Tsin Ku University
Tsin Ku University, was a Jesuit Catholic university established by the French Jesuits in Tianjin, China. It was the second Catholic university in China and one of the earliest universities in modern China to offer architectural education. Founded in 1921, its official name was originally, translated into Chinese as labels=no. In August 1933, it was officially registered under the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government as Private Tientsin Kung Shang College. In October 1948, it was restructured into a university and named Private Tsin Ku University. In September 1951, it was converted from private to public and became subordinate to the Ministry of Education. In August 1952, as part of higher education restructuring, Tsin Ku University was dissolved. The engineering college merged into Tianjin University, the school of finance and economics merged into Nankai University, and based on its former campus, the Teacher Training College of Tsin Ku University became Tianjin Teacher Training College, which later evolved into Hebei University. In November 1970, Hebei University relocated to Baoding. Some faculty and students who did not move established Tianjin Foreign Studies Institute on the original Tsin Ku University campus, which has since been upgraded to Tianjin Foreign Studies University.
Currently, Tianjin University, Nankai University, Nankai University, Hebei University, Tianjin Foreign Studies University, and Tianjin University of Finance and Economics all have some lineage or geographical connection to Tsin Ku University. Tianjin Experimental High School also traces its origins to the affiliated high school of this university.
History
Background
As early as the 1860s, during the initial period of Tianjin's opening to foreign trade, the French government, seeking to expand its influence in China, intended to establish a higher education institution in Tianjin under the auspices of the Church. Considering the weak presence of the Lazarists in Tianjin, the secretary of the French Legation in China, Louis de Coupigny, instructed the Jesuits to establish a school in Tianjin in 1861, which was met with resistance from the Lazarists. Consequently, the plan was shelved. In 1909, Father Paul-Marie Coquelet of the Xianxian Diocese acquired 100 acres of barren land at the junction of the German Concession and the British Concession on Tianjin, intending to establish a university there. However, the plan was rejected by Li Hongzhang, the then Governor-General of Zhili Province, who was influenced by Britain and America.After the end of the World War I, the establishment of schools in China was reconsidered. The Holy See learned about the significance of establishing education in China through reports from Bishop Pierre-Marie-Félix Chéron of the Catholic Southeastern Diocese of Zhili and John G. McCormack, the Chinese Inspector of Education. In July 1920, the Holy See instructed Bishop Vincent Lebbe, the newly appointed Bishop of Tianjin, and Bishop Pierre-Marie-Félix Chéron to discuss the establishment of a higher education institution in Tianjin. In December of the same year, an agreement was reached between Bishop Lebbe and Bishop Chéron, "allowing, upon the request of the Superior General of the Jesuits, the establishment of either a university or a vocational school in Tianjin, or the simultaneous establishment of both types of schools". The dispute between the Lazarists and the Jesuits over the right to operate schools lasted for several decades, concluding with the Jesuits obtaining the right. Initially, the Jesuits planned to name the school "Tianjin Agricultural, Industrial, and Commercial University", but it was eventually named "Tianjin University of Commerce".
Tianjin University of Commerce
On January 14, 1921, the Holy See officially approved Liu Qinming to establish a school in Tianjin. In July, Father Pierre Jubaru was appointed as the first president. In August, Father Jubaru chose the barren land purchased in 1909 as the site for the school. In October 1922, construction of the teaching building began at the chosen site.As the focus of the Jesuits in China was secondary education, initially, Tianjin University of Commerce had high school and junior high school departments, namely the Attached High School of Tianjin University of Commerce. However, the establishment of Tianjin University of Commerce expanded the Jesuits' influence in higher education in Tianjin. On April 23, 1922, France's Sang Zhihua established a specialized research institution on the campus of Tianjin University of Commerce, initially named the "Yellow River and White River Museum", later renamed the "Northern Xinjiang Museum" due to the expansion of its collections. In 1923, the preparatory department of Tianjin University of Commerce began enrolling students. In 1925, the main teaching building of Tianjin University of Commerce was completed, commencing formal enrollment with departments for industry and commerce. In July, Father Pierre Pena, a French philosopher with a doctorate from the University of Lille, became the second president of Tianjin University of Commerce. He procured a batch of leading teaching instruments and equipment globally at that time for the school and adopted management methods from European and American universities, recruiting scholars to teach at the school. In 1931, due to illness, Pierre Pena returned to his home country, and a board of directors, predominantly composed of Chinese nationals, was established. Zhao Zhensheng, a Chinese priest, succeeded as the president.
