Still continuing..., the legendary site of this university. | Reporter | University

"On the Long March of thousands of miles, we bid farewell to the palaces of the Five Dynasties. We temporarily stopped at Hengshan and Xiangshui, but it became a farewell. We cut off the border and transplanted Zhen Ganzhi, and scattered Li Yuan's blood all over the Nine Provinces..." This is the school anthem of Southwest Associated University.

In the history of modern Chinese education, this university has written a legend: in the era of not being able to let go of a peaceful desk, it persisted in running schools in Yunnan for 8 years, cultivating 2 Nobel laureates, 8 "Two Bombs and One Satellite" pioneers, 5 recipients of the highest national science and technology award, and 175 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering

In 1937, the Japanese invaded China comprehensively, and Pingjin fell one after another. Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University were forced to relocate to Changsha in order to preserve their cultural heritage and serve as pillars of the country; Soon, the Japanese invaders advanced into Changsha, and the teachers and students of the three schools had to travel thousands of miles westward to move to Kunming. Southwest Associated University was born from this.

"With the belief of 'teaching to save the country, reading to serve the country', teachers and students have left many touching stories in their travels - historian Chen Yinke endured the pain of losing his father, suffered from eye disease, and went all the way, eventually losing his sight; some teachers and students walked from Changsha to Kunming on foot, experiencing hardships all the way, but still collected historical documents, folk songs, conducted social surveys, and preserved first-hand academic materials along the way..." Li Hongying, the director of the Southwest Associated University Museum, looked back passionately at the former site of Southwest Associated University.

The former site of Southwest Associated University is located on the campus of Yunnan Normal University today. Despite the scorching summer heat, many people still came specifically to visit and stood in front of the ancient and solemn "National Southwest Associated University Monument" to pay tribute to our ancestors!

"The monument is written by Feng Youlan, Dean of the School of Literature at Southwest Associated University, Wen Yiduo, Professor of Chinese Literature, and Luo Yong, Director of the Department of Chinese Literature. It narrates the origin of the establishment of Southwest Associated University, the process of its southward migration, and its historical significance, expressing the national pride of the university's teachers and students in the victory of the Anti Japanese War and their determination to continue advancing for national rejuvenation." said Li Hongying.

The former site of Southwest Associated University located on the campus of Yunnan Normal University. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao

After eight years of hardships, the teachers and students of Southwest Associated University lived extremely difficult lives: they lived on "earthen walls, muddy ground, and thatched roofs"; The food was "Babaofan (Rice pudding with eight-delicious ingredients)" mixed with barnyard grass, bran, stones and mouse dung. Even so, when evading enemy bombing, running to the suburbs, hiding in mountain valleys, and drilling defense holes, teachers and students always remember to bring a book, a manuscript

In such an environment, Hua Luogeng wrote "The Theory of Stacking Prime Numbers", Feng Youlan established a new system of Neo Confucianism, Qian Mu completed the "Outline of National History", and Wu Mi wrote the "Outline of World Literature History" in English... Deng Jiaxian, Wang Xiji, Zhu Guangya, Yang Zhenning, Li Zhengdao, He Zhaowu, Xu Yuanchong, and others all started from here and became famous masters in the future.

"For the country, for the nation, is the motivation to learn, but also the motivation to learn. Hard and simple environment, is precisely the place where talent." On January 20, 2020, when General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected and investigated the former site of Southwest Associated University, he gave the most precise summary of the motivation for the school's success.

After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Southwest Associated University completed its mission, and the three schools returned to the north one after another to resume their education. Although the school has gone, the spirit of dedicating oneself wholeheartedly to the country and studying diligently has been deeply rooted in the southwestern border of our motherland. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, under the leadership of the Party, the firewood sown by the teachers and students of Southwest Associated University spread like wildfire.

This firewood is important to students as a good teacher.

"When the three universities returned to the north, Southwest Associated University deliberately left the Normal College in Kunming and established it on its original site. Today, Yunshi University inherits the restructuring strength of Southwest Associated University's Normal College. Looking back at the success of Southwest Associated University, more than 300 famous teachers and masters, such as Ye Qisun, Wu Youxun, Hua Luogeng, Chen Yinke, Wen Yiduo, Zhu Ziqing, Feng Youlan, have devoted themselves to teaching and educating talents for the country. Today, tens of thousands of Yunshi University students have devoted themselves to the education of Yunnan's border areas, and more than 80% of the top teachers in the province are graduates of Yunshi University." Speak.

Not only does Yunnan focus on cultivating normal students, but it has also innovatively launched the "Ten Thousand Principal Training Program", which aims to train ten thousand primary and secondary school principals within five years. The director of the program office, Wang Shibo, told reporters, "Currently, nearly 8000 students have received training. These passionate and responsible principals will become practitioners who will solidify the foundation of basic education in Yunnan."

In the new era, Zhang Guimei, the recipient of the July 1st Medal, stood firm in the remote countryside and illuminated the learning path of countless girls in mountainous areas, which also confirms the crucial role of "good teachers" in education.

This firewood is a strong and resolute patriotic sentiment.

Encouraging young students to closely link their studies with rural revitalization and the development of the motherland has always been the focus of higher education in Yunnan. "Rural areas are the foundation of culture and the starting point for understanding China." Starting from October last year, led by Yunnan University, 875 teachers and students from 18 universities across the country went to 348 administrative villages in 42 counties of Yunnan to carry out a "China Rural Social Survey".

Nie Zhongsi, a graduate student majoring in sociology at Yunnan University, voluntarily signed up to participate in this large-scale survey. Through observation and reflection in practice, he wrote tens of thousands of words of field survey logs: "I chose to conduct in-depth research to see through the tremendous changes that poverty alleviation and rural revitalization have brought to Yunnan. The research results have also made me and my classmates full of enthusiasm to go deep into the grassroots and serve the motherland!"

This firewood is a path to education that draws on the strengths of others.

Next to the former site of Southwest Associated University, the reporter saw a sign hanging at the entrance of a teaching building called "Southwest Associated Graduate School".

"On September 1st last year, the Southwest Associated Graduate School held its first freshman opening ceremony. The Graduate School joined forces with six universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nankai University, Yunnan University, Kunming University of Technology, and Yunshi University, to select 325 famous teachers, including 34 academicians, 291 'outstanding young scholars', and Changjiang Scholars. All doctoral students in the Graduate School implement a' double mentor 'system..." said Chang Zhiwei, the head of the Comprehensive Department of the Southwest Associated Graduate School, "Gathering the strengths of each school, expanding academic horizons, and creating a pilot field for higher education reform and innovation is the best inheritance of the spirit of Southwest Associated University!"

Continuing fine traditions and meeting the needs of the times. In the past decade, the consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education in Yunnan has increased from 90.34% to 97.16%, the number of universities has increased from 68 to 83, the gross enrollment rate of higher education has increased to 55.61%, and a total of nearly 3 million high-quality talents have been cultivated

"The shame of a thousand years will eventually become snow. To prosper, one must have outstanding talents..." Today, in the south of colorful clouds, the continuous string song of Southwest Associated University still echoes, and the fervent sentiment of educating and revitalizing the country still surges!

Video production——

Director in Chief: Sun Jinxing, Kang Jiebai, Mu Zhang Siyu

Dubbing: Wang Qian

Thanks: Southwest Associated University Museum Yunnan Normal University