Shanxi Shitao Memorial Hall

Shanxi Shitao Memorial Hall

Shanxi Shitao Memorial Hall is located on Nanneihuan Street within Taiyuan Normal University in Taiyuan City. Tao Xingzhi (1891–1946), originally named Wen Bofu, later changed his name to Zhixing, and then to Xingzhi. He was a renowned people’s educator in China during the first half of the 20th century. Guided by the mission of inspiring people to liberate themselves, he dedicated decades of his life to the cause of national salvation and democracy in China, and was a close comrade-in-arms of the Chinese Communist Party. He was honored as an “Out-of-Party Bolshevik Who Followed the Party Without Reservation.” In 1923, Tao Xingzhi, together with Zhu Qihui and Yuan Guanlan, initiated the founding of the China Association for Promoting Mass Education and also served as the Executive Secretary of the China Education Improvement Society. To convene the annual conference of the China Education Improvement Society and promote mass education activities, Tao Xingzhi visited Taiyuan three times around 1925 and gave lectures at Shanxi Grand College during his stays. In 1991, to study his spirit of “morality first, practice foremost, and creative education,” the Shanxi Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall was established under the advocacy of Mr. Feng Sutao, organized by the Shanxi Tao Xingzhi Society. In 2007, the “Shanxi Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall” was renovated and renamed the “Shanxi Shitao Memorial Hall.” The entire exhibition is divided into two parts: the first section displays the life and educational practices of Mr. Tao Xingzhi; the second section showcases the achievements of the Shanxi Provincial Tao Xingzhi Research Association and Taiyuan Normal University over the past 20 years in learning from and practicing Tao Xingzhi’s teachings. As a result, Taiyuan Normal University has become a research base for Tao Xingzhi’s educational philosophy in Shanxi Province, as well as a provincial base for teacher ethics education.