Tianjin Institute of Commerce
In August 1933, Tianjin University of Commerce was registered with the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government. However, as the former departments did not meet the standards of "university", the institute was renamed as the Hebei Private Tianjin Institute of Commerce. At the end of 1936, the Suiyuan War broke out, and the students of Tianjin Institute of Commerce organized aid for Suiyuan. In 1937, Tianjin Institute of Commerce changed its engineering department to an engineering college, retaining the Civil Engineering Department and adding the Department of Architecture, with architect Chen Yanzhong appointed as the head of this department. In August 1937, the Japanese occupied Tianjin, and Hua Guanggui had fled to France to avoid persecution by them. The Tianjin Institute of Commerce, due to its affiliation with the Catholic Church and the French government, did not relocate within Tianjin, unlike other universities such as Nankai University and Beiyang University, and continued its operations. It became one of the few colleges to persist in teaching in the occupied areas during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Some students from Zhili and surrounding areas who couldn't relocate applied to Tianjin Institute of Commerce, leading to a sharp increase in the number of enrolled students. By July 1945, the number of enrolled students at Tianjin Institute of Commerce had increased from 141 before the war to 626. In 1943, Tianjin Institute of Commerce established a women's college. On August 13, 1947, during the 34th meeting of the board of directors of the Private Tianjin Institute of Commerce, it was unanimously agreed to change the institution to a university and rename it as Tsin Ku University.Tsin Ku University
On October 26, 1948, the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government officially approved the upgrade of Tianjin Institute of Commerce to a university. The official document regarding the registration was delivered to the school, and the Hebei Private Tianjin Institute of Commerce was formally upgraded to the Tsin Ku Private University, which was celebrated by the students and professors. After the upgrade to a university, the original teaching traditions and management structure of Tianjin Institute of Commerce were largely retained. However, influenced by the Nationalist Government's admiration for the American university system, there were some changes. The grading system switched to a percentage-based scale, elective courses were introduced, and some full-time faculty members were hired. The ratio of missionaries or religious staff among the teaching staff decreased from around 50% in 1938 to about 10%.After 1949, the newly ruling government demanded that Tsin Ku Private University offer political courses, which was resisted by the then vice president. The standoff between the two sides led to a period of chaotic teaching, ultimately resolved through the intervention of Tianjin Mayor Huang Jing. However, this incident brought adverse effects to the university, becoming a significant reason for the new government's decision to directly take back control of church-run schools due to their lack of experience in handling such institutions.
In 1951, nationwide adjustments, mergers of higher education institutions, and transformations of private schools began. On April 5, the Tianjin Public Security Bureau arrested the director of the Catholic Jesuit Tianjin Mission, on charges of counter-revolutionary espionage. On July 3, during the seventh meeting of the board of directors of the Tsin Ku Private University, it was decided to request the government to take over the school in the name of the board of directors. Chairman of the board of directors, Li Zhuchen, wrote to the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government, stating the intention to dedicate Tsin Ku University to the nation and requesting the government to order its transformation into a state-owned institution. On September 19, the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government issued Order No. 1170 of 1951, approving the transformation of Tsin Ku Private University into a public university under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government. The Tianjin Daren College merged into the School of Business of Tsin Ku University; Tianjin Civil Engineering School into its School of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts was transformed into a Teachers' College. In November, the Ministry of Education convened a national conference of deans of engineering colleges to discuss the adjustment plan for engineering colleges, rearranging departments among Tianjin University, Nankai University, and Tsin Ku University. In March 1952, the Tianjin Higher Education Adjustment Committee was established, with Wang Jinding, the vice president and party branch secretary of Tsin Ku University, appointed as the deputy director of the committee. After deliberation, the committee decided to merge Nankai University, Tianjin University, and Tsin Ku University into two institutions: one comprehensive Nankai University and the other a multi-disciplinary industrial Tianjin University, planning to split Tsin Ku University. In August, as part of the adjustment of these higher education institutions, Tsin Ku University was officially dissolved.