He Xiehou (1873-1961) was a Chinese educator, politician and former President of

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

Biography

He's another name was He Yushi (何燏时),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

was Zixing (字行), and was born in

Zhuji Zhuji () is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shaoxing, in north-central Zhejiang province, China, located about south of Hangzhou. It has with a population of 1,218,072 inhabitants at the 2020 census e ...

, Shaoxing,

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangs ...

in 1873. When he was 19 years old, he went to

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

and in 1897 studied at Qiushi Academy (current

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...

). In 1898, He went to Japan, as one of China's first students to Japan. In 1902, He graduated from Tokyo First Advanced School (Japanese: 第一高等学校). In 1907, He graduated from the Department of Metallurgy of Tokyo Imperial University (current University of Tokyo). He is the first Chinese student who graduated from a Japanese university. In spring 1908, He went back to Zhejiang and served as a technician in the Bureau of Mining of Zhejiang Provincial Government. In 1909, he went to Japan again. He was the supervisor of the engineering faculty of the Imperial Capital University (京师大学堂; current

) in Beijing. In 1911/1912, the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

ended, and the Imperial Capital University was renamed as (National) Peking University. He was the first President of Peking University from then on. Peking University
Presidents of Peking University - He Jushi (何燏时)
In 1914, he visited South Asia. In 1954, he was elected the head of the

Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang, is one of the eight legally recognised minor political parties in the Peo ...

Zhejiang Branch. In 1961, he died in Hangzhou. His tomb is in Shaoxing, his hometown. Many people still visit there today.

References

External links

Presidents of Peking University

He Xiehou's biography (from Zhejiang Local Archive)
* Sohu.com Education
He Xiehou - a former Peking University President forgotten by history
* Sohu.com Education
Former residence and tomb of He Xiehou in Zhuji
* Shaoxing Government
He Xiehou's biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:He Xiehou 1873 births 1961 deaths Politicians from Shaoxing Academic staff of Peking University University of Tokyo alumni Zhejiang University alumni Educators from Shaoxing Presidents of Peking University People's Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang