Introduction to Part II

This part focuses on Cai Yuanpei&s;s 1917–1923 rectification of Peking University (PKU) which centered on “inclusiveness and freedom of thought.” It contrasts traditional Chinese learning, which tied to politics and was moralized, with modern academic independence advocated by Yan Fu and Wang Guowei. Cai&s;s reform, seen as foundational for modern Chinese learning, aimed to build PKU into an academic community. Drawing on the concepts of Kuhn&s;s “paradigm” and Polanyi&s;s “scientific community,” it defines a broader “academic community,” and argues that Cai&s;s institutional construction, fostering Merton&s;s “ethos of science,” laid groundwork for modern Chinese learning.