— Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Name “Pei Hua”
Amid the ever-flowing river of time,
there are always moments of great significancethat leave a shining mark on history.
On the 90th anniversary of the adoption of the name “Pei Hua”,
let us retrace the path once takento understand both the origin and the meaning of “Pei Hua”.
Ninety years ago, on July 13, 1935, the “Xi’an No. 1 Women’s Vocational School for Commoners”, established in 1928, was renamed the “Shaanxi Private Pei Hua Women’s Junior Weaving and Dyeing Vocational School”. From that day forward, the name “Pei Hua” came into use.The name combines“Pei”from Huang Yanpei and“Hua”from the Chinese(Zhonghua)Vocational Education Society. It signifies both the consolidation of foundations and the promise of development, while embodying the school’s vision of “cultivating talent and revitalizing China” and its lofty mission of “laying a solid educational foundation to promote national progress”.From its very beginning, Pei Hua has been closely tied to the future of the nation and the destiny of China. It carries within it the red gene of “saving the nation through education” and embodies a profound sense of responsibility toward both family and country.
The origins and nature of the school are documented in The Annals of Education in Xi’an, published by Shaanxi People’s Publishing House.
The Articles of Association of the Pei Hua Women’s Vocational School Boardrecorded the school’s name, “Pei Hua”, intended to highlight its educational philosophy of “laying solid foundations and fostering future development”.
Today, the two characters “Pei Hua” have transcended time and space, accompanying the school through 90 years of growth. It was this name that carried forward the legacy of Xi’an’s First Women’s Vocational School for Commoners into a new era; it was this name that connected the school with Huang Yanpei, a pioneer of modern vocational education, and with the Chinese Vocational Education Society. It reflects the school’s deep roots in vocational education while carrying the great aspiration of contributing to the national goal of building a strong country through education in the new era.For nearly a century,Pei Hua has moved in step with history, aligned with the times, and advanced together with the nation. Driven by profound patriotism, it has remained steadfast in its mission to serve the country through education, constantly exploring new paths. In doing so, it has forged a proud patriotic tradition and a fine institutional character.
Education is an unextinguished flame, a persistent devotion, a unity of knowledge and action, and a belief that transcends time. Over the past hundred years, generations of Pei Hua people have used their deeds to define the legacy of the name “Pei Hua” and their years of dedication to give powerful resonance to the responsibility of serving both family and country.
In February 1987, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education submitted a report on Pei Hua’s historical trajectory to Bai Jinian, then Party Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Zhou Yaguang, Deputy Secretary of the Committee, and Lin Jizhou, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province.
Today, as we stand at a pivotal moment leading into Pei Hua’s centennial, looking back on the arduous journey of its people, what inspires both respect and emotion is how generation after generation has embraced “patriotism through education” as a shared value. With a broad-minded commitment to the nation—“though in humble position, never forgetting the country’s concerns”—they shouldered the mission of saving, serving, and strengthening the nation through education, creating the brilliance of Pei Hua’s past and the achievements of its present. Pei Hua pioneered private education in Shaanxi, and through action presented a magnificent chapter in the century-long development of private education in China.
Founding Vision: Education as a Path to National Salvation
In the early 20th century, China’s national industry and commerce developed rapidly. Many industrialists aspired to realize the dream of enriching the people and strengthening the nation through industry. Influenced by this, educators sought to reform outdated methods of instruction and pursue “saving the nation through education”. Huang Yanpei, together with figures from both education and industry, founded the Chinese Vocational Education Society, advancing the philosophy of vocational education: “to provide employment for the unemployed, and to make work a joy for the employed”, “skilled hands, practical minds”, and “dedication to work and harmony with others”. Under the guidance of Huang Yanpei’s vocational education thought, in February 1928 Wu Yunfang, Liang Wufeng, and Shi Yuqin, among others, established the Shaanxi Women’s Vocational Education Promotion Association. This association went on to found the Xi’an First Women’s Vocational School for Commoners—the earliest junior women’s vocational school in Xi’an organized by a civic society. The school was devoted to women’s emancipation, fostering independence, and equipping women with livelihood skills. Admission was open to young women who had lost access to education, who were unemployed, displaced, or even fleeing marriage. Regardless of family background, age, or prior education, any woman with the desire to learn could become a student.
According to the Annals of Education in Shaanxi Province (from the Local Gazetteer Series of the People’s Republic of China), Wu Yunfang, Liang Wufeng, and Shi Yuqin were instrumental in founding the Xi’an First Women’s Vocational School for Commoners (later renamed Pei Hua Women’s Vocational School).
The school operated on a six-month program that combined life skills and cultural knowledge with a focus on practical training in production techniques. Students graduated with excellent skills and craftsmanship, earning the school recognition and positive response from society. It was even ranked among the “Top Ten Model Vocational Schools” nationwide. In its mission to liberate women, promote gender equality, and improve their livelihood, the school opened a new window for women oppressed by feudal traditions. At the same time, it contributed talent and wisdom to a struggling nation, practicing the belief that education could serve as a path to national salvation.
