The original Soochow University ( zh, 東吳大學) was a university based in
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
and
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, established in 1900. The university was registered in the state of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
After the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
, the university was disbanded by the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
government in 1952, with its faculties amalgamated with parts of other universities to create various specialist universities in Suzhou and Shanghai. One of these specialist institutions, the Jiangsu Teacher's College (also known as Jiangsu Normal School), took over the main Suzhou campus of the old Soochow University, and in 1982 adopted the English name "Soochow University" (a different Chinese name to the original institution was adopted).
A university by the same name (both in English and Chinese) was set up by alumni in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
in 1951.
History
The original Soochow University was founded by
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
missionaries in
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
,
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
in 1900 as a merger of three existing institutions: the Buffington Institute and the Kung Hang School in the city of Soochow (now spelled Suzhou), in Jiangsu Province, and the Anglo-Chinese College in Shanghai, which at the time was also part of Jiangsu Province. In 1901, the university registered in the state of Tennessee in the United States under the name Central University in China. Its first president was
David Lawrence Anderson who was also the founder of the predacessor Kung Hang School.
The original Soochow University, like the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
currently in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, was named ''Dōngwú Dàxué'' () in Chinese. "Dongwu" or "East Wu" refers to the
Wu region, in which both Suzhou and Shanghai are located and of which Suzhou was historically the cultural and political centre.
Soochow University was especially well known for the quality of its law school, based in Shanghai.
After the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
, members of the Soochow Alumni Association who moved to Taiwan established a new institution in Taiwan in 1951 to make up for the Soochow University lost in
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
. A law school was opened in 1954, and a full university was certified in 1971.
[Soochow University (2010)]
History
. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
After the establishment of the PRC, the institution in Suzhou merged with the Southern Jiangsu College of Culture and Education and the Department of Mathematics and Physics at Jiangnan University to form the Jiangsu Teacher's College in 1952. The English name Soochow University was revived in 1982; however, the original Chinese name ''Dongwu'' 東吳 was not adopted, and the institution was given the name ''Suzhou'' 苏州. The new Soozhow University is a Chinese Ministry of Education
Double First Class Discipline University, with Double First Class status in certain disciplines.
Successor universities
From 1900 to 1952, Soochow University () operated in Suzhou and Shanghai
*
Soochow University (Suzhou)
Soochow University (), also known as Suzhou University, is a public university in Suzhou (Soochow), China. Its root can be traced to the original Soochow University (東吳大學) founded by Methodists in 1900, which was later split and merg ...
(; 1982–present) - into which several of the original university's faculties merged in 1952, and based at the original campus of Soochow University.
*
East China University of Political Science and Law
East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL; ) is a public university in Shanghai, China, founded in 1952.
It has two campuses, one in Songjiang University Town in Songjiang District, and the other in Changning District.
History
Th ...
- into which the Soochow University Law School merged in 1952.
*
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
The Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE; ), founded in 1917, is a finance- and economics-oriented research university located in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. The university is under the direct administration of the ...
- into which the Soochow University accounting faculty merged in 1952.
*
Soochow University (Taiwan)
Soochow University () is a private university in Taipei, Taiwan. Soochow University maintains a church and a Methodist minister in residence, though it may be considered a secular institution. Soochow University is one of the most prestigious ...
(; operating in Taiwan 1952–present) - revival by alumni.
*
Chung Chi College
The Chung Chi College is one of the constituent colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and one of the three original colleges that joined to form the CUHK in 1963. Founded in 1951 by representatives of Protestant churches in ...
of the
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...
- founded in 1951 as a successor to 13 abolished Christian universities in mainland China, including Soochow University, later a founding college of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
References
External links
Soochow University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soochow University (1900-1952)
Universities and colleges in Jiangsu