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PKU Today in History - a daily column featuring historic events regarding PKU and PKUers

1924 - Rabindranath Tagore visited PKU

Rabindranath Tagore, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the well-known Indian poet, writer, artist, and social activist, paid a visit to China under Peking University's invitation on April 12, 1924.

After he came back to India, Tagore played an active role in building a permanent and solid organization in order to promote the cultural relationship between China and India. He founded a Chinese College at the Visva-Bharati University.

  
Rabindranath Tagore in China in 1924

1948 - PKU professors went on strike against violence dressed in "Democracy"

On April 12, 1948, in order to fight against the witch hunt of the opposition, the professors of PKU issued the Manifesto on PKU Professors' Strike to Fight against Violence and Asking for the Education Security. They announced that this activity would last for seven days.

The activity was caused by a series of violence events happened on April 11, when a so-called Peking Civilian Group gathered in front of the Tiananmen Square wanting to wipe out communists. Then, they launched a parade to take action against the teachers and students. They beset the Honglou Building, and attacked the dormitories with bricks and stones.

On the afternoon of April 15, the teachers, staff, and students held a meeting on the Democracy Square. Professor Wen Jiasi said at the rally: "During this activity, countless people have woken up. The undisciplined becomes united; the weak becomes strong. This proves that the PKUers are courageous enough to learn their lessons from life! I say, PKU is always young, united and progressive."

1958 - The Chinese "Pavel Korchagin" Wu Yunduo gave a speech at PKU

Wu Yunduo, the national model worker and one of the founders of the weapon industry for the New Fourth Army, made a speech at PKU on political issues.

  
The Chinese "Pavel Korchagin" Wu Yunduo

He was also known as the Chinese "Pavel Korchagin," who was a protagonist of the Russian novel. 

Written by: Qian Xin
Edited by: Su Juan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)