1907-1949: Students and Scholars from the old China
Wu Ting Fang was the first Chinese citizen to receive a law degree from a British institution and was the first to be called to the bar there in 1876.
After practicing law in Hong Kong for a few years, he entered government service in 1882 as legal advisor. There, he played an important role in the development of the first Chinese railways.
He represented the Qing Court in Washington between 1896-1902, then again in 1907-1909. He also played a significant role in the Chinese Revolution of 1912 and held several high posts in the government until his death in 1922.
Dr. Wu had met James at least by 1899, during his first stint as Minister to the US, when James invited him to address the American Academy of Political and Social Science, of which James was president. They both felt very strongly about the importance of US-China educational exchange.
In order to emphasize the importance of close ties between the US and China, James invited Dr. Wu Ting-Fang, the Chinese minister to the US, to deliver the 1908 commencement address at Illinois.
January 27th, 1908, UI President James sent a letter to Dr. Wu and officially invited Dr. Wu to be the keynote speaker of the 1908 UI Commencement and to receive an honorary doctorial degree from UI.
In his March 11, 1908 letter UI President James urged Dr. Wu Ting Fang to take part in the UI-China project:
“I desire to urge you accept our invitation. I believe you will be able to do your own country a service, and I am sure you will do this western country a service in expanding our ideas on the subject of Chinese affaires”.
Wu accepted James’ invitation and spoke to the graduating class on the subject, “Why China and America Should be Friends.” The visit proved to be an extraordinary event for both the university and the community.
Dr. Wu arrived in Urbana on June 9, 1908, delivered the keynote commencement speech on the following day and received an honorary doctorial degree from UI.
In Dr. Wu's speech, he demonstrated his understanding of the importance of collaboration between the two nations.
Dr. Wu reviewed some of the important geographic and historical connections between China and America. He specifically mentioned a letter from American President John Tyler in 1844 to Chinese Emperor Taokuang:
“The governments of two such great countries should be at peace. It is proper and according to the will of heaven that they should respect each other and act wisely.”
He also said, “The contributions, therefore, made by my people to the advancement of the civilization of the world is not a small one. The West owes some of its wonderful achievements of the past few centuries to the earlier civilization of the East. What we required decades and centuries to invent and utilize, you have with your vigor and energy vastly improved and developed in the course of a few years, speaking comparatively.”
And then he said “This nation in particular has been fortunate in starting out on its national career with the experiences of the old world to serve as a guide, with the advantages of accumulated learning and knowledge to lead and to inspire. ...,”.
Dr. Wu urged the 651 graduates of the Class 1908 to learn from the world great civilizations and to build their future success upon previous human achievements.
Newspaper accounts describe the grand impression he made at the ceremony and the thunderous ovations he received both when President James introduced him and after he concluded his speech. The speech itself was very well received. Emphasizing the importance of the two nations gaining a respect for each other, he said, “This mutual interchange of ideas and ideals and the adoption of the one of what is best and highest in the other will result in the birth of a new civilization, the civilization of the Pacific Ocean…Another chapter will be added to the history of civilization, a chapter in which the east and west, laying aside all feelings of antagonism and prejudice will vie with each other not in the achievements of might, but in the victories of peace, aggressive only in the dissemination of truth and light and relentless only in the establishment of justice and right.”
Dr. Wu Ting Fang’s key note speech at the 1908 national annual meeting of Chinese Student Alliance in USA:
伍先生首先指出:”Morality without ability is homely simplicity, but ability without morality is rascality”.
他引用了Lord Bacon 关于读书的一段非常形象的比喻:”Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”
然后伍先生极其诚恳地告诫辛辛学子:”It must be noted that books are a great factor in modeling and influencing our morals. I would, therefore, advise you to be very careful in your choice of books. It should be borne in mind that moral worth commands respect, whether among civilized or barbarous peoples. On this point, allow me to
remind you that you can learn a good deal from the people of this great and highly civilized country. The high sense of honor and manly courage possessed by the American
people excite our admiration.”
