National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU; ) is a public research university located in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Recognized as one of six Designated National Research Universities,The list is: NTU, NTHU, NCTU, Yang-Ming, NCKU, NCU, and NSYSU. NSYSU is also the only university in Taiwan to host National Key Institutions in both semiconductor technology and international finance. It is a core member of the TCUS, a research alliance partnered with Germany’s TU9.
The university holds AACSB and CFA Institute accreditation for business and finance. NSYSU maintains a particularly close academic relationship with the University of California, San Diego, the University of Osaka, and Ghent University, as part of a network of four research-intensive universities in major port cities.
History Founding
In 1923, two years before his death, the Founding Father of the Republic of China (ROC), Dr. Sun Yat-sen, established two universities, one civil and one military. The civil university was National Kwangtung University (, renamed National Sun Yat-sen University in 1926), and the military university was Whampoa Military Academy. Both universities generated remarkable contributions and played an important education role in modern Chinese history.
After National Sun Yat-sen University was established in Canton, it was forced south due to the Sino-Japanese War. The university moved first to Yunnan, and later to North Guangdong. Finally, in 1945, the university resumed operations at its original campus in Canton.
In 1949, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan; its alumni relocated accordingly.
Reestablishment
In the 1970s, as Taiwan's overall economic development took off, a phenomenon referred to as the Taiwan Miracle, the community's concern and attention to higher education grew. To balance the development of education in the north and south, the Taiwanese government decided to build a comprehensive university in the south.
In 1980, after Chiang Ching-kuo, the president of Taiwan and an alumnus of Moscow Sun Yat-sen University in USSR, personally approved the campus design under the leadership of Dr. Lee Huan (who later served as the Premier and Minister of Education), the university was established in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung City, the second largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.
Prior to establishing the new university, government officials visited the United States and Japan and strategically decided that NSYSU would focus on graduate schools, modeling it after the advanced technology of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the building construction methods of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), which was designed to resist sea wind erosion. The system of the University of Tsukuba was introduced for the management of university library.
In its first two decades, NSYSU, similar to the other Sun Yat-sen universities, maintained a nationalist style and mission () based-on Dr. Sun Yat-sen's philosophy.Wen-Hsin Yeh, The Alienated Academy: Culture and Politics in Republican China, 1919-1937. Harvard University Asia Center (November 15, 2000). p.173-176.
Development When NSYSU was re-established, the university had four departments, two graduate institutes, and 189 students. In 2002, NSYSU was named by the Ministry of Education as one of the country's seven major research-intensive universities. Two years later, the College of Management became the nation's first Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited public university. In addition, NSYSU received a first/second stage grant from the "Aim for the Top University Plan" from the Ministry of Education in 2011 and 2016.
Since 2012, NSYSU has held the "NSYSU & UCSD Joint Symposium" on international academic cooperation. In the final two months of 2014, Nobel laureates Akira Suzuki and Hiroshi Amano visited the university.
In 2024, NSYSU has been chosen by the Ministry of Education as one of Taiwan's four landmark bilingual universities.
At present, NSYSU has 10 colleges, namely Liberal Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Management, Marine Sciences, Social Sciences, Si-Wan, Medicine, Semiconductor and Advanced Technology Research, and International Finance. These colleges have more than 10,000 students.
Campus culture
National Sun Yat-sen University is located in Kaohsiung City, the largest port city of Taiwan. Based on an academic style that emphasizes ocean and commerce, it not only is the birthplace of Taiwan's first college of maritime sciences but also is unique in hosting water sports activities directly on campus. Uniquely, NSYSU's graduation requirements for its students include demonstration of swimming ability. NSYSU also has a regular windsurfing competition relationship with the prestigious Osaka University in Japan.
Furthermore, NSYSU has a special sister school relationship with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the United States, a research university with a similar academic style, and which similarly is located near a coast. The NSYSU & UCSD Joint Symposium has been held in Kaohsiung and La Jolla alternately every year since 2015.
The university is the birthplace of the first Sinophone bulletin board system () and popular Asian cultural terms "ACG". In addition, NSYSU will be transformed into an English-taught university by 2030.
Campus and facilities Campus Sizihwan Campus
Located alongside the Kaohsiung Harbor and a military base, the NSYSU main campus is surrounded on three sides by mountains and also faces the open waters of the Taiwan Strait, thus making it a natural fortress. The Sizihwan beach (one of Eight Views of Taiwan) is located directly on campus which makes the university campus a very attractive location in Taiwan.趙美貞，〈中山大學在高雄復校六年有成〉，收入國立中山大學校友會編，《國立中山大學的回顧與展望》（臺北：1986年11月11日），頁乙二四。 The environmental characteristics are unique in the country, including the nature of the montane ecosystem, marine ecosystem, and coral reefs. In addition to the university buildings on the campus, there also is a seaside resort, a stadium constructed by land reclamation, Sizihwan Tunnel, and historic places remaining from the Japanese ruling era.
The campus is close to the downtown area but far away from congestion and noise of the city. There are only four roads connecting the campus to the outside city, all the lanes are close to the mountains and the sea, and the terrain is challenging. NSYSU faculty and students who residing on campus live amongst a variety of wildlife. There are a large number of Formosan rock macaques, cockatoos, Pallas's squirrels, and Reeves's muntjacs, and the campus area is rich in natural ecology. However, a near-daily occurrence involves macaques snatching food from students and breaking into dormitories and classrooms. In addition, the Sizihwan waters are inhabited by the endangered coral species Polycyanthus chiashanensis, with only about 50 remaining.發現論文:" Zoological Studies" 51(2):213-221 (2012)
Sizihwan historic places
Imperial Guesthouse From April 21 to 22, 1923, Prince Hirohito visited the Takao Port to inspect Kongō Maru. He lived in the Takao Mountain Guesthouse a.k.a. Takao Imperial Guesthouse , which was newly-built. To celebrate the birthday of Prince Hirohito on April 29, Den Kenjirō, the Governor-General of Taiwan, renamed the Kotobuki-yama Hotel . After the Government of the Republic of China took over Taiwan, Kotobuki-yama territory became a military control district, and then Guesthouse was dismantled. The site is now a dormitory for faculty and staff of National Sun Yat-sen University. Sizihwan Tunnel Sizihwan Tunnel was completed in October 1928, and at that time it was called Kotobuki-yama Do , connecting (at that time) Sizihwan and downtown Takao. Currently