Patriotic Education During the War of Resistance
In early 1938, as Japanese forces advanced deep into China’s central regions and pushed westward, Xi’an became a major rear base of the War of Resistance. At this moment of national crisis, the faculty and students of Pei Hua supported the war effort and defended the homeland through concrete actions. According to records in the Annals of Shaanxi Province, students from Pei Hua Women’s Vocational School joined over 4,000 peers from Xi’an High School, No.1 Middle School, the Women’s Normal School, and Leyu Middle School at Revolution Park to hold a rally and parade marking the fifth anniversary of the September 18 Incident.
TheAnnals of Education in Xi’an, published by Shaanxi People’s Publishing House documented the school’s anti-Japanese activities.
From December 1937 to the first half of 1938, teachers and students supported the war effort in various ways. Mornings were devoted to classes, while afternoons were spent in production. They produced 500 cotton quilts and sewed 30 coats for the frontlines. In May 1938, Pei Hua vacated shopfronts at its sales office to provide temporary housing for wounded soldiers returning from the Anti-Japanese battlefield in Zhongtiao Mountain, Shanxi. Students also organized voluntarily to sew 100 towels, carefully embroidering the words “Fight the War with Blood” on each, and presented them to the wounded soldiers to encourage them to recover quickly and return to the battlefield.
One wartime log from Pei Hua Women’s Vocational School recorded:“On December 13, the enemy captured Nanjing. This shame must be remembered”.
To further support frontline production, Pei Hua partnered with the Cooperative Committee under the Provincial Department of Construction to promote new weaving methods. Graduates such as Guo Junying, along with six other alumni, were sent to Xingping, Xianyang, and Liquan to organize training centers. There, they taught local women how to operate foot-powered looms, replacing traditional hand weaving. This significantly improved efficiency and quality, boosting production in the rear area and providing strong support for the frontlines. Through such concrete actions, Pei Hua Women’s Vocational School embodied its deep sense of patriotism—engraving national responsibility into belief and expressing it through practice.
Institutional Transformation: Education in Service of the Nation
After the liberation of Xi’an, the school entered a transitional period. Pei Hua organized teachers and students to sign thePatriotic Conventionand individual implementation plans, learned to sing the new national anthem and revolutionary songs, and fostered patriotic enthusiasm while enriching campus life. As the local government faced an urgent need for financial and economic talent, the school firmly carried out government directives and transitioned from private to public management. It was renamed Xi’an No. 1 School of Finance and Economics and later Xi’an School of Finance and Economics, specializing in training financial and economic professionals for Northwest China.
In The Annals of Xi’an Education, Part IV, Section 3 (p.218), it is recorded that the predecessor of Xi’an No. 1 School of Finance and Economics was Pei Hua Vocational School.
On page 500 ofThe Annals of Xi’an Education, it is recorded that Xi’an No. 1 School of Finance and Economics and Xi’an No. 2 School of Finance and Economics were merged to form Xi’an School of Finance and Economics.
Following its reorganization, teachers and students enthusiastically embraced the honorable mission entrusted to them by the nation, devoting themselves fully to improving teaching quality and cultivating professionals with solid skills and comprehensive abilities. Within a few years, the shortage of financial and economic talent in the Northwest was greatly alleviated, and the supply gradually reached balance.
In July 1956, Xi’an School of Finance and Economics submitted a report to the Xi’an Education Bureau requesting relocation to Changchun, citing instructions from higher authorities. The school subsequently responded to the call, relocating en masse to the Northeast to e stablish the Changchun Statistics School under the State Statistical Bureau.Whether through renaming or relocation, Pei Hua’s predecessors consistently responded positively to the call of the nation, serving its needs and following government arrangements. They always placed national interests above all, dedicating themselves to serving the people, society, and the construction of socialism. During this period, the school also actively engaged in political activities, instilling patriotism, collectivism, and devotion to Party and country in students. Wholeheartedly, they worked to train financial and management talent for the New China and contributed fully to the country’s economic development. This steadfast commitment to education and country embodied their patriotic spirit.
TheSixty-Year Chronicle of the Changchun Democratic Leaguerecords that President Jiang Weizhi of Pei Hua later served as Vice President of the Changchun Statistics School under the State Statistical Bureau.
Rebuilding and Revitalization: Continuing the Dream of Education for National Renewal
In the early years of reform and opening-up, in order to revitalize Shaanxi, expand women’s access to higher education, and cultivate more female talent, prominent educators including former president Jiang Weizhi worked tirelessly to restore Xi’an Pei Hua Women’s University. The goal was to give full play to women’s role in China’s “Four Modernizations” and in Shaanxi’s economic and social development.
