The approval speed for the Capital Girls' School was very fast. After all, it was not the first one. The imperial court certainly did not want the capital to lag behind Tianjin and Shanghai for too long.
Lu Xun later taught in this school, because Liu Hezhen, a student of the school, was beaten to death by the military police, and he also wrote the famous "In Memory of Mr. Liu Hezhen".
The school was chosen near Xuanwumen, but it would take about a year to complete the school building.
Li Yu definitely supports the establishment of a women's school. How can a university be justified if there are no female students? Even falling in love is difficult.
Li Yu met Zhang Boling on the road who was coming to the capital with several students. Li Yu saw that most of the students behind him were those who had taken him to the United States to participate in the Olympic Games. Li Yu asked curiously: "Brother Boling, what are you doing?"
Zhang Boling took out a newspaper and said: "Participate in the sports meeting, the sports meeting of the Capital University Hall."
"Beijing University Hall Sports Meeting?" Li Yu took the newspaper and saw a piece of news on it: "The University Hall holds a sports meeting to inform guests."
The content is that the Beijing Normal University is holding a sports meeting, and students from Tianjin, Hebei and other places are also sincerely recruited to participate.
Li Yu smiled and said: "Brother Boling is a bit bullying. These are people who have seen the world. Coming to participate in the school sports meeting is a bit..."
Zhang Boling said: "You can come and participate too. I heard that many faculty and staff have signed up. There is also a football match at the University Hall, and the football team from Beiyang University Hall will also participate."
Li Yu knew that there was already a football team in the Capital University, so he said, "If there is a football match, I have to join in the fun."
There is a joke on the Internet in later generations. When you are confused about whether you want to go to Tsinghua University or Peking University, you can choose like this: If you are good at sports, go to Tsinghua University. If you are bad at sports, go to Peking University.
However, in fact, as soon as the Capital University was founded, it attached great importance to physical education. In the "Regulations of the Imperial University," gymnastics was included in the formal courses of the preparatory courses and the normal school, and it was stipulated that students in the preparatory courses should attend 2 to 3 hours a week. Normal school students have to attend 3 hours a week. There are even special sportswear that look very much like Western-style college students when worn.
Since sports scores will be included in the graduation examination subjects, there has always been a sports craze in the capital's universities.
This is already the second sports meeting. The organization is more complete than the first time, and the school supervisor Li Jiaju also invited some female students to participate.
Female students competing in cool sportswear are definitely a spectacle at this time!
Sure enough, when Li Yu rushed to the sports ground, tens of thousands of people had already come to visit.
Although the competition items are different from the very mature sports games of later generations, they are generally various track and field competitions.
Supervisor Li Jiaju also signed up for the 300-meter run. Not to be outdone, Li Yu joined the football team.
In the 300-meter run, Li Jiaju finished third.
Li Yuze led the Beijing Normal University Football Team to have a bloody battle with the Peiyang University Football Team, but unfortunately they still lost 2:3.
After all, the football team of Beiyang University Hall participates in more games in Tianjin, and the overall level of the players is higher than that of Jingshi University Hall.
But Li Yu had a great time.
There are many other events in the competition, some of which are like the recreational sports games of later generations, such as double leggings and the like.
Many students from the University Hall participated in the sports meeting, especially from the Shixue Hall, almost all students participated.
After the abolition of the imperial examination, the official school expanded its enrollment, and many aristocratic children joined, because now the university hall has become the only way to advance.
In fact, since then, the Capital University and Peking University, which was renamed in the early years of the Republic of China, have almost become exclusively aristocratic schools. Although the funding has been greatly relieved, the academic level is very poor.
Not to mention Cai Yuanpei's contribution to Peking University, it was he who changed this trend after becoming president and made Peking University become the top university in Asia.
——
After returning home, Fengling brought a telegram. The sender was Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang.
Li Yu thought it was about studying abroad, but Zhang Zhidong secretly asked if the emperor was still in Yingtai.
As the emperor's teacher, Li Yu always had to take classes as long as he was in the capital. However, Guangxu's health had begun to deteriorate, so the frequency of classes was greatly reduced.
Although he felt baffled, Li Yu called back and said that he had just taught Guangxu a few days ago.
What Li Yu didn't know was that a bannerman who ran out of the palace theater went to Wuchang and pretended to be Guangxu!
This man does look a bit like Guangxu, and he pretended to be Guangxu when he was singing in the palace.
It's just that when he arrived in Wuchang, he actually pretended to be an emperor. Every move he made and the items he used looked like royal objects. Due to the lack of information, local officials thought that the emperor had escaped, and many officials came to pay homage. Guangxu was all well-deserved.
