In the development process of Chinese history and culture, the spirit of "continuous self-improvement and virtuous conduct" has been continuously enriched and developed, and has been given new content. As a noble person, one should be unyielding in terms of integrity, conduct, moral character, scholarship, etc., overcome oneself, always make progress, and strive to reach the highest level in both career and conduct. In terms of being a person and doing things, we should conform to nature, be broad-minded, be tolerant to others, and shoulder the grand historical mission. "Continuous self-improvement and virtuous conduct" brilliantly summarizes Chinese culture's profound understanding and dialectical approach to the relationship between man and nature, man and society, and man and man. The Chinese nation has gone through thousands of years of tests and ups and downs, but has been able to firmly unite and maintain the vitality and vitality of a great nation. This is inseparable from this profound understanding. In fact, "continuous self-improvement and virtue" have constituted an important symbol of the national spirit and national character of the Chinese nation.
In the contest that determines the destiny of the nation, Tsinghua University assumes an important task that cannot be shied away from. All teachers and students must establish first-class awareness. Keep the motherland in mind, look at the world, work hard, and strive to be first-class.
The school badge of a school is a concrete manifestation of its inner spirit and external image. It is an important element of the visual identification system in the school image identification system. New schools have been established in my country since the end of the 19th century. The school-running model is mainly borrowed from Europe and the United States. At the same time, the school emblems of Chinese universities are also designed in imitation of the school emblems of European and American universities. It should be said that the earliest school emblem that appeared in China was that of Beiyang University, which was around 1913-1928. During this period, the National Government named it National Beiyang University. The school emblem is in the shape of a shield, and the school motto of "seeking truth from facts" is engraved on it. However, it is obvious that its shape imitates the emblems of Western universities. In December 1916, Cai Yuanpei became president of Peking University, and the following year he asked Lu Xun to design the school emblem. Lu Xun submitted the school emblem pattern on August 7, 1917. The circular school emblem designed by Lu Xun has the two characters "Peking University" written in seal script arranged up and down. The strokes are rounded and the structure is compact. It has the beauty of symmetry and is simple and simple in its simplicity. Moreover, we can read elements of Chinese culture from Lu Xun’s designs.
Today we can download the school emblem of Tsinghua University from the website of Tsinghua University in Beijing.
A similar school logo pattern can also be found on the website of Tsinghua University in Hsinchu.
The current question is when and who designed the original Tsinghua emblem? Is it related to the school emblems of the two universities mentioned earlier?
The predecessor of Tsinghua University is Tsinghua Academy founded in the late Qing Dynasty. It is a preparatory school for studying in the United States. Because of this special background, Tsinghua Academy has an English name "Tsinghua Imperial College", which can be translated as "Tsinghua Imperial College" in today's usage. The founder of the school was deeply aware of the country's internal and external troubles, poverty and weakness, and the need to use new education to save the country. He specially formulated for the school "the purpose of cultivating all-round talents and enhancing national strength"; After entering the Republic of China, the academy was renamed as a school, and the word "Imperial" was dropped from the English school name. Although it is still a preparatory school for studying in the United States, Principal Zhou Yichun advocates the school's policy of simultaneously developing moral, intellectual, and physical education and cultivating a complete personality. To this end, the school regularly invites social sages and scholars to give lectures at the school. On November 5, 1914, Liang Qichao, a famous politician, thinker and scholar in modern my country, gave a speech titled "Gentleman" in the Tsinghua University Auditorium (Tongfang Department), encouraging Tsinghua students to establish lofty ideals, cultivate a complete personality, and be a "true gentleman" . He said: "Qianxiang said: 'Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement.' Kunxiang said: 'The terrain is uneven, and a gentleman carries things with great virtue.' Based on this, the conditions for a gentleman are almost the same as those of a common man." He also said "Qian Xiang said, a gentleman will strive for his own strength, and the movement of heaven will not stop, and there will be no shortcomings like the ten cold weather." "Kun Xiang said, a gentleman will accept things, be generous and generous, and the vastness of Judah will be all-encompassing." He hopes : "Tsinghua students are a gathering of great Confucian scholars from both China and the West, talented people from all over the world, they are teachers and friends, and they rub each other off. During their years, they traveled overseas, absorbed new civilizations, improved our society, and promoted our politics. The so-called gentlemen are not Tsinghua students. , is it going to belong?" Since then, the words "continuous self-improvement and virtuous conduct" have been engraved in the hearts of Tsinghua students because of the national spirit they embody.
