Capsule Biographies of Selected Textbook Authors
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APPENDIX B Capsule Biographies of Selected Textbook Authors Du Weitao (1901–?) was a native of Taiping, Anhui, but he was born in Huaiyin, Jiangsu. In 1916, he graduated from Anhui’s Wuhu Lower-Level Commercial School, and in 1919 he graduated from An- hui Provincial Fourth Normal School in Xuancheng. After graduat- ing from the physics and chemistry (lihua) division of Beiping Higher Normal School in 1923, Du taught at various primary, middle, and normal schools in Beijing, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu, and he par- ticipated in various forms of mass education. He later served as pro- fessor in a number of academies (xueyuan). (Xu Youchun et al., eds., Minguo renwu da cidian, 241.) Fu Weiping (Yunsen) (dates unknown) served as an editor at the Commercial Press at least from the time of Wang Yunwu’s re- organization of the editing department (bianyisuo) in 1922, but probably from much earlier. Fu was one of the lead editors for the Commercial Press’s encyclopedia; he was editor or proofreader for primary-level history readers during the 1910s; and he wrote the only secondary-level integrated history textbook published for the New School System during the mid-1920s. (For Fu’s role in Wang Yun- wu’s reorganized editing department, see Yang Yang, Shangwu yin- shuguan, 102, 122–24. For evidence of his earlier editing activities, see Beijing tushuguan and Renmin jiaoyu chubanshe tushuguan, Minguo shiqi zongshumu [1911–1949]: Zhong xiao xue jiaocai, 85–88.) 306 ․ Appendix B Ge Suicheng (also called Kanglin; courtesy name Yifu) (1897–1978) was a native of Dongyang County, Zhejiang. In 1914, he graduated from Zhejiang Provincial Seventh Normal School, and in 1916 he tested into the Zhonghua Book Company as an apprentice, becom- ing an editor in the history and geography department in 1918. By 1932 he was director of the history and geography department at Zhonghua Book Company and had served as professor at several Shanghai-area universities. Ge was also one of the founding members of the Chinese Geography Study Society (Zhonghua dili xuehui) and the main editor of Geography Quarterly (Dili jikan). He continued to combine work in higher education and publishing throughout his ca- reer. (Xu Youchun et al., 1269.) Gu Shusen (courtesy name Yinting) (1885–?) was a native of Jiading, Jiangsu. In his youth he studied in England at the University of Lon- don. After returning home, he served as the principal of Shanghai’s China Vocational School (Zhonghua zhiye xuexiao), as secretary in the administrative office of the International Association (Guoji lianhehui) representative in China, and in a series of administrative posts. In December 1928, Gu became the head of the Nanjing Mu- nicipal Bureau of Education, and in June 1930 he became the head of the Department of Regular Education in the Ministry of Education. He later served in several other leadership positions within the min- istry. (Xu Youchun et al., 1680.) Lü Simian (courtesy name Chengzhi) (1884–1957) was a native of Wu- jin, Jiangsu, who was educated at home and at a private village school. During the late Qing and early Republic he taught history, geogra- phy, and language at a number of schools in the lower Yangzi region, including Dongwu University in Suzhou, the Changzhou Prefectural School, Nantong’s National Language Junior College (Guowen zhuan- ke xuexiao), Jiangsu Provincial First Normal School, and Guanghua University. He remained at Guanghua University from 1926 through the start of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. During the Republican period he also served as an editor at the Commercial Press and Zhonghua Book Company. Lü penned a number of works on history, including the well-received Vernacular Chinese History (Baihua benguo- shi) at the start of the 1920s. (Xu Youchun et al., 331–32.) .