An Obituary Notice Mourning Mr. Yang Changji
(January 22,1920)
To Whom It May Concern:
Mr. Yang Huaizhong of Hunan died of illness at the German Hospital in Beijing at 5
A.M. on January 17. Mr. Yang possessed a high moral character and was dedicated to
learning. His colleagues, on hearing of his death, all felt a great loss. In his earlier days,
Mr. Yang studied at Kobun Academy and the Higher Teachers’ College of Tokyo, Japan.
Later, he studied at the University of Scotland, Great Britain [sic].45 Upon graduation,
he went to Berlin to investigate education, and stayed there too for over a year.46 In
the winter of 1911, when the revolution broke out, Mr. Yang returned from abroad
to Changsha, where he took up teaching positions at the Higher Normal School and
First Normal School. His dignity and diligence in teaching year after year won great
admiration from his students. More than seven years passed.47 In 1918 Changsha was
occupied by troops and even the normal schools became barracks for the soldiers.
Education was literally destroyed, and nothing much could be done there. Hence, Mr.
Yang came to Beijing and became a professor of ethics at the national university.
Besides doing research and teaching, he also translated books and wrote surveys.48
Because of his mental overexertion, he became ill. At first, it was a gastric ailment,
then it was overall swelling. Thus, he had to convalesce in the Western Hills. Summer
and fall having gone by, beginning from this past winter, his illness steadily worsened,
and he was then admitted to the German Hospital for treatment. The doctors said
overall deterioration was found in his internal organs and it would not be easy to
treat him. Alas, Mr. Yang’s illness eventually proved incurable. Academic work in our
country is far from being fully developed, and accomplished scholars are as scarce as
the stars at
dawn. Mr. Yang assuredly dedicated his whole life to his studies. Heaven did not
grant him a longer life, and he was not able to achieve even one percent of his objectives. Indeed, this is a severe blow both to education and to his personal friends.
Mr. Yang sought neither material gain nor worldly fame for himself, and from his income accumulated only a few mu of poor land, relying for his livelihood on salaries.
His survivors have no means of support. Since he had served in education for almost
ten years, we, basing ourselves on the principle of honoring teachers and respecting
scholars, hereby propose to establish a memorial fund to assure the livelihood of his
family. The funds collected could either constitute their savings or be used as capital
for a business, so that his orphans49 may have something to live on. We sincerely hope
that you, gentlemen and former friends of Mr. Yang’s, will give generously toward this
fund.
Yours sincerely,

--- Notes

45 I.e., Japanese.
46 In fact, Yang Changji studied at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland; there is, of course, no
“University of Scotland.”


47 According to a note by Yang himself, he spent only nine months in Germany. He graduated from
Aberdeen University in 1912.
48 He actually returned to China in the spring of 1913 and went to Beijing in the summer of 1918.
He taught for the intervening period of five years in Changsha.
49 For two translations by Yang, see below the text dated October 22,1920.