Protein Cell & Protein Cell &© Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013 August 2013 | Volume 4 | Issue 8 | 563Protein Cell 2013, 4(8): 563–564 DOI 10.1007/s13238-013-3803-5Ging-Hsi Wong and C hinese physiopsychologyECOLLECTION RShu ZhengInstitute for the History of Natural Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, ChinaGing-Hsi Wong (1897–1968) was a Chinese psychologist, an academician o f the prestigious Academia Sinica (The Academia Sinica was founded in Main-land China in 1928 by the Kuomintang Nationalist Government. It was re-established in Taipei after the Chinese Civil War), and a professor in several universities in China and the United States. As one of the pioneers of West-ern psychology in the country, he played an important role in establishing the fi elds of Physiopsychology and Neuro-science in China. Wong’s interest in Psychology, how-ever, did not start from the beginning of his scholarship. In fact, he graduated from the Economics Department of Pek ing University in 1919. As a young student who passionately supported the New Culture Movement in China, Wong pi oneered the use of modern vernacu-lar Chinese and was regarded as “very promising” by renowned Chinese lit-terateur Lu Xun. The turning point of his career came in 1920, when he was sent by Peking University to Johns Hopkins University in the US to study with the psychiatrist Adolf Meyer. Since then, he began his illustrious career in the fi elds of Physiopsychology and Neuroscience. He eventually received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1923.After his graduation, Wong spent most of his time in China from 1924 to 1948. By successively holding leader-ship roles in different universities and institutes, he made enormous contribu-tions to the education and institutionali-zation of Physiopsychology in China. In 1924, Wong became the dean of chology. In his article entitled, “The Most Important Consideration for Promoting Science—Developing Talents,” (Wong, 1932) he regarded cultivating research talents as the most important element in ensuring the development of science, even much more important than devel-oping the research environment itself. (Yang, 1991)With this spirit, Wong strived to offer his students the most comprehensive and appropriate learning experience. According to the historical materials of Sun Yat-sen University, Wong’s course designs not only focused on the wide range of concrete modern psychologi-cal knowl edge but also emphasized the history of psychology and English study. He also occasionally gave public speeches to promote public interest in psychology. His efforts paid off, and he had cultivated some of the most out-standing psychologists and neurologists in China. Hsiang-Tung Chang (1907–2007), a world-renowned Chinese neurophysiologist and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recalled that Wong “pointed out the path leading to the world of neurosci-ence.... At his suggestion and encour-agement..., this experience proved to be decisive in shaping my way of thinking in my later scientif i c career” (Squire, 2001).Apart from teaching, Wong achieved widely recognized scientific accom-plishments, some of which he obtained under rough experimental conditions during his stay in China. For example, he was the first to introduce an elec-tronic instrument to the research of the Education Department of Zhong-zhou University in Henan Province. In 1927, he worked hard to establish the Psychology Department and the Psychology Institute of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province and was subsequently appointed as the di-rector of both organizations. There, he also established the first laboratory of neurophysiology in China. The Psychol-ogy Department of Pekin g University invited Wong to be part of the faculty in 1930, and eventually appointed him to be the dean. During his tenure, he also established the fi rst psychology labora-tory in Peking University. In 1934, Wong became the director of the Institute of Psychology of the Academia Sinica, and in this capacity, he was able to estab-lish new laboratories in Shanghai and Nanjing. In 1948, the Academia Sinica officially appointed Wong as an acad-emician. Wong emphasized the importance of education in the development of psy-Ging-Hsi Wong
