Lu Xun v. Zhang Shizhao Ministry of Education Dismissal Administrative Case

In August 1925, Lu Xun (Zhou Shuren), a renowned writer and section chief in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China, was summarily dismissed by Minister of Education Zhang Shizhao. The dismissal was a direct reprisal for Lu Xun's open support of student protests at Beijing Women's Normal University, which opposed the minister's policies. Zhang accused Lu Xun of misconduct and removed him without adhering to legally required disciplinary procedures. Refusing to accept the arbitrary decision, Lu Xun filed an administrative lawsuit with the Pingzheng Yuan, arguing that the dismissal violated procedural safeguards and lacked substantive legal grounds. The case quickly became a high-profile confrontation between a prominent intellectual and a powerful warlord-era official, testing the independence of administrative courts.

In March 1926, the Pingzheng Yuan ruled in favor of Lu Xun, declaring the dismissal order illegal and void. The court held that Minister Zhang Shizhao had exceeded his statutory authority and failed to provide proper procedural protections. The Ministry of Education was consequently ordered to reinstate Lu Xun to his former position.

Whether the Minister of Education had the legal authority to unilaterally dismiss a tenured civil servant without following established administrative procedures, and whether the stated reasons for Lu Xun's dismissal constituted legally sufficient and factually justified cause under the laws of the Republic of China.

The ruling was widely celebrated as a milestone for administrative justice and the rule of law in early modern China. It demonstrated that a government minister's decision could be overturned by an independent judiciary, thereby affirming that public officials possess procedural protections against arbitrary removal. Lu Xun's victory encouraged other intellectuals to use legal institutions to resist governmental overreach, and the case remains a celebrated example of an individual successfully using the courts to hold power to account during the turbulent Warlord Era.