Monument of National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming
Overview
The Monument of the National Southwestern Associated University (西南联合大学) in Kunming (昆明) was established to commemorate the arduous support during the eight years of existence of the university and to honor the shared history of its three founding institutions, which persevered through difficulties and celebrated joys together. Following the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as the university’s member schools were preparing to return to the north, the school authorities decided to erect this monument to symbolize their enduring spirit and commitment: “以此石，象坚节，纪嘉庆，告来哲” (This stone symbolizes firmness and integrity, commemorating the past and welcoming the future).
Originally situated on the campus of Yunnan Normal University (云南师范大学), the monument is located to the west of the “December 1st” Martyrs’ Tomb. The monument’s base is arched, standing approximately 5 meters tall and 2.7 meters wide, with a stone tablet embedded in the center. The front of the monument features an inscription of over 1,000 characters, detailing the founding and characteristics of the university, authored by Feng Youlan (冯友兰), inscribed by Wen Yiduo (闻一多), and calligraphed by Luo Yong (罗庸). On the back, there is a list of names inscribed by the university’s Historical Committee, featuring 834 students who enlisted during the war, inscribed by Tang Lan (唐兰) and Liu Jinnian (刘晋年). Over time, Peking University (北京大学), Tsinghua University (清华大学), and Nankai University (南开大学) have all erected copies of this monument on their campuses.
On May 4, 1946, the National Southwestern Associated University officially ended its operations, and the faculty and students erected the “Monument of National Southwestern Associated University” on the original site, marking a significant milestone in China’s educational and revolutionary history. Today, the monument stands as a nationally protected cultural relic in Kunming.
Key Features
- Height: 5 meters
- Width: 2.7 meters
- Climate Conditions: Plateau monsoon climate, tropical rainforest climate
Historical Background
On July 7, 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (芦沟桥事变) sparked the southward advance of Japanese troops, putting Beijing (北平) and Tianjin (天津) in peril. The three universities—Peking University (北京大学), Tsinghua University (清华大学), and Nankai University (南开大学)—which were originally located in Beijing, were ordered to relocate to Hunan (湖南), where they formed a temporary university in Changsha (长沙). The presidents of the three institutions, Jiang Menglin (蒋梦麟), Mei Yiqi (梅贻琦), and Zhang Boling (张伯苓), served as executive committee members to manage the university, which began classes on November 1 of the same year.
As Shanghai (上海) and Nanjing (南京) fell, and with the situation in Wuhan (武汉) deteriorating, on January 20, 1938, the temporary university officially announced its relocation to Yunnan (云南). Hundreds of faculty and students trekked over 3,000 kilometers, enduring more than two months of hardship, and arrived in Kunming (昆明) on April 26. There, they established the College of Engineering (理工学院) in Kunming and the College of Arts and Law (文法学院) in Mengzi (蒙自), renaming the institution the National Southwestern Associated University, which began classes on May 4. Later that year, a Normal School (师范学院) was added, and after one semester, the College of Arts and Law was also moved back to Kunming. The university continued to operate until May 4, 1946, at which point it ceased to exist, with the three schools returning to Beijing.
During its eight-year existence, the National Southwestern Associated University attracted some of the most accomplished scholars in China, writing a brilliant chapter in the history of Chinese education. Among the over 8,000 students admitted, the university produced two Nobel Prize winners, Yang Zhenning (杨振宁) and Li Zhengdao (李政道), three recipients of the National Supreme Science and Technology Award, Huang Kun (黄昆), Liu Dongsheng (刘东生), and Ye Duzheng (叶笃正), six prominent figures of the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” project, Tu Shou’e (屠守锷), Guo Yonghuai (郭永怀), Chen Fangyun (陈芳允), Wang Xiji (王希季), Zhu Guangya (朱光亚), and Deng Jiaxian (邓稼先), as well as 80 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 12 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Monument Structure
The base of the National Southwestern Associated University monument is arched, approximately 5 meters tall and 2.7 meters wide, with the stone tablet embedded in the center. The inscription, composed of 1,178 characters, narrates the founding and historical significance of the university, overflowing with strong patriotic sentiments. The back of the monument lists the names of 834 students who enlisted during the war.
