Draft:Du Guoxiang

Du Guoxiang
杜国庠
Born	(1889-04-16)April 16, 1889 Chenghai County, Guangdong, Qing dynasty
Died	January 12, 1961(1961-01-12) (aged 71) Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
Occupation	Educator
Spouse	Chen Yuxian

Du Guoxiang (April 16, 1889 – January 12, 1961), also known by his courtesy name Shousu and the pen names Lin Boxiu and Wu Xiaoxian, was a Chinese educator and scholar of the social sciences. He was born in Chenghai, Guangdong Province, and became a prominent figure in the development of modern Chinese education.

Biography

The Early Life of Du Guoxiang

Du Guoxiang was born on April 16, 1889, in Duwangzhou Village, Suwan Division, Chenghai County (澄海县), Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province, during the Qing Dynasty. The location is now known as Lanyuan Village, Lianshang Town 莲上镇), Chenghai District, Shantou City. In the late Qing period, he traveled to Japan for higher education, studying at Waseda University and the University of Tokyo, where he earned a doctorate in economics.During his time in Japan, Du’s intellectual pursuits extended well beyond economics. He explored a wide range of disciplines including literature, graphemics, xungu (训诂学, the philological study of classical texts), fóxué (佛学, Buddhist studies), and general philosophy. While abroad, he formed lasting friendships with influential Chinese figures such as [[Guo Moruo]], [[Li Dazhao]], and [[Zhou Enlai]]. Together with Li Dazhao and others, he co-founded the Bingchen Society (丙辰学社) in Tokyo, which was dedicated to resisting Yuan Shikai’s collaboration with Japanese imperialists in an attempt to restore monarchy in China.

Academic Pursuits and Revolutionary Activities

In April 1919, after graduating from Kyoto Imperial University, Du Guoxiang returned to China. With the recommendation of [[Li Dazhao]], he was appointed as a lecturer at Peking University. He also held teaching positions at institutions including the Beijing Institute of Politics and Law (北京政法专门学校), China University (中国大学), Chaoyang University (朝阳大学), and Pingmin University (平民大学). His courses covered a range of subjects such as Marxist political economy, theory of political parties, social and industrial policy, and administrative law.

Du Guoxiang was among the earliest Chinese intellectuals to study socialism. In 1920, alongside Tan Pingshan, Li Chuntao (李春涛), and others, he co-founded the journal Social Problems, which sought to examine contemporary social issues through a Marxist lens.In 1922, he joined an academic-political group known as the Gujunshe 孤军社, “Lone Army Society”). Two years later, in 1924, Du and Li Chuntao gathered at Du’s Beijing residence, known as Zhelu (赭庐, "Ochre Cottage"), where they held frequent discussions on both theoretical and practical issues from a Marxist perspective. It was there that they compiled and circulated the Lenin Memorial Volume, which drew significant public attention to Zhelu.Du also co-authored an article with Li Chuntao titled Socialism and the Current Economic Situation in China, in which they refuted the idea that “capitalism must first be developed to foster the working class in preparation for socialism.” During academic discussions on China's economic conditions held by the Lone Army Society, only Guo Moruo and Du Guoxiang supported the immediate adoption of scientific socialism—a position that generated considerable attention at the time.

In the spring of 1925, Du Guoxiang resigned from his position at Peking University due to ideological differences with its leading figures, Hu Shi and Jiang Menglin. He returned to his hometown in Chenghai County, Guangdong Province, where he became the principal of Chenghai Middle School (澄海中学).In October of the same year, following the success of the Second Eastern Expedition led by the National Revolutionary Army, Du was invited by Zhou Enlai, who was then serving as the Administrative Commissioner of the Dongjiang Region, to assume two roles: Chairman of the Kuomintang Chenghai County Executive Committee and Principal of Jinshan Middle School in Chaozhou (潮州金山中学).In 1927, when the forces of the Nanchang Uprising entered the Chaoshan region, Zhou Enlai once again appointed Du as County Magistrate of Chaoyang County. However, Du never assumed the position due to the defeat of the uprising in Chaoshan.

