Former site of National Southwest United University

Former site of National Southwest United University

Southwest United University is jointly established by Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University. At the beginning, the three universities moved to Hunan to form Changsha temporary University, and began classes on November 17, 1937. This day was later designated as the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. With the advance of the Japanese invaders, Changsha was in danger, and the three schools moved to Kunming, Yunnan. Its former site is located in the 121 campus of Yunnan Normal University.

On May 25, 2006, the former site of National Southwest United University was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units. On the afternoon of January 20, 2020, general secretary Xi Jinping came to the research site of the National Southwest Associated University in the campus of Yunnan Normal University.

geographical position

The former site of National Southwest United University is located in Beimen street, Kunming City, Yunnan Province. In the former site, there is Wen Yiduo's seal script "National Southwest United University monument". Feng Youlan wrote an inscription detailing the great invasion of Japanese imperialism since 1894, especially after the Lugouqiao Incident on July 7, 1937. National Peking University, Tsinghua University and private Nankai University were forced to move southward to Kunming under the situation, and jointly established the National Southwest United University with colleges of science, engineering, arts, law, business and normal education. After the victory of the Anti Japanese War, the school moved back on May 4, 1946.

Reasons for establishment

Southwest United University is jointly established by Peking University, Tsinghua University and Tianjin Nankai University.

At the beginning, the three universities moved to Hunan to form Changsha temporary University, and began classes on November 17, 1937. This day was later designated as the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. With the advance of the Japanese invaders, Changsha was in danger, and the three schools moved to Kunming, Yunnan. On the east wall of the main gate of Yunnan Normal University, two lines of gold characters are inlaid: "the former site of National Southwest United University, a famous school of Chinese history", inscribed with the title of Zhu Guangya. Zhu Guangya is the winner of China's two bombs and one star meritorious service medal, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences, and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference. After the July 7th incident in 1937, Japanese imperialism launched a comprehensive war of aggression against China. In order to fully protect the essence of Chinese education from the destruction of the Japanese aggressors, the Kuomintang government decided to move the higher education institutions in many large city of North China and coastal areas. During the eight years of the Anti Japanese War, there were more than 10 colleges and universities in Yunnan, including Sino French university, Sun Yat sen University, Huazhong University, Tongji University and Shanghai Medical College. The most famous one is southwest United University.

Construction history

There are two routes for teachers and students to go to Kunming, one of which is by train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong via Beijing Guangzhou railway, the other is by boat to Haiphong of Vietnam, and the other is to Kunming via Yunnan Vietnam Railway. The most noteworthy one is the people and horses who come to Kunming by land. The road from land to Kunming is known as the "Long March" in the history of Chinese education. By land, these people came to Kunming on foot, from western Hunan to Yunnan via Guizhou. The participants were more than 210 male students who passed the physical examination and formed a tour group in Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and 11 teachers formed a guidance group. On February 20, 1938, the tour group set out from Hunan. The teachers and students lived in the open air and traveled across mountains and rivers along the way. They experienced the test of physical strength and the tempering of will, understood the local conditions and customs along the way, and witnessed the sufferings of the people of all ethnic groups. Hu Shi, who originally intended to be the dean of the school of Arts of Southwest Associated University, was appointed ambassador to the United States by the central government of the Kuomintang, said: "the most tragic event of Lin Da's move to Kunming at that time attracted my attention. It took 68 days for teachers and students to go on foot, after a journey of more than 3000 Li. Later, I enlarged these photos and spread them throughout the United States. This glorious history is not only worthy of commemoration in the United Nations General Assembly, but also in the history of world education! "

After Changsha temporary University arrived in Kunming, it was renamed National Southwest United University. The Southwest Associated University started classes on May 4, 1938 and ended on May 4, 1946. The UN General Assembly has been operating in Kunming for eight years. The United University had five colleges (literature, law and business, science, engineering and normal education) and 26 departments. In addition, it also had two specialized subjects (Telecommunications and normal education), one general course, one general course for in-service teachers and one preparatory course. It was one of the largest institutions of higher education in China at that time. In the eight years of Kunming, the southwest United University had set up two branches, one was Mengzi branch, In 1938, because the university had just arrived in Kunming, the two colleges of Arts and law were set up in Mengzi. After one semester, they moved back to Kunming, and the branch school was canceled. Second, Xuyong (Yibin) branch school. In the summer of 1940, when the Japanese army occupied Vietnam, the school set up a branch school in Xuyong just in case. All the freshmen and Preludes who were admitted to the United University in that year went to Xuyong for classes. In the autumn of 1941, when the war situation was stable, Xuyong students moved back to Kunming, and the branch school was cancelled immediately.