Today, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University all have erected their versions of the National Southwestern Associated University monument on their campuses, collectively witnessing and inheriting the resilient spirit of the university.
Original Site in Kunming
The original monument of the National Southwestern Associated University is located on the campus of Yunnan Normal University, to the west of the “December 1st” Martyrs’ Tomb. It features the inscriptions of Feng Youlan, Wen Yiduo, and Luo Yong, and is considered a significant relic of the university’s history in Kunming.
Peking University Campus
To revive the spirit of the National Southwestern Associated University, Peking University decided in 1988 to replicate the original “Monument of National Southwestern Associated University.” A special team was dispatched to Yunnan to collect stone of the same quality, which was then transported to Beijing. After its construction, the monument was erected south of the Daximen (大西门) of Peking University, with an unveiling ceremony held on May 4, 1989.
Tsinghua University Campus
On the western side of the main road in Tsinghua University, there stands a replica of the National Southwestern Associated University monument, facing southwest towards Kunming. The front of the monument bears the inscription written by Feng Youlan, while the back lists the names of the 834 students who enlisted during the war. One side features the university motto, while the other side contains the details of the monument’s construction. The monument is situated on a series of terraces designed to complement the natural topography, highlighting the upright character of Chinese intellectuals. The three terraces symbolize the three universities that joined forces, with different paving materials representing the distinct characteristics of each institution.
On April 24, 1988, Tsinghua University held a ceremony for the completion of the National Southwestern Associated University monument, attended by nearly a hundred alumni returning to campus. The monument is located amidst trees in a square between the “Gongzi Hall” (工字厅) and the “A” and “B” teaching buildings. The inscriptions on the monument read: “西山苍苍，南国荡荡，联合隽彦，大学泱泱” (The Xishan mountains rise high, the southern lands are vast; united in excellence, the university flourishes), with the characters forming the words “National Southwestern Associated University” (西南联大).
Nankai University Campus
The Nankai University monument of the National Southwestern Associated University is located at the end of Dazhong Road (大中路). This monument was established in 2007 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the National Southwestern Associated University, funded by Li Defu (李德福), an alumnus of the History Department from the class of 1977. The monument was designed to replicate the original monument at the site in Kunming. Notable artist and professor from Nankai University, Fan Zeng (范曾), provided the inscription for this monument.
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Full Inscription in Chinese
中华民国三十四年九月九日，我国家受日本之降于南京，上距二十六年七月七日芦沟桥之变为时八年，再上距二十年九月十八日沈阳之变为时十四年，再上距清甲午之役为时五十一年。举凡五十年间，日本所鲸吞蚕食于我国家者，至是悉备图籍献还。全胜之局，秦汉以来所未有也。