This was no small matter. The news spread like wildfire. Many comments even said that Emperor Guangxu escaped from Yingtai under the cover of the Revolutionary Party and went to Wuchang to find Zhang Zhidong to plot another coup.
Zhang Zhidong was so frightened, what a scapegoat!
Zhang Zhidong not only sent telegrams to Li Yu, but also sent them to many officials in the capital. After receiving accurate replies, he ordered the capture of these two bold little thieves.
The result is that he can only be beheaded.
It's completely stupid. He's trying to trick people at this level, and he failed at the first stop.
——
At this time, it was time for Lu Bicheng to leave for Tianjin to be the head teacher of a girls' public school. The two took a train to Tianjin.
Yuan Shikai attached great importance to the issue of girls' public schools and met with Tang Shaoyi at the school.
Celebrities from all walks of life in Tianjin participated. Fu Zengxiang, Liang Shiyi, Lu Muzhai and others were all present.
Yuan Shikai also asked Fu Zengxiang to find a photographer to publicize this achievement - running a school is a major political capital for the officials in the frontier.
Facing the support of so many big shots, Lu Bicheng behaved quite gracefully.
Yuan Shikai said: "Miss Bicheng is truly an extraordinary woman. She is not only talented and beautiful, but also has management and teaching abilities. I am extremely confident about the school's future."
Lu Bicheng replied softly: "The little girl has not yet taken office, so she is not sure how well she will do. Moreover, I would like to forgive Bicheng for taking the liberty of making another small request to the Governor."
Yuan Shikai laughed loudly: "You are really just like Li Yu. Tell me, what are you asking for?"
Lu Bicheng said: "The establishment of Beiyang Girls' Public School was based on the Japanese aristocratic girls' school, so it is also an aristocratic school. Bicheng hopes to open another girls' school in Tianjin to recruit girls from ordinary private families."
Tang Shaoyi's eyes lit up: "I agree with what Miss Bicheng said. I saw such a girls' school when I was in Shanghai."
Tang Shaoyi said this, and Yuan Shikai naturally agreed: "Okay! I can't ignore Miss Bicheng's first request, so you will be responsible for handling this matter."
Lu Bicheng crouched slightly and said, "Congratulations, Lord Governor."
Although the school for girls was unprecedented, it had the support of Beiyang's high-level officials and it started smoothly. This was because the distinctive gentry class in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China chose to wait and see and did not openly oppose it.
At this time, the atmosphere in the north was not as enlightened as in the south, and the gentry were worried that they would be implicated in supporting women's education in the future; but Yuan Shikai and Tang Shaoyi were personally involved and did not dare to object.
Two days later, Lu Bicheng attended the school meeting as the chief teacher. All teachers and students of the school attended, and Li Yu naturally attended the meeting to support.
The Beiyang Girls' Public School has a very complete set-up, with a complete teaching staff, including Chinese language teaching, algebra teaching, and girls' studies, as well as foreign teachers from the United States, Britain, and Japan.
Part of the school's funds are government expenditures, and more than half are donations from the company. Li Yu has already supported Zhong Guanguang with 3,000 silver dollars. His wife's career must be supported even more, so he immediately announced a donation of 5,000 taels of silver.
Lu Bicheng walked up to the stage and gave a speech to the female students present. She said excitedly:
“The old ethics have bound Chinese women for thousands of years. Only by receiving real education can we women, like men, have the dual identities of individuals and citizens!
“Girls’ public schools and girls’ education are not about cultivating good wives and mothers, but about cultivating citizens who are perfect for the country and individuals who are perfect for their families!”
"We need to develop all-round morally, intellectually, and physically, have excellent moral character, and have the skills and knowledge of the new era. Only in this way can we women have a sound personality!"
Li Yu couldn't help but applaud.
This was the late Qing Dynasty, and it was really not easy to have such thoughts.
But the applause was somewhat sparse. ——Three views that seem to be very righteous to modern people were like a bomb in China at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China.
But no matter what, the fact that Lu Bicheng became the chief instructor caused a sensation throughout Beijing and Tianjin.
The principals at this time were different from those of later generations. Generally speaking, they had serious official status. See the founders of various universities, who are either governors or governors, or high-ranking officials of the second and third grades.
Education was really important in the feudal dynasty, and the principal was like the sacrificial wine of the Imperial College to many people.
Mastering talents means mastering the future.
During the Reform Movement of 1898, Kang Youwei desperately wanted to be the president of the Capital University. He asked Liang Qichao to draw up the charter. The conditions for the president almost specified that he was Kang Youwei.
When Lu Bicheng's photos appeared in major newspapers, literati and writers were immediately amazed that this talented and famous woman could be so beautiful.
In the past few days, Lu Bicheng was giving lectures, and Li Yu would "listen in" from time to time. Seeing that her performance was good, he was finally relieved.
