晏阳初博士(1890—1990)是享誉海内外的著名平民教育家,是一位爱国的知识分子。自上世纪20年代至40年代,他致力于推行农村平民教育,作出了卓越贡献。50年代,晏阳初博士担任联合国教科文组织特别顾问和国际平民教育委员会主席,他将具有中国特色的“定县经验”成功地推向了世界这个大舞台,并于1967年在菲律宾创办了国际乡村改造学院。他的平民教育理论和实践,是中国人对世界文化的又一贡献。 \n晏阳初的平民教育思想是由中国人在中国的大地上创造的自成体系的理论。它不仅对中国乡村建设具有积极的意义,而且因其所具有的科学性和普遍性而被世界所认同,最终演变成为一场世界性的运动。晏阳初也因此受到世界范围内的广泛尊崇。 \nDr. Y.C. James Yen (1890-1990) was a civilian educator well-known at home and abroad. He was a patriotic intellectual. From the 1920s to the 1940s, he devoted himself to promoting education among rural civilians and made outstanding contributions in this regard. \nIn the 1950s, he became UNESCO special adviser and president of the International Council for Civilian Education. From then on, he applied the Dingxian experience to other parts of the world, and set up the International Institute of Rural Construction (IIRR) in the Philippines in 1967. His theory and practice of civilian education constitute another contribution of Chinese people to world culture. \nDr. Y.C. James Yen’s thought on civilian education is a self-contained theory created by the Chinese people on the land of China. It is not only significant for China’s rural reconstruction but also recognized by the world due to its scientific and universal properties, finally evoking a worldwide movement.