As in the case of Changsha provisional University, the Standing Committee of the United Nations University is composed of the presidents of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, Jiang Menglin, Mei Yiqi and Zhang Boling, who take turns as the chairman. In the past eight years, because Jiang and Zhang had other appointments, in fact, Mei Yiqi was alone in the work of the Southwest Associated University.

The Southwest Associated University, which was born in the war of resistance against Japan, had extremely difficult conditions for running a school. The only thing that can explain the hardship is the classrooms. When the university first arrived in Kunming, all the school buildings were rented, It is scattered in various places in Kunming: the Institute of science is located in Kunhua agricultural school outside daximent; the Institute of technology is located in Yixi, Jiangxi and Quanshu Guildhall on Tuodong road; the two colleges of Arts and law can not find a foothold in Kunming, so they have to borrow the idle houses of mengziyuan customs, French bank and Grecian University of colossus to set up a branch school to teach first. One semester later, the liberal arts and law colleges moved back to Kunming to discuss the temporary arrangement of borrowing Kunhua Institute of technology and Kunhua Normal University, while the newly established normal university borrowed the South and North colleges of Kunhua middle school as school buildings. At this time, the Southwest Associated University was still in a situation of "relying on others"

Soon after, the school bought 124 mu of wasteland (now the site of Yunnan Normal University) near the Ditai temple in the northwest of Kunming city to build its own school building. At the turn of spring and summer in 1939, the new school building was completed. The three colleges of Arts, law and science first moved to the new school building for classes. The engineering college and the normal college were still under the "dependency". Due to the difficulties in wartime, the funds were extremely tight, so all the new school buildings were built into bungalows, without any buildings. The students' dormitories were covered with earth walls and thatched roofs, and the classrooms and offices were covered with iron sheets. In April 1944, due to the serious budget deficit, the school authorities had to replace the thatched roofs and sell the iron sheets and thatched roofs to maintain the expenditure of teaching funds!

After the victory of the Anti Japanese war in 1946, the Southwest Associated University announced the end of the war. When the three universities returned to the north, the Southwest Associated University, with the approval of the Ministry of education, left the normal college of Southwest Associated University in Kunming and changed its name to Kunming Normal University. In the 1980s, it changed its name to Yunnan Normal University. On the east wall of the main gate of Yunnan Normal University, two lines of gold characters are inlaid: "the former site of National Southwest United University, a famous school of Chinese history", inscribed with the title of Zhu Guangya. Zhu Guangya is the winner of China's two bombs and one star meritorious service medal, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences, and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference.

Three schools return

After the victory of the Anti Japanese war in 1946, the Southwest Associated University announced the end of the war. When the three universities returned to the north, the Southwest Associated University, with the approval of the Ministry of education, left the normal college of Southwest Associated University in Kunming and changed its name to Kunming Normal University. In the 1980s, it changed its name to Yunnan Normal University. When people walk around the campus, they will surely see the "monument of National Southwest United University" standing in the northeast corner of the campus. On May 4, 1946, before the withdrawal of the Southwest Associated University and the return of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University after the victory of the Anti Japanese War, the monument was written by Mr. Feng Youlan, Dean of the school of Arts of Southwest Associated University. Wen Yiduo, Professor of Chinese Department, and Luo Yong, professor and director of Chinese Department, were named "three unique monuments". The monument is of great historical, artistic and literary value with its majestic body, powerful calligraphy, brilliant literary talent, profound implication and grand momentum.

In particular, as a historical witness of the Southwest Associated University, the monument has been cherished by the alumni of Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nankai University and the United University at home and abroad for more than half a century. In 1988, in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Southwest Associated University, Peking University and the Alumni Association of Southwest Associated University decided to copy the monument of Southwest Associated University standing in the campus of Yunnan Normal University. The copy monument was set up in the spoon garden of Peking University. On May 4 of the next year, the copy monument was completed. For example, Mr. Feng Youlan, who was 94 years old, personally unveiled the copy of the stele. He quoted the words from the stele he wrote 43 years ago and said to the reporter, "is the end of the southwest United University not a grand event of a generation? It's a rare event. Today, the spirit of the UN General Assembly should still carry forward the spirit of Everbright! " On May 25, 2006, the former site of National Southwest United University was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Major exhibitions

The monument of National Southwest United University stands in the northeast corner of the campus. On May 4, 1946, the monument was written by Mr. Feng Youlan, Dean of the school of Arts of Southwest Associated University. Wen Yiduo, Professor of Chinese Department, and Luo yongshudan, professor and director of Chinese department,

Chinese PinYin : Guo Li Xi Nan Lian He Da Xue Jiu Zhi