The UI Chinese Students' Club
The UI Chinese Students’ Club was established in 1908 to labor for the welfare of the Chinese students, to advance knowledge and thought, to promote friendship, and to cultivate the spirit of associated life. Even by 1910, there were only sixteen Chinese students (6). There were not very many resources for Chinese International Students to help their culture shock. Therefore, clubs such as these and living in close proximity to one another helped them get used to moving to a completely different place.
The UI Chinese Students' Club
The UI Chinese Students’ Club was established in 1908 to labor for the welfare of the Chinese students, to advance knowledge and thought, to promote friendship, and to cultivate the spirit of associated life. Even by 1910, there were only sixteen Chinese students (6). There were not very many resources for Chinese International Students to help their culture shock. Therefore, clubs such as these and living in close proximity to one another helped them get used to moving to a completely different place.
This house was located at 703 West Illinois St. Urbana first registered in the City Directory in 1910 as a single family house owned by Smith Peacock.
From 1912 it was registered as the Chinese Student Club.
During this time, there was a lower enrollment period because of the Chinese Revolution. However, that changed when it ended in the 1920's. The Chinese Student Club hosted events such as Chinese Independence Day parties, cultural performances, and traditional Chinese theatre. They performed the play "Rainbow", "China: Past Present and Future", and "The Philosopher's Stone" (8).
President James encouraged Chinese students by setting up the first Office of Foreign Students, offering scholarships and assistantships, and providing housing. The university bought a house and rented it out to Chinese students because local landlords were reluctant to lease to Black and the Chinese students. He also encouraged them through admitting female students from China and creating internship opportunities at Westinghouse, General Motors, and many railway companies.
The Influences of Dr. Wu Ting Fang to the Class of 1908
There were long lasting impacts from Dr. Wu’s 1908 commencement address and the UI-China initiatives. At the official reception after the 1908 Commencement ceremony, Dr. Wu humorously said ‘he would live for 200 years.
In his speech Dr. Wu demonstrated his understanding of the importance of collaboration between the two nations.
Dr. Wu reviewed some of the important geographic and historical connections between China and America. He specially mentioned a letter from American President John Tyler in 1844 to Chinese Emperor Taokuang:
“The governments of two such great countries should be at peace. It is proper and according to the will of heaven that they should respect each other and act wisely.”
Dr. Wu then urged the 651 graduates of the Class 1908 to learn from the worlds great civilizations and to build their future success upon previous human achievements.
“The contributions, therefore, made by my people to the advancement of the civilization of the world is not a small one. The West owes some of its wonderful achievements of the past few centuries to the earlier civilization of the East. What we required decades and centuries to invent and utilize, you have with your vigor and energy vastly improved and developed in the course of a few years, speaking comparatively.”
“This nation in particular has been fortunate in starting out on its national career with the experiences of the old world to serve as a guide, with the advantages of accumulated learning and knowledge to lead and to inspire.” Wu pointed out.
To sum up and recapture Wu’s address, delivered at the 37th annual commencement ceremony on June 10th 1908 titled
“Why China and America Should Be Friends”
Dr. Wu demonstrated his understanding of the importance of collaboration between the two nations.
In his speech Dr. Wu urged the 651 graduates of the Class 1908 to learn from the world great civilizations and to build their future success upon previous human achievements.
The commencement speech and the graduation ceremony had such a tremendous and lasting impact on the 1908 Class. Upon graduation some of the graduates started purposefully collecting oriental art and mainly Chinese art for their learning and appreciating ancient Eastern wisdom. Their way of learning other great cultures through the works of art gave them such great enlightenment. The process itself also provided them enormous enjoyment and greatly enhanced their quality of life. Therefore, they kept doing it for rest of their life.
