The evolution of educator p.-c. chang’s thinking and his participation to the UDHR (1923-1948)

Peng Chun Chang or P.-C. Chang, who led the enactment by the United Nations’ of “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” was a widely neglected scholar in the field of education. This study analyzes P.-C. Chang’s writings, important speeches, and official meeting records of the United Nations. From the educational perspective, this article explores how P.-C. Chang’s knowledge background and abilities across Chinese and Western cultures elevated and transcended his previously known abilities. It was found that Chang went through an early stage during which he hastily attempted to borrow western practices to promote the modernization of Chinese education. After his thoughts gradually matured, his goal became: to create a humanized world of great harmony based on Humanism. In addition, this research also developed four conclusions. 1. Dewey’s ideas merely serve one of the many sources that impacted P.-C. Chang’s ideology and should not be overemphasized. 2. An evaluation of P.-C. Chang’s historical importance should root from his knowledge of Western Culture, not Confucianism. 3. P.-C. Chang’s comparative method and literacy were critical to the influence he had on the Declaration. 4. P.-C. Chang’s contributions to the Declaration were more on universal values than in Confucianism.