

 

Editor:Wang Ping