The Illinois Moment of Chu Coching

From 1910 to 1913, Chu Coching (竺可桢Zhu Kezhen) studied at the University of Illinois in the United States (US) as a foreign student funded by the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship. This opportunity constituted a unique “Illinois moment” in his life. Based on transcripts from his study in the university, this paper has made a concrete and comprehensive reconstruction of his early study situation in the US, mainly showing the courses he took during the three years and the details of these courses. As an undergraduate majoring in agriculture, Chu Coching was kept very busy with his studies, but he did not perform excellently, and his grades in some courses were even not very good. However, the study of these courses built the knowledge foundation to enable him to set foot in the field of meteorology in the future, and had a direct impact on his later life. As a supplement to existing research, this paper reveals some newly discovered historical materials that help to flesh out the portrayal of the historical Zhu Kezhen, an academic leader in his field.