Educator who studied under John Dewey at Columbia and in 1927 founded a village teachers' school at 晓庄 near Nanjing, teaching that 生活即教育 (life is education).
Táo Xíngzhī shì Zhōngguó píngmín jiàoyù de xiānqū.
Tao Xingzhi was a pioneer of mass education in China.
Tips
history
Born 陶文濬, he took the name 陶知行 from 王阳明's teaching 知行合一 'knowing and doing are one', then in 1934 turned it round to 陶行知, because he held that doing comes first: 行是知之始 'action is the beginning of knowledge'.
culture
A line he wrote for a primary school in 1929, 捧着一颗心来，不带半根草去, 'come bringing your whole heart, leave without taking half a blade of grass', is the classic description of a selfless teacher.
