Chiang Monlin (1886-1964) was president of Peking University in the 1930s. Via this book, readers can relive the quiet village life of his childhood, the fast-changing urban life of his teen years and the impact of his growing awareness of Western thought, and the years of studying abroad that would shape his thinking. This took place against the background of the end of dynastic rule in China and the country's transition into a republic, a journey full of social change, conflict, and war.
Chiang Monlin (1886-1964) was a well-respected Chinese educator. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia University under the supervision of John Dewey. He served as the education minister of the Republic of China in the late 1920s, before being appointed president of Peking University in the 1930s. This autobiography reads like a movie script that takes you back to experience what China was like a century ago.