session 7

Session 7 (Saturday, October 18, 2025)

Symposium commemorating Tao Xingzhi’s 134th birthday: Tao Xingzhi and Teachers College, Columbia University: 110 years later

On October 18, coinciding with Teachers College Alumni Day, the Center on Chinese Education (CoCE) hosted a special symposium titled “Tao Xingzhi and Teachers College, Columbia University: 110 Years Later” in Russell Hall. The event honored both the 134th anniversary of Mr. Tao Xingzhi’s birth and the 110th anniversary of his enrollment at Teachers College, paying tribute to one of the most distinguished Chinese alumni in the institution’s history and to his enduring educational legacy. 

Professor Hervé Varenne, Gardner Cowles Professor of Anthropology and Education, and Professor John Allegrante, Charles Irwin Lambert Professor of Health Behavior and Education, delivered welcoming remarks, reflecting on Tao’s lasting influence on comparative education and the humanistic spirit of Teachers College.

Professor Xiaoqing Chen, Associate Dean of the School of Education and the Tao Xingzhi Institute for Teacher Education at Nanjing University, delivered a keynote speech titled “Tao Xingzhi and Nanjing University.” She traced Tao’s academic and administrative contributions during his tenure as Director of Academic Affairs and Professor of Education at Nanjing Higher Normal School, the predecessor of Nanjing University. Her presentation reconstructed Tao’s formative years as an educator and intellectual leader, highlighting his pivotal role in shaping modern Chinese education.

Professor Xiaoming Yi from Nanjing Normal University presented on “Life as Artistic Education,” elaborating on the evolution of Tao Xingzhi’s philosophy of aesthetic and life education. Tao began teaching at Nanjing Higher Normal School in 1917 and established the Department of Education the following year, serving as its first chair. This period laid the foundation for his later educational philosophy proposition: “life itself is artistic education”, emphasizing that the ultimate goal of education is the perfection of virtue through an artistic mode of living. Tao advocated for the principle of “integration of teaching, learning, and doing” (jiaoxue zuo he yi) and the holistic incorporation of aesthetic education into campus environments, classroom teaching, and community life. His approach aimed to realize the organic unity of education and life—a concept that resonates deeply with the aesthetic philosophies of John Dewey and Maxine Greene.

Prof. Bing Yang, Associate Dean of the School of Early Childhood Education at Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, delivered a speech via video. Taking Tao Xingzhi’s philosophy of “life is education” as the point of departure, she systematically elaborated on the spirit of Chinese educators, which centers on lofty ideals and firm convictions, moral integrity, and educational wisdom.

In concluding reflections, Dr. Henan Cheng, Executive Director of the CoCE, reviewed Tao Xingzhi’s period of study at Teachers College and his intellectual relationship with John Dewey, Paul Monroe, and William Heard Kilpatrick. In her concluding remarks, she analyzed how Tao internalized, developed, and localized Deweyan thought, transforming it into innovative educational practice in China. Notably, Tao maintained close ties with Teachers College, facilitating visits to China for Dewey, Monroe, and Kilpatrick, and advancing Sino–U.S. educational exchange and collaboration.

To close the symposium, Dr. Weixiang Pan, a distinguished Teachers College alumnus (Ed.D. in Educational Administration, Class of 1993) recited a special poem in memory of Tao Xingzhi. Calligrapher Mr. Hanyu Yu inscribed the poem on the traditional Chinese rice paper, offering a heartfelt tribute to the educator’s enduring legacy.