In the autumn of 1916, in order to strengthen students' physical fitness and hone their martial spirit, the school organized a military training camp and hired Mr. Li Huanwei, a graduate of the U.S. Army Academy, as the military training battalion commander and instructor. This is a paramilitary organization. It has organized about 200 students other than the Boy Scouts into military training camps, with battalion, company, and platoon structures. The school customized military uniforms, military boots and drill guns for the military training camp, and established a military band. After two months of training, when the students lined up for drills, their uniform appearance and loud bugles were a sight to behold at Tsinghua University. But this fashion lacks a military flag. On December 28, 1916, "Tsinghua Weekly" reported: "The military flag format for military exercises has been drawn. The flag is purple with a white circle in the middle, with the words 'Continuous self-improvement and great virtue' inside. The flag is painted below the circle. There are two guns, also in white. They are dazzling and spectacular." This message did not mention the process of soliciting the design of the military flag, the origin of the idea and who the designer was, but the eight words in the circle were "continuous self-improvement and great virtue." The word represented the spirit of Tsinghua University and later became the school motto of Tsinghua University. This military flag was published in the "Tsinghua Annual Magazine" (Tsinghuapper II) published in June 1917. At the same time, the circle pattern of the military flag was printed separately on the cover of the 1917 annual magazine. In addition, this circular pattern also appeared on the covers of issues 138-172 of "Tsinghua Weekly" from 1918 to 1919. Although "Annual" and "Weekly" did not provide any written explanation of this pattern, we can judge from this how much teachers and students at Tsinghua University value this pattern.
On April 28, 1923, "Tsinghua Weekly" published a commemorative issue "Tsinghua Life" for the 12th anniversary of the founding of the school, and published a long article "Tsinghua's Environment" by Liang Zhihua (Shi Qiu). When introducing the interior of the auditorium, the article said: "On the wall above the stage curtain, there is a circular image carved with several official script characters. This is the school motto of Tsinghua University: 'Continuous self-improvement and great virtue' thing'". We must have thought that the "circular image" described by Liang Shiqiu is the same pattern on the military flag of the Tsinghua Military Training Camp, the "1917 Tsinghua Annual" and the cover of "Tsinghua Weekly". The interior painting of the auditorium published on the cover of "Tsinghua Weekly" in September 1927 (414 issues in total) can be used as evidence.
It is conceivable that this image should have been engraved when the auditorium was put into use in 1921. Liang Shiqiu did not say that the pattern was the Tsinghua emblem. We can judge from this that in 1923, this circular pattern had not been recognized as the school emblem by the school.
As early as 1914, the "Tsinghua Annual" published the English school song (TSING HUA SONG) and school chant (COLLEGE YELLS) as well as the school flag colors (COLORS) purple and white. However, no record of the Tsinghua University emblem was found. Until 1926, "On November 25, the school senate meeting resolved to adopt the format of the school emblem: circular and oblique cross" ("90 Years of Tsinghua University"). This pattern differs only slightly from the 1917 annual cover pattern mentioned above. From this we can confirm that Tsinghua University officially established its school emblem on November 25, 1926. What do we think of this school emblem that was designed ten years ago? Although Tsinghua School was a preparatory school for studying in the United States at that time and was deeply influenced by American culture, this pattern embodies the spirit of traditional Chinese culture from form to content. In terms of shape, it reminds us of the bronze mirrors of the Pre-Qin Dynasty and the tiles of the Western Han Dynasty. The five stars in the center symbolize light and hope. The middle ring is divided into eight parts by two crosses. These two crosses may remind people of the Double Tenth Day on the anniversary of the Revolution of 1911; and filling in the eight parts with the Tsinghua University motto "Continuous self-improvement and virtue" is exactly what it means. The connection between Chinese cultural tradition and Tsinghua spirit. Although today we have no idea who the designer of the school emblem is, we admire him for containing such rich Chinese cultural connotations.
In August 1928, Tsinghua School was renamed Tsinghua University, and in September it was officially named "National Tsinghua University". At the end of November 1928, the catalog page of "Tsinghua Weekly" (total issue 445) printed the emblem of National Tsinghua University. However, this pattern should not have been approved by the school. That is to say, in the early days of reorganizing the university, National Tsinghua University did not have an official school emblem.
In March 1932, the "Journal of National Tsinghua University" published a notice, "We have found that our school does not have a certain school emblem for identification, and we are specifically soliciting patterns for reference." We solicited school emblem patterns from all teachers and students of the school.
On June 1, 1934, the guide issue of "Tsinghua Weekly" (Issue 13-14) published the Tsinghua University emblem, and its basic shape is still used today.
The school emblem of Tsinghua University in Beijing today has been in use since the beginning of this century. In December 2003, the school applied to register an educational service trademark under the name "Tsinghua Old School Emblem Pattern" and was approved in April 2006. This school emblem is fixed in the form of law. On the one hand, it represents Tsinghua’s traditional image and logo, and on the other hand, it embodies the intrinsic value of intellectual property rights.