Zheng Hongnian's Thoughts and Practice on Overseas Chinese Education

Mr. Zheng Hongnian is one of the pioneers in overseas Chinese education in China. Mr. Zheng thought that education, especially the overseas Chinese education, is a project of vital and lasting importance, even the lifeblood of the nation. He was strongly against any theory divorced from practice and advocated that education must cater to the actual need of the society and education of overseas Chinese must take the special environment of overseas Chinese society into consideration. He pointed out education must combine thinking, knowledge and real practice. He also attached much emphasis to production and profession education. When he was the president of Jinan University, he adopted a series of reform measures, and formulated an education policy of “moral, scientific, military, professional and political training”. He also gave great priority to academic research and academic freedom and spared no efforts in supporting students to organize academic communities and engage in academic research.