Utopia University
大同大學 | ||
President Hu Dunfu | | |
| Students | 2,700 (1948) | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | , China | |
| Utopia University | |
|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Dàtóng Dàxué |
| Wade–Giles | Ta-t'ung Ta-hsüeh |
Utopia University, known in Chinese as Datong or Tatung University,
Founding
In April 1911, the American government established Tsinghua College (now Tsinghua University) in Beijing, using part of indemnity payment made by the Qing dynasty in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion.[2] In summer, a group of eleven Chinese faculty members at Tsinghua, most of whom were from the Jiangnan region, established the Lida Society (立達學社) to promote education in China. Hu Dunfu was the head of the society, and other members included Ping Hailan (平海瀾), Zhu Xiangwan (朱香晚), and Gu Yangwu (顧養吾).[3] In November 1911, the eleven members of Lida resigned from Tsinghua after having a disagreement with the American administrators at the college, and left Beijing for Shanghai.[4] Hu Dunfu, the first dean of Tsinghua who had graduated in mathematics from Cornell University, insisted that students of Tsinghua should study more science and engineering, but American teachers, backed by the American ambassador, maintained that they should focus more on the English language and the literature, history and geography of America. They were also angered by the stark contrast in treatment between American and Chinese teachers in Tsinghua; the former were paid nearly ten times as much as the latter, so they were determined to found a university that was academically independent and truly belonged to the Chinese people.[5]
In Shanghai, Hu Dunfu was invited by
Republican era
In September 1922, Utopia School was certified by the government as a private university, and changed its name to Utopia University. It had 600 students at the time.
In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted, and the Imperial Japanese Army attacked Shanghai in August. During the battle Japanese bombing destroyed many of Utopia's buildings. After the Japanese occupied the Chinese-held areas of Shanghai, Utopia was forced to relocate to the French Concession. It moved several times between temporary accommodations, until settling down on Xinzha Road in September 1939. By this time the university and its affiliated high school had 2,000 students. It also established another secondary school.[4]
The university expanded further after the Second World War, becoming the largest private university in Shanghai. By 1948, it had more than 2,700 university students, and 2,500 students enrolled at its two secondary schools.[3] It had four schools (the school of engineering had been established in addition to the original three) and fourteen departments.[4] Among Utopia's students, 39 later became academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering.[3]
Demise
In 1949, the
Hu Dunfu, Utopia's founder, went to Taiwan along with the defeated Kuomintang government. He attempted to reestablish Utopia University in Taiwan, but was unsuccessful.[3]
References
- ISBN 9781135031626.
- ISBN 978-962-209-936-4.
- ^ Wen Hui Bao(in Chinese). Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lu Xianliang (17 December 2014). 华理"身世"之脉系：大同大学简介 [History of ECUST: an introduction to Utopia University] (in Chinese). East China University of Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- ^ Li Xue; Zhang Gang (2009). "海上依稀大同梦——上海大同大学" [The dream of Datong at Shanghai – Utopia University]. 科学中国人 (Scientific Chinese) (in Chinese). No. 5. 中国科技新闻学会 (Chinese Society for Science and Technology Journalism). pp. 30–35.