国立北京大学、国立清华大学原设北平，私立南开大学原设天津。自沈阳之变，我国家之威权逐渐南移，惟以文化力量与日本争持于平、津，此三校实为其中坚。二十六年平津失守，三校奉命迁移湖南，合组为国立长沙临时大学，以三校校长蒋梦麟、梅贻琦、张伯苓为常务委员主持校务，设法、理、工学院于长沙，文学院于南岳，于十一月一日开始上课。迨京沪失守，武汉震动，临时大学又奉命迁云南。师生徒步经贵州，于二十七年四月二十六日抵昆明。旋奉命改名为国立西南联合大学，设理工学院于昆明，文法学院于蒙自，于五月四日开始上课。一学期后，文法学院亦迁昆明。二十七年，增设师范学院。二十九年，设分校于四川叙永，一学年后并于该校。
昆明本为后方名城，自日军入安南，陷缅甸，乃成后方重镇。联合大学支持其间，先后毕业学生二千余人，从军旅者八百余人。河山既复，日月重光，联合大学之使命既成，奉命于三十五年五月四日结束。原有三校，即将返故居，复旧业。
缅维八年支持之苦辛，与夫三校合作之协和，可纪念者，盖有四焉：
我国家以世界之古国，居东亚之天府，本应绍汉唐之遗烈，作并世之先进，将来建国完成，必于世界历史居独特之地位。盖并世列强，虽新而不古；希腊罗马，有古而无今。惟我国家，亘古亘今，亦新亦旧，斯所谓“周虽旧邦，其命维新”者也！旷代之伟业，八年之抗战已开其规模、立其基础。今日之胜利，于我国家有旋乾转坤之功，而联合大学之使命，与抗战相终始，此其可纪念者一也。
文人相轻，自古而然，昔人所言，今有同慨。三校有不同之历史，各异之学风，八年之久，合作无间，同无妨异，异不害同，五色交辉，相得益彰，八音合奏，终和且平，此其可纪念者二也。
万物并育不相害，道并行而不相悖，小德川流，大德敦化，此天地之所以为大。斯虽先民之恒言，实为民主之真谛。联合大学以其兼容并包之精神，转移社会一时之风气，内树学术自由之规模，外获民主堡垒之称号，违千夫之诺诺，作一士之谔谔，此其可纪念者三也。
稽之往史，我民族若不能立足于中原、偏安江表，称曰南渡。南渡之人，未有能北返者。晋人南渡，其例一也；宋人南渡，其例二也；明人南渡，其例三也。风景不殊，晋人之深悲；还我河山，宋人之虚愿。吾人为第四次之南渡，乃能于不十年间，收恢复之全功，庾信不哀江南，杜甫喜收蓟北，此其可纪念者四也。
联合大学初定校歌，其辞始叹南迁流难之苦辛，中颂师生不屈之壮志，终寄最后胜利之期望；校以今日之成功，历历不爽，若合符契。联合大学之始终，岂非一代之盛事、旷百世而难遇者哉！爰就歌辞，勒为碑铭。铭曰：
痛南渡，辞宫阙。驻衡湘，又离别。更长征，经峣嵲。望中原，遍洒血。抵绝徼，继讲说。诗书器，犹有舌。尽笳吹，情弥切。千秋耻，终已雪。见 [5]仇 [11]寇，如烟灭。起朔北，迄南越，视金瓯，已无缺。大一统，无倾折，中兴业，继往烈。维三校，兄弟列，为一体，如胶结。同艰难，共欢悦，联合竟，使命彻。神京复，还燕碣，以此石，象坚节，纪嘉庆，告来哲。
The meaning of Full Inscription
Feng Youlan (冯友兰), Professor of the National Southwestern Associated University (西南联合大学)
On September 9, 1945, the Republic of China (中华民国) suffered the humiliation of surrender to Japan (日本) in Nanjing (南京). This was eight years after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (卢沟桥之变) on July 7, 1937, and fourteen years after the Shenyang Incident (沈阳之变) on September 18, 1931, and fifty-one years after the First Sino-Japanese War (清甲午之役). During these fifty years, Japan devoured and eroded our country, but now we have restored all the maps and records of what Japan has taken. This complete victory is unprecedented since the Qin (秦) and Han (汉) dynasties.
Peking University (国立北京大学) and Tsinghua University (国立清华大学) were originally located in Beiping (北平), while Nankai University (私立南开大学) was originally established in Tianjin (天津). Since the Shenyang Incident, the power of our country gradually shifted southward, and we only contended with Japan culturally in Beiping and Tianjin, with these three schools as the backbone. After losing Beiping and Tianjin in 1937, the three schools were ordered to relocate to Hunan (湖南) and formed the National Changsha Temporary University (国立长沙临时大学), with the presidents Jiang Menglin (蒋梦麟), Mei Yiqi (梅贻琦), and Zhang Boling (张伯苓) as executive committee members overseeing the school’s affairs. They established colleges of engineering, science, and technology in Changsha and a college of liberal arts in Mount Heng (南岳), beginning classes on November 1. After the fall of Beijing and Shanghai, and the upheaval in Wuhan, the temporary university was ordered to move to Yunnan (云南). The faculty and students walked through Guizhou (贵州) and arrived in Kunming (昆明) on April 26, 1938. Soon after, it was renamed the National Southwestern Associated University (国立西南联合大学), with the college of engineering and science in Kunming and the college of law and liberal arts in Mengzi (蒙自), starting classes on May 4. One semester later, the law and liberal arts college also moved to Kunming. In 1938, a normal school (师范学院) was established. In 1940, a branch school was set up in Xuyong (叙永), Sichuan (四川), which was later merged with this school after one academic year.