Upon graduation, some of the graduates started purposefully collecting oriental art, mainly Chinese art, to better learn and appreciate ancient Eastern wisdom.
The fine group of alumni of Class 1908, assembled here in the photo in 1958, followed and founded traditions which have created Memorials in the finest sense: they have given to the University of Illinois a resource which will enrich the lives of all who study here-now and in the future.
In a newsletter of the 1908 Class, Mary Greenwood wrote to her classmates: “I recall those glorious days in 1908 when I received my diploma covering four years of work, playing and learning. Now what a fine thing it is to think of those fine days. I sometimes wonder if I am grateful enough to all those wonderful people who guided my destiny and whose patience I sorely tried. But have I repaid the University for giving me all these things – the opportunity to receive all these gifts
Eventually the alumni of the 1908 Class donated their art collections to the University as their Class Memorial.
The gifts began with a group of beautiful Chinese monochrome porcelains, followed by the addition of four famille verte porcelains. The porcelains of the Ming and early Qing Dynasties are known to be the finest porcelains produced in China. The art of glazing achieved its richest and most delicate expression with the development of cobalt blue-and-white, imperial yellow, ox-blood and clair de lune blue monochrome wares, while celadon green glazes emulated the delicacy of jade. Full scenes in five-color famille verte enamels were painted over the glaze. Famille verte wares are considered the culmination of the art and science of Chinese ceramics.
The Class of 1908 has shown remarkably sustained and supporting interest in its Memorial. As the 50th anniversary of the Class approached in 1958, funds were being sought for the construction of an art museum for the university and so the Class of 1908 elected to provide funds which would permit the construction of a large gallery in the museum. This was located in the northwest corner of the building and properly was named the Gallery of the Class of 1908.
In what was an all-too-rare circumstance, contributions by the 1908 Class actually exceeded the construction cost of the Gallery, and the remaining funds were placed at the disposal of the Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts and the Director of the Museum to use for purchasing art for the collections.
Periodically, members of the Class would visit the Museum and note with pleasure the increasing number of objects in their Gallery. Mr. William B. Greene of Aurora, the Class Memorial Chairman, and Mr. H. Clifford Brown of Morristown, New Jersey, noted in 1973, "We need something for the walls." So three Chinese hanging scroll paintings, one horizontal scroll painting, and a Japanese print were acquired in 1974. A Tibetan thangka and sculpture followed.
“Possibly it was prophetic that the commencement address in 1908 by Dr. Wu Ting-fang was on the topic, "Why China and America Should be Friends," for between the time of its Fiftieth Anniversary in 1958 and its Seventieth Anniversary in 1978, members of the Class of 1908 have presented the university Krannert Art Museum with many fine objects to compose a collection of Oriental art.” stated in the exhibition catalog of 1908 Class oriental art collection.
Today, more than 100 years after the event, without anyone from the Class of 1908 remaining, it might be difficult to pinpoint the direct hard evidence, but from my analysis, it is no doubt in my mind that one can always argue that the commencement speech had a tremendous impact on the 1908 Class members’ collecting and learning from Chinese art.
It is important to point out that the 1908 Class’ way of learning other great cultures greatly enlightened them.
As a well known Chinese scholar and political reformer, Liang Qi Chao, said in a 1910 speech: “Sinology is the study of the fundamentals of Chinese culture; it is the foundation of China; it is our true value and our fundamental values of life.”
Chen Lai, the Dean of Tsinghua University Research Institute of Sinology, pointed out during a CCTV interview a few years ago: “It is rather difficult for foreigners to study Sinology and begin with Chinese philosophy. It is easier and more enjoyable if they start from learning Chinese language, literature and arts.”
The 1908 Class’ learning process itself also provided them enormous enjoyment and greatly enhanced their quality of life.
Therefore, they kept collecting and learning from art for the rest of their lives.
After their life long collecting, learning and enjoyment, eventually they donated these collections to the University as their Class Memorial.