Pei Hua Women’s University selected outstanding female students through the national college entrance examination, opening a unique path for cultivating urgently needed talent for the nation’s construction. By expanding women’s opportunities for higher education, the university also created broader employment prospects for educated women. It helped nurture female engineers, economists, writers, doctors, judges, and other professionals needed by the times. The restoration of Pei Hua Women’s University marked an important exploration and practice in advancing educational development and fostering diverse talent. It also became one of the first institutions in the country to implement the Party’s policy of “multi-level, multi-form education”, ushering in a new era of private higher education in Shaanxi.
Pei Hua Women’s University drew the attention and support of Party and state leaders. Xi Zhongxun, then a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Secretariat, encouraged the effort, remarking: “Establishing a women’s university is a very good thing”, and further emphasized, “Whatever we do, we must first consider the nation and the Party”. Zhao Puchu, then Vice Chairman of the CPPCC and President of the Buddhist Association of China, inscribed the name “Xi’an Pei Hua Women’s University”. The restoration of Pei Hua Women’s University made significant contributions to local economic development and social progress in Xi’an and Shaanxi. More importantly, it carried forward and renewed Pei Hua’s educational mission of national rejuvenation.
The Work Bulletin(Issue 76, 1985) of the Xi’an Municipal CPC Committee reported on Xi Zhongxun’s meeting with Pei Hua Women’s University leaders.
Undergraduate Education: Pursuing the Goal of Building a Strong Nation through Education
Pei Hua has always adhered to the principle of aligning with central priorities and serving the greater good, transforming loyalty to the Party, service to the people, and dedication to society into conscious action—particularly through contributing to the development of western China and supporting grassroots needs. With visionary foresight, former president Jiang Weizhi planned for Pei Hua’s advancement to undergraduate status. With the care and support of various sectors and the tireless efforts of generations of Pei Hua people, in 2003 the Ministry of Education approved its upgrade, making it the first private undergraduate institution across 12 western provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, under the new name Xi’an Pei Hua University. Before and after this transition, Pei Hua closely followed the Western Development strategy, promptly launching the “Undergraduate Program Innovation Project”. This initiative focused on strengthening disciplines essential to western construction and on cultivating urgently needed talent for the strategy. It opened a new path for undergraduate education and connotative development.
In the new era, Pei Hua emphasizes advancing its own growth to better serve the national strategy of building China into a strong educational power. Chairman Jiang Bo has proposed using applied course development as the entry point and implementing the “Six Ones” initiative to promote deep integration of industry, academia, and education, as well as coordinated development of teaching, research, and practice. Enterprises and industries are engaged comprehensively in curriculum design, discipline construction, talent training, and evaluation. By consistently serving regional economic and social development, Pei Hua deepens educational reform and cultivates high-quality applied talent attuned to industrial restructuring and regional growth—shaping a distinctive “Pei Hua Model” for applied universities aligned with the education-for-national-strength strategy.
A Century of Song and Struggle: Forging a Glorious Future
Over a century of trials and perseverance, Pei Hua has surged forward like a mighty river—crossing mountains, overcoming obstacles, and opening paths. The university has pursued light, embraced innovation, and honored history with hard work, forging new glory through achievement. Its educational journey has unfolded as a vivid picture of “assuring the government, satisfying society, earning parents’ trust, and gaining students’ recognition”. As the 14th Five-Year Plan approaches completion and the 15th takes shape, Chairman Jiang Bo, standing at the intersection of history and the tide of the times, has set a new goal: the “Master’s Degree Program Project”. This marks a new stage in Pei Hua’s academic development and talent cultivation. Once again, Pei Hua stands at a historic juncture, embarking on a new journey filled with honor and aspiration. From seeking national salvation through vocational education, to holding fast to its mission amid wartime, to forging red faith through institutional reform, to restoring vitality through reconstruction, and to leading with innovation in a new era—Pei Hua’s century-long journey demonstrates strategic resolve in the face of uncertainty, paving the way toward becoming a high-level private university with distinct characteristics.
Emerging from the depths of history, Pei Hua bears witness to the hardships and perseverance of talent cultivation.Looking toward a bright future, it shoulders the mission and glory of national rejuvenation. With confidence in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, all members of Pei Hua remain committed to nurturing talent for the Party and the nation, carrying forward fine traditions, strengthening patriotic spirit, deepening reform in governance and educational models, and advancing the master’s program with determination and innovation. With resilience, dedication, and enterprise, Pei Hua will seize opportunities, ride the momentum, and achieve new success on the path toward China’s modernization. It will greet its centennial anniversary with outstanding achievements and continue contributing to building a strong nation and realizing national rejuvenation.
Author: Pei Xuanping, Commentator at Xi’an Pei Hua University. The series of commentaries focuses on major work and events of the university, aiming to interpret meaning, clarify direction, inspire confidence, and unite strength.
