“Spotlights in ZUEL”---- The First Group of Overseas Professor Returnees

What makes a good university is the amount and quality of masters it owns, rather than the amount and quality of buildings that stands. Talent is the basis and teacher is the key to establish a first-rate university. In the past 67 years, the subject position, academic strength, talent cultivation and social contribution in economic and laws management have got a good reputation that attributes to the hard-working of several generations as well as the efforts of a sustainable, high-level, and internationalized teacher team.

Early in 1950s, we had a teacher team of abundant academic strength and rich teaching experience. During the adjustment of universities and colleges in our country from 1952 to 1953, the teachers of economics, management and law from Zhongshan University, Hunan University and GuangXi University were summoned to teach at ZUEL, which provided our university with a comparatively strong faculty. In the medium of 1950s, there were about one hundred of professors and associate professors in ZEUL, among which over 50 had the experience of studying abroad. It was not common in national higher-education universities at that time.

This was the earliest returned professor group in the history of ZUEL. Most of them graduated from famous foreign universities, such as University of Washington in America, Waseda University in Japan, Sorbonne in France, they got systematic European and American professional education. Most of them had got bachelor’s degrees, or graduate degrees, or doctor’s degrees or dual degrees in economics and law. Such as professor Wang Yizhai, former Deputy Director of Organizing Committee of Zhongyuan University, professor Wu Chenghua, in Teaching and Research Section of National Economy History, professor Zeng Huanjiu, in Teaching and Research Section of Political Economics, Wu Yixiu, in Teaching and Research Section of Financial Credit, professor Huang Boyao, in Teaching and Research Section of Industrial Economics, professor Li Xietang, in Teaching and Research Section of Economic Statistics, they all got doctor degrees in economics. Professor Lu Junkai, in Teaching and research Section of National Law and professor Xu Siguang，in Department of Laws both got doctor degrees in law. Some of them who were rich in practical and social experience hold several posts simultaneously in political circle, business circle and academic circle. Professor Hu Shanheng, in Teaching and Research Section of Financial Credit, former Minister of Department of Finance in Hunan and Guangdong Province designated by the National Government, Controller of Executive Yuan, Member of Finance Committee in South Central, professor Zhang Renjia, in Teaching and Research Section of Agriculture Economy, former Director of Economic Research Office in Bank of Hunan Province, professor Xue Siguang who made great contributions to the trial of Japanese war criminals was ever employed as a consultant by the International Court of Justice.

Most of these professors with profound professional and academic accomplishments got senior professional titles in the period of the Republic of China, among which they were even the masters and authorities in certain areas. When they came to work in ZUEL, they pushed forward the constant development of discipline construction, talent cultivation and science research through concentrating on academic research and talent cultivation. Professor Ma Zhemin, former President of Zhongnan Institute of Finance and Economics, was graduated from Universität Berlin with a major in sociology and Waseda University with a major in political economics. He taught and researched Marx philosophy, political economics, and history of social development for a long time. He wrote many books such as International Imperialism Theory, History of Economics, Social Evolution and Introduction to Social Economics. Professor Zhu Jiannong, former vice-President of Zhongnan Institute of Finance and Economics. He was considered as a major representative of “wide school” and proved that all labor products in socialist society whether production data or means of consumption are goods. He also pointed that law of value plays an important role in socialist production. Professor Tan Shouqing, in Teaching and Research Section of Monetary Circulation and Credit, had a deep research in monetary theory. He wrote many books such as Monetary and Gold, Gold Won’t Withdraw from the Monetary Arena in History. He was considered as “king of money”. Professor Wu Chenghua, in the Teaching and Research Section of History of National Economy, devoted to the research of economic theories. He was ever a professor in The Great China University, Hunan University, Zhejiang University, Northwest University, Guangxi University, Lanzhou University, and Hunan National Normal University. He sometimes would take planes to go through these universities, so people called him “plane professor”. Professor Zeng Zhaoqiong, in Department of Laws, was one of the earliest scholars in China who got doctor’s degree of law and studied in Japan in the first half of twentieth century. He was famous for his knowledge of criminal law in the period of the Republic of China. After the establishment of new China, he dedicated to teaching and research of criminal law discipline with Chinese characteristic, made great contribution to law education. A Brief Introduction of History of Chinese Statistics written by professor Liu Shuhe, in Teaching and Research Section of Economic Statistics, was the first book of statistics research in Chinese history.

The earliest returned professor group made great contributions to the discipline construction and academic development in later half century of ZUEL with their profound academic accomplishments, serious scientific attitudes, strict learning spirits and pragmatic working styles. They developed excellent spirits and fine styles of study, they cultivated large amounts of talents with faculties, and they created the brilliant history of ZUEL. We should not only recall that history, build a framework of their academic achievements but also remember their lofty spirit and noble personality. We should transfer their spirits and personalities to the excellent genes of sustainable development of ZUEL. We should deliver their spirits to everyone in ZUEL. Last year, the third School Congress of Party Representatives came up with the splendid blueprint of “First Class, World Famous, Distinctive Characteristics”. In this great journey, we should inherit and push forward the good traditions and excellent genes of generations by generations in ZUEL, lead the construction of talent cultivation through the lofty spirit of people in ZUEL, realize the construction of a state-of-the-art university by its high-level talents.