Tao Xingzhi (1891-1946) was a prominent educator in modern times, known for his dedication to popular education. His original name was Wen Jun, and he also used the name Zhixing. He was born in Huangtanyuan Village, Shexian County. At the age of 15, Tao Xingzhi began his studies and attended Chongyi School in Shexian County, Guangji Medical School in Hangzhou, and the Department of Literature at Jinling University. In 1914, he went to the United States and studied municipal administration at the University of Illinois before transferring to Columbia University to pursue a degree in education. After returning to China in 1917, he held various positions, including professor at Nanjing Higher Normal School, director of the Education Department at Southeast University, executive officer of the China Education Improvement Society in Beijing, and principal of Nanjing Anhui Public School.

In 1923, Tao Xingzhi initiated the establishment of the China Association for the Promotion of Popular Education. In 1927, he founded the Experimental Rural Normal School, known as Xiaozhuang Normal School, in the outskirts of Nanjing. He put forward the theories of "society as education," "life as education," and "integration of teaching and living" in the field of life education. In 1932, he established the Mountain-Sea Work-Study Corps, the Society for Life Education, and the Society for Education in Times of National Crisis, advocating the "little gentleman system" and promoting education to reach the grassroots level, serving the people and the cause of resistance against Japanese aggression.

In October 1944, Tao Xingzhi joined the China Democratic League and was elected as a member of the Central Committee and director of the Education Committee. He served as the chief editor of "Democratic Education" magazine and "Democratic Weekly." In January 1946, with the support of the South Bureau of the Communist Party of China, he founded the Social University in Chongqing, where he served as the president, along with Li Gongpu and others.