Tao Xingzhi

Tao Xingzhi (1891–1946) was a renowned modern Chinese people's educator and democratic fighter. Originally named Wenjun, he was a native of Shexian, Anhui. He studied at Columbia University in the United States under John Dewey, and after returning to China taught at Nanjing Higher Normal School. Tao advocated "life is education," "society is the school," and "teaching, learning, and doing as one," and founded Xiaozhuang Normal School, Shanhai Work-Study Group, and Yucai School, promoting mass education and rural education. He died in Shanghai in 1946. His works cover educational theory, national education, educational maxims, and poetry. Ten titles are held in the library, including Selected Educational Writings of Tao Xingzhi (Vol. 2), Tao Xingzhi on National Education, The Essence of Education, and Selected Poems of Tao Xingzhi. His plain, practical style combines thought with practice.