21 Facts About Cheng Fangwu

Cheng Fangwu was a top level politician in the Chinese Communist Party.

Cheng Fangwu was purged in 1974 during the Cultural Revolution but given a sinecure translating Marx and Engels' texts into Chinese.

Cheng Fangwu was rehabilitated in 1978, and spent the final years of his life as President of Renmin University.

Cheng Fangwu was born in Xinhua County, Hunan in 1897.

Cheng Fangwu went to Japan in 1910 as a student of Military Science at the Tokyo Imperial University.

Cheng Fangwu returned to China in 1921 and joined the Creation Society circle of scholars with Yu Dafu and other Chinese intellectuals, publishing numerous articles promulgating the new literature.

Cheng Fangwu was appointed to the faculty of Sun Yat-sen University in Canton in 1924 and to the Physics faculty at Whampoa Military Academy.

Cheng Fangwu mastered the German language and years later authored the direct translation from German to Chinese of Marx and Engels "The Communist Manifesto" which became texts for the Chinese Communist Party.

Cheng Fangwu returned to China in September 1931 and soon went to the Eyuwan Soviet, a Communist base that straddled 3 provinces.

The CCP was unprepared to meet this sudden influx, but Cheng Fangwu established the Shaanbei Public Academy in July 1937 to give them a political education.

Cheng Fangwu was at first the only faculty member, and had to rely on other party leaders to give guest lectures.

In 1939, the Shaanbei Public Academy was combined with three other institutions to create the Huabei United University, of which Cheng Fangwu became the President.

Cheng Fangwu went with them and organized their continuing education which required scheduling surreptitious class gatherings.

The People's Republic of China was established in 1949, and the following year Cheng Fangwu established Renmin University in Beijing.

Cheng Fangwu was then President of Shandong University in Jinan from August 1958 until January 1974.

Cheng Fangwu brought a fresh breeze and re-invigorated the University with his focus on grass roots reality and personal knowledge of the subject matter.

Cheng Fangwu set a personal example by always writing his own memo's, reports and text notes.

Cheng Fangwu was a fervent dedicated Marxist to the core, and had the same commitment to cadre education.

Cheng Fangwu required his education system to conform to reality, of which he experienced in abundance.

Mao finally protected him in 1974 by setting up a special office for Cheng Fangwu to translate Marx and Engels.

Cheng Fangwu was rehabilitated in 1978 and became president of Renmin University.