Wu Jingheng (), commonly known by his
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 ...
Wu Zhihui (Woo Chih-hui, ; 1865–1953), also known as Wu Shi-Fee, was a Chinese
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
and
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
who was the chairman of the 1912–13
Commission on the Unification of Pronunciation
The Commission on the Unification of Pronunciation () was the organization established by the Beiyang government in 1912 to select ancillary phonetic symbols for Mandarin (resulting in the creation of Zhuyin) and set the standard Guoyu pronunc ...
that created
Zhuyin
Bopomofo (), or Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, also named Zhuyin (), is a Chinese transliteration system for Mandarin Chinese and other related languages and dialects. More commonly used in Taiwanese Mandarin, it may also be used to transcribe ...
(based on
Zhang Binglin
Zhang Binglin (January 12, 1869 – June 14, 1936), also known by his art name Zhang Taiyan, was a Chinese philologist, textual critic, philosopher, and revolutionary.
His philological works include ''Wen Shi'' (文始 "The Origin of Writing"), t ...
's work) and standardized
Guoyu pronunciation.
Wu became an
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
during his stay in France in the first decade of the 20th century, along with
Li Shizeng
Li Shizeng (; 29 May 1881 – 30 September 1973), born Li Yuying, was an educator, promoter of anarchist doctrines, political activist, and member of the Chinese Nationalist Party in early Republican China.
After coming to Paris in 1902, Li to ...
,
Zhang Renjie
Zhang Renjie (Chang Jen-chieh 19 September 1877 − 3 September 1950), born Zhang Jingjiang, was a political figure and financial entrepreneur in the Republic of China. He studied and worked in France in the early 1900s, where he became an early ...
, and
Cai Yuanpei
Cai Yuanpei (; 1868–1940) was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with his own education ideology. He was the president of Pek ...
. With them, he was known as one of the strongly anti-communist "Four Elders" of the
Nationalist Party in the 1920s.
Career
Born into a poor family in
Wujin,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
province as Wu Tiao (), Wu Zhihui was an outstanding student, passing the challenging
Juren
''Juren'' (; 'recommended man') was a rank achieved by people who passed the ''xiangshi'' () exam in the imperial examination system of imperial China. The ''xiangshi'' is also known, in English, as the provincial examination. It was a rank high ...
examination in 1891.
He served at the Nanyang College Preparatory School Hall (now the Shanghai
Nanyang Model High School
Shanghai Nanyang Model High School (), often referred to simply as Nanmo (), is one of the oldest modern Chinese schools, founded in 1901 by Sheng Xuanhuai, Minister of Transportation of the Qing dynasty.
As "the beginning of public elementary ...
). In 1903 in the ''
Subao'' newspaper, Wu criticized the Qing government and derided then ruling Empress Dowager Cixi as a "withered old hag" and a "whore."
[Christopher Rea, ''The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China'' (U. California Press, 2015), p. 99.]
After this incident, Wu fled by way of Hong Kong to London. His official status enabled him to travel and live in Scotland and France. He attended
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
lectures in Edinburgh. In 1903, he went to Paris, where he renewed his friendship with
Li Shizeng
Li Shizeng (; 29 May 1881 – 30 September 1973), born Li Yuying, was an educator, promoter of anarchist doctrines, political activist, and member of the Chinese Nationalist Party in early Republican China.
After coming to Paris in 1902, Li to ...
, the son of a high official he had met in Beijing, and with
Zhang Renjie
Zhang Renjie (Chang Jen-chieh 19 September 1877 − 3 September 1950), born Zhang Jingjiang, was a political figure and financial entrepreneur in the Republic of China. He studied and worked in France in the early 1900s, where he became an early ...
, well-connected son of a prosperous merchant. Although Wu was their elder by more than a decade, the three young scholars, although well-versed in the Confucian philosophy which dominated Chinese thought, were impressed by the doctrines of
anarchism
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...
which flourished in France. Together with Li and Zhang, he formed the ''Shijie She'' (World Society), which became a center of anarchist thought and recruitment for several decades.
Together they joined the
Tongmenghui
The Tongmenghui of China (or T'ung-meng Hui, variously translated as Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance, United Allegiance Society, ) was a secret society and underground resistance movement ...
, the precursor to the
Chinese Nationalist Party
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Taiw ...
(GMD), in 1905. Wu declared himself an anarchist the next year. He later founded influential revolutionary organizations like the Society to Advance Morality and supervised radical journals like New Era and Labor, China's first syndicalist magazine. He promoted science, rationalism, language reform, and the abolition of marriage. His ideas were revolutionary, but he estimated that it would take 3,000 years to achieve his vision of a utopian society. Wu was instrumental in the
Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement
The Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement, often referred to as the Work-Study Movement (; French: ''Mouvement Travail-Études''), was a series of work-study programs which brought Chinese students to France and Belgium to work in factories as a way ...
in France. Among his students were a large group of anarchists – and future communists.
