Peking University in the context of "Mao Zedong"

Chen Duxiu (simplified Chinese: 陈独秀; traditional Chinese: 陳獨秀; pinyin: Chén Dúxiù; Wade–Giles: Chʻên Tu-hsiu; 9 October 1879 – 27 May 1942) was a Chinese revolutionary, writer, educator, and political philosopher who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with Li Dazhao in 1921, serving as its first General Secretary from 1921 to 1927. Chen was a leading figure in the New Culture Movement and May Fourth Movement of 1919, which significantly influenced China's intellectual and political landscape in the early 20th century.

Born in Anhui, Chen was raised in a traditional gentry family but became involved in revolutionary activities from a young age. He studied in Japan, where he was exposed to Western ideas and became involved with Chinese student activist groups. Returning to China, he played a key role in local revolutionary movements in Anhui, notably through journalism and education, advocating for a vernacular literary revolution and the preservation of China's "national essence". During the New Culture Movement (c. 1915–1922), Chen rose to national prominence as the editor of the influential magazine New Youth (Xin Qingnian) and as Dean of Arts and Letters at Peking University. He championed science, democracy, and vernacular literature, while launching trenchant critiques of traditional Confucianism and Chinese society. His writings and leadership were instrumental in shaping the May Fourth generation of intellectuals and activists.

Li Dazhao (simplified Chinese: 李大钊; traditional Chinese: 李大釗; pinyin: Lǐ Dàzhāo; Wade–Giles: Li Ta-chao; 29 October 1889 – 28 April 1927) was a Chinese intellectual, revolutionary, and political activist who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with Chen Duxiu in 1921. He was one of the first Chinese intellectuals to publicly support Bolshevism and the October Revolution, and his writings and mentorship inspired a generation of young radicals, including Mao Zedong.

Born to a peasant family in Hebei province, Li was educated in modern schools in China and later at Waseda University in Japan. He rose to prominence during the New Culture Movement as the chief librarian and a professor of history at Peking University. In this role, he influenced many student activists and transformed his office into a hub for Marxist discussion. After the May Fourth Movement of 1919, he helped organize some of China's first communist study groups.

Hu Shih (Chinese: 胡適; 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962) was a Chinese academic, writer, and politician. Hu contributed to Chinese liberalism and language reform, and was a leading advocate for the use of written vernacular Chinese. He participated in the May Fourth Movement and China's New Culture Movement. He was a president of Peking University and Academia Sinica.

Hu was the editor of the Free China Journal, which was shut down for criticizing Chiang Kai-shek. In 1919, he also criticized Li Dazhao. Hu advocated that the world adopt Western-style democracy. Moreover, Hu criticized Sun Yat-sen's claim that people are incapable of self-rule. Hu criticized the Nationalist government for betraying the ideal of Constitutionalism in The Outline of National Reconstruction.

The grand chancellor, also known by its Chinese name as zaixiang (variously interpreted as counselor-in-chief, chancellor, chief councillor, chief minister, imperial chancellor, lieutenant chancellor, and prime minister), was the highest-ranking executive official in the imperial Chinese government. The term was known by many different names throughout Chinese history, and the exact extent of the powers associated with the position fluctuated greatly, even during a particular dynasty.

Professor Zhu Zongbin of Peking University outlined the role of "grand chancellor" as one with the power to oversee all jurisdictional matters, the right to decide and to draft edicts with other ministers, and the position of chief advisor to the emperor. This extended even to the ability to criticize the emperor's edicts and decisions. Thus, the grand chancellor served as the emperor's chief of staff and main political advisor, often exercising power second only to the emperor. In practice, the grand chancellor was often a trusted executive aide to the emperor, but during political turmoil or power struggles between the two roles the grand chancellor could also be the emperor's primary political competitor and opponent.

Yuan Jiahua (simplified Chinese: 袁家骅; traditional Chinese: 袁家驊; pinyin: Yuán Jiāhuá, [ɥɛ̌n tɕjáxwǎ]; January 1903 – 4 September 1980) was a Chinese linguist and dialectologist from Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province. He graduated from the English Department of Peking University in 1932, worked as an editor in the North Shanghai New Books Office and as a teaching assistant at Peking University. In 1937, he went to Oxford University to major in Old English and Germanic languages. After returning to China, he held professorships in Kunming and Beijing. He has made significant contributions to the field of linguistics primarily in researching the languages of China's ethnic minorities and Chinese dialects.

The C9 League is an alliance of nine public universities in China. It was established on May 4, 1998, during the 100th anniversary of Peking University.