Kunming was originally a famous city in the rear, and as the Japanese troops invaded Indochina (安南) and occupied Myanmar (缅甸), it became a crucial rear base. The Southwestern Associated University supported the war effort, graduating over two thousand students, more than eight hundred of whom served in the military. With the restoration of our rivers and mountains and the renewed light of day, the mission of the Southwestern Associated University was accomplished, and it was ordered to conclude its work on May 4, 1946. The three original schools would soon return to their original locations and resume their former activities.
The eight years of hardship endured during the war and the cooperation among the three schools can be commemorated in four aspects:
- Our country, as one of the ancient countries in the world and located in the Land of Abundance (天府) in East Asia, should inherit the legacies of the Han and Tang dynasties (汉唐) and become one of the world’s advanced nations. In the future, once the nation is established, it will surely hold a unique position in world history. Among the great powers of the world, while they are new and not ancient, Greece (希腊) and Rome (罗马) are ancient but have no present. Only our country has existed from ancient times to the present; it is both new and old. This is what is meant by “Though Zhou (周) was an old state, its destiny is renewed” (周虽旧邦，其命维新)! The grand achievements of the ages and the foundation laid by eight years of resistance have begun to take shape. Today’s victory is a testament to our nation’s ability to turn things around, and the mission of the Southwestern Associated University began and ended with the War of Resistance. This is the first aspect worthy of commemoration.
- It has always been the case that scholars belittle one another. What was said in the past is echoed in the present. The three schools have different histories and unique academic styles. For eight long years, they cooperated seamlessly, with differences not hindering unity and unity not negating differences, shining brightly together, like the interplay of five colors. They harmonized like a symphony, which is the second aspect worthy of commemoration.
- All things grow together without harming each other, and the paths may differ without conflicting; small virtues flow like streams, while great virtues cultivate harmony. This is what makes heaven and earth great. This saying of our ancestors is indeed the truth of democracy. The Southwestern Associated University, with its inclusive and accommodating spirit, transformed the social atmosphere of the time, establishing a framework for academic freedom and earning the title of a fortress of democracy, defying the common notions of the many and speaking out for the truth. This is the third aspect worthy of commemoration.
- Looking back at history, if our nation cannot stand in the Central Plains (中原) and is confined to the rivers and lakes (江表), it is termed as “southern migration” (南渡). Those who migrated south have never been able to return north. The migration of the Jin people (晋人) to the south is one example; the migration of the Song people (宋人) to the south is another; and the migration of the Ming people (明人) to the south is a third example. The scenery was not different, and the Jin people’s profound sorrow; they hoped to restore their rivers and mountains, but the Song people’s wishes were in vain. We, in the fourth southern migration, were able to achieve complete restoration within less than ten years. The poet Yu Xin (庾信) did not lament Jiangnan (江南), and the poet Du Fu (杜甫) rejoiced at the recovery of the north. This is the fourth aspect worthy of commemoration.
The university initially set its school song, with lyrics beginning by lamenting the hardships of southern migration, celebrating the indomitable spirit of the faculty and students, and ultimately expressing hopes for final victory; the success of the university today resonates clearly, as if it were a match made in heaven. The rise and fall of the Southwestern Associated University is undoubtedly a significant event of a generation, a rare occurrence over centuries! Thus, the lyrics of the song were inscribed as a monument. The inscription reads:
“Pained by the southern migration, I bid farewell to the palace.
Resting in Hengxiang (衡湘), I part once more.
An even longer journey, traversing Mount Yaoshan (峣嵯).
Looking towards the Central Plains, blood is shed everywhere.
Arriving at the boundary, I continue my discourse.
Poetry and books, there still exists a tongue.
Let the horns blow, feelings are even more intense.
A thousand years of shame have finally been avenged.
Seeing the enemies vanish like smoke.
Rising from the north to the south, gazing at the golden urn,
There are no more flaws.
A great unity, no bends or breaks,
Rebuilding the country, continuing the past glory.
The three schools, as brothers, form one body,
Bound together as glue.
Sharing hardships, rejoicing together,
The union is complete, the mission is fulfilled.
The capital is restored, returning to Yanjie (燕碣),
This stone symbolizes steadfastness,
Memorializing the celebration, announcing to future philosophers.”