In February 1928, Du Guoxiang arrived in Shanghai and, through the introduction of Jiang Guangci and Qian Xingcun, joined the Chinese Communist Party. He played a key role in the founding of Taiyang She (太阳社 [zh], "Sun Society"), one of the most influential literary groups of the time.Together with fellow writers from Chaozhou who were active in the Shanghai literary scene—such as Hong Lingfei (洪灵菲) and Dai Pingwan (戴平万)—Du also co-founded the Women She (我们社, "We Society"), another notable literary collective.During this period, Du translated a substantial number of works in the fields of theory, social sciences, and literature, drawing from both Western and Japanese sources.

In 1930, the League of Left-Wing Writers of China was officially established, and Du Guoxiang became one of its earliest members. Around the same time, he co-founded the Zhongguo Zuoyi Shehui Kexuejia Lianmeng (中国左翼社会科学家联盟, "Chinese League of Left-Wing Social Scientists") together with Pan Zinian (潘梓年) and Deng Chumin (邓初民). Du also served as the head of the organization’s coordinating body, known as the She Lian (社联, "Social Science Federation").

In the early 1930s, Du Guoxiang served as a member of the Cultural Work Committee of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, working alongside prominent cultural figures such as Zhou Yang,Xia Yan, Tian Han, and Yang Hansheng. He held a position within the Central Propaganda Department and also participated in editorial work for the Party’s official newspaper, Hongqi Ribao (红旗日报, "Red Flag Daily").In 1935, following the Kuomintang’s discovery of an underground Communist Party organization, Du was arrested and imprisoned. He remained incarcerated until June 1937, when he was released as a result of the formation of the Second United Front between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party.

In August 1937, Du Guoxiang successively served in multiple roles: as a captain-level secretary in the Military Law Section of the Eighth Route Army, as the leader of a battlefield service team, and later as Chief of the First Section—responsible for foreign publicity—within the Third Department of the Political Affairs Commission under the Military Affairs Commission of the National Government, which at the time was headed by Guo Moruo.Subsequently, both Du and Guo resigned from their posts after refusing to join the Kuomintang. Du was then reassigned as a member of the Cultural Work Committee, which remained under the same Political Department.

While studying in Japan, Du Guoxiang was a student of the renowned Marxist scholar Professor Kawakami Hajime, from whom he developed a deep understanding of political economy. In addition to his Marxist training, Du was also deeply engaged in the study of ancient Chinese philosophy, with a particular focus on the Hundred Schools of Thought (诸子百家) from the pre-Qin period. His interpretations were regarded as systematic, comprehensive, and original, earning him a distinguished reputation within China’s philosophical and intellectual circles.Although he spent much of his life involved in education, propaganda, and literary work, Du never ceased his research in economics. He translated several Marxist works, including Finance Capital, and compiled and published the Dictionary of Political Economy. He also taught economics part-time at the Shanghai Institute of Industry and Commerce (上海工商专科学校).

Later Years

In August 1949, Du Guoxiang traveled from Hong Kong to Beiping (now Beijing) as the chief representative of democrats from the so-called “to-be-liberated areas” to attend the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Following the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he held a number of prominent positions, including:

• Member of the South China Military and Political Committee
• Director of the Department of Culture and Education of the Guangdong People's Government
• Founding president of Guangdong Normal College
• Deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party South China Bureau
• Member of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
• President of the Guangzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Philosophy and Social Sciences (广东哲学社会科学联合会)
• Vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC

In 1954, he also became a director of the Chinese Historical Society (中国史学会).

Throughout his later years, Du remained deeply committed to the development of education, publicity, and the social sciences in China, working tirelessly in both leadership and intellectual capacities.

On January 12, 1961, Du Guoxiang passed away in Guangzhou due to illness.

After death

When Du Guoxiang passed away, Guo Moruo, who was leading a Chinese delegation on a visit to Cuba at the time, composed a poem to express his profound grief. In it, he wrote the line: “Fifty years of friendship through life and death” .After returning to China, Guo personally penned the preface to the Collected Works of Du Guoxiang (《杜国庠文集杜国庠文集》), in which he stated: “Both in life and in scholarship, I truly benefited greatly from him” .