Return to China and allegiance to Kuomintang
![Wu Zhihui Zhang Jingjiang Li Shizeng Xin Shijie Society Leaders](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Wu_Zhihui_Zhang_Jingjiang_Li_Shizeng_Xin_Shijie_Society_Leaders.jpg)
Soon after their return in 1912, Wu, Li,
Zhang Ji Zhang Ji may refer to:
* Zhang Ji (Han dynasty) (張濟) (died 196), official under the warlord Dong Zhuo
* Zhang Zhongjing (150–219), formal name Zhang Ji (張機), Han dynasty physician
* Zhang Ji (Derong) (張既) (died 223), general of Cao Wei ...
, and
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei (4 May 1883 – 10 November 1944), born as Wang Zhaoming and widely known by his pen name Jingwei, was a Chinese politician. He was initially a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang, leading a government in Wuhan in oppositi ...
organized The Society to Advance Morality (Jinde hui, zh, 進德會), also known as the "Eight Nots," or "Eight Prohibitions Society (八不會 Babu hui). Wu felt that the new Republic must not be menaced by the social decadence of the late Qing, evils which ranged from mah-jong and stag parties to taking second wives. True to its anarchist principles, there was no president or officers, no regulations or means to enforce them, and no dues or fines. Each level of membership, however, had increasingly rigorous requirements. "Supporting members," the lowest level, agreed not to visit prostitutes and not to gamble. "General members" agreed in addition not to take concubines. The next higher level further agreed not to become government officials — "Someone has to watch over officials" — not to become members of parliament, and not to smoke. Finally, the highest level also promised to abstain from alcohol and meat.
While declining to hold office, Wu did accept Cai Yuanpei's offer join the commission on language reform, beginning work on a phonetic system for writing which would replace regional dialects. This work eventually resulted in the Guoyu
Zhuyin fuhao
Bopomofo (), or Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, also named Zhuyin (), is a Chinese transliteration system for Mandarin Chinese and other related languages and dialects. More commonly used in Taiwanese Mandarin, it may also be used to transcribe ...
system which is widely used today. In June 1913, Wu was one of the founders of the journal ''Public Opinion'' ( zh, 公論) When in 1913 Sun Yat-sen's
Second Revolution failed, Wu and Li Shizeng for safety returned to France. Li and Wu founded the University of Lyon-France and launched the Work-Study movement.
![Delivering ceremony of the Constitution of ROC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Delivering_ceremony_of_the_Constitution_of_ROC.jpg)
In the 1920s, along with Li Shizeng, Zhan Renjie, and Cai Yuanpei, was one of the so-called "Four Elders" of the GMD and led the anti-communist campaign which drove leftists and communists from the party and supported
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
. In accordance with his anarchist principles, Wu Zhihui declined any government office.
In 1943, National Government Chairman Lin Sen died in provisional wartime capital of Chongqing, Chiang Kai-shek inviting Wu to be the new president, but Wu declined, citing "three no's":
* I usually wear very casual clothes, but the heads of state wear tuxedos. I would feel uncomfortable.
* My ugly face, like a big shock.
* My people love to laugh. To see something funny makes me laugh, When foreign diplomats deliver credentials, I could not help but laugh. This would not be decent.
In 1946, Wu was elected to the National Assembly, which drew up a new constitution. He administered the oath of office to Chiang Kai-shek in May 1948, shortly before the government left the mainland for Taiwan.
He moved to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and was the teacher of Chiang Kai-shek's son,
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...
. He died in
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
at the age of 88. Chiang Ching-kuo carried out Wu's directive that his ashes be lowered into the sea off the island of
Quemoy
Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separate ...
.
Works
* 吳稚暉先生集''(Collected Works of Mr. Wu Chih-hui)''
Footnotes
References and further reading
*
* , chapter 4: "Mockery".
* "Wu Chih-hui," in , pp. 416–419.
* Available a
The Anarchist Library
* .
* "Mr. Wu Chih-hui," in , pp. 185–186.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Zhihui
1865 births
1953 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Artists from Changzhou
Chinese anarchists
Chinese anti-communists
Chinese expatriates in France
Chinese Nationalists
Linguists from China
Members of Academia Sinica
Members of the Kuomintang
People of the 1911 Revolution
Philosophers from Jiangsu
Politicians from Changzhou
Qing dynasty philosophers
Republic of China calligraphers
Republic of China philosophers
Republic of China politicians from Jiangsu
Scientists from Changzhou
Taiwanese people from Jiangsu
Tongmenghui members
Writers from Changzhou