Then I was going to attend the Quanye Meeting organized by Tianjin Quanyechang.
Before that, Tang Shaoyi specifically asked Li Yu to visit the cigarette factory he supervised the construction of.
Tang Shaoyi picked up one, took a sip, smacked his lips, and asked, "It's a little less flavorful than cigars. Can this thing really drive away opium?"
Li Yu said: "Master Tang has developed a sophisticated taste. No ordinary person can afford to smoke cigars every day, but cigarettes are always better than opium."
Tang Shaoyi nodded: "As long as it doesn't poison the people like smoke, I will definitely continue to implement this kind of thing."
Li Yu said with a smile: "Master Tang can take a photo of smoking and publish it in major newspapers with your endorsement. The difficulty of implementation will definitely be greatly reduced."
Tang Shaoyi said: "I have considered this. You also want to take a photo. Why are you so famous?"
"But I don't know how to smoke." Li Yu said quickly.
Tang Shaoyi knows the art of publicity well: "What we want is the publicity effect. Who told you to really smoke it?"
Li Yu couldn't refute, so he could only do as he was told.
Tang Shaoyi added: "By the way, I haven't thought about the brand of cigarettes. You go to many places, do you have any suggestions?"
Li Yu had never smoked in his last life and knew very little about it. He thought for a long time and said, "When I was learning to drive, the instructor would always smoke hard Chinese and soft Chinese. They seemed to be good smokes."
Tang Shaoyi thought Li Yu learned driving in Germany, but the name sounded really good: "It's a pity that the Germans use this name."
Li Yu said: "Maybe I heard it wrong."
"That's good. I'm very interested in these two names, so I'll use them." Tang Shaoyi said.
Tang Shaoyi wrote the names "Soft China" and "Hard China" on the paper, handed it to his subordinates, and then said to Li Yu: "Let's go take pictures."
Li Yu really didn't understand cigarette brands, and he didn't expect that this was a joke in itself. Some people are making fun of it online by posting the words "Soft China" on cigarette packages.
——
At present, the Guangye Association's venue is only a temporary shed, but there are not many products on display.
Li Yu Factory's monosodium glutamate, "Craftsman" brand instant noodles, and enamel immediately became the focus as soon as they were launched.
Hu Jiayan, who was in charge of publicity, was very knowledgeable and made many display boards and tasting points. He received a large number of orders that day.
Not surprisingly, representatives from Japan's Mitsubishi Chamber of Commerce who came from the Japanese Concession praised MSG and instant noodles and quickly placed an order.
A representative from the Mitsubishi Chamber of Commerce praised: "Mr. Li Yu is really a god, he can make such delicious food! The word 'craftsman' makes me feel like I am inexplicably coming from my hometown."
Li Yu sounded funny, but it was even better to make Japanese money.
——
After finishing his work in Tianjin, Li Yu continued to go to Shanghai to find Cai Yuanpei.
Cai Yuanpei had already been waiting at the pier. After meeting him, he immediately said: "Last time I came to Shanghai, I couldn't meet you, but this time I'm expecting you! You can all get the Boxer Indemnity back, which really surprised me. It was even earmarked for studying in the United States." Regarding education, I simply don’t know how to describe the foresight of Brother Shucai!”
Li Yu said: "Brother Heqing is too praised. Who told us to be backward now? No matter how poor we are, we cannot lack education. This is the foundation of a strong country."
"No matter how poor you are, you can't afford education!" Cai Yuanpei said happily, "I really appreciate you more and more."
The two immediately went to Nanyang Public School.
Education in Shanghai started relatively early, and more people signed up than in Beijing, and they were very enthusiastic. Everyone knows that the education in the United States is much better than that in Japan, but the tuition fees are also astonishingly high, and it is difficult for ordinary wealthy families to afford it. Nowadays, studying abroad at public expense is a great thing.
However, there is always a limit on places, so Li Yu can only take the exam first and complete the first step of preliminary screening.
Li Yu wrote the test questions himself, mainly to test English proficiency and whether he had the scientific ability to graduate from junior high school in later generations.
These two are basic requirements for studying in the United States.
In the final results, five people passed the exam, two of whom were particularly outstanding, and the names of these two people were very familiar to Li Yuke: Jiang Menglin and Zhou Yichun.
Everyone knows Jiang Menglin well. He later became the president of Peking University and was also the longest-serving president in the history of Peking University. He had a great influence on Peking University.
Zhou Yichun is also not simple. During the Republic of China, after Tang Guoan, the first president of Tsinghua University, died of illness, he became the second president and made great contributions to the construction of early Tsinghua University.
Good guy, we have gathered together the future principals of the two schools in Qingbei at once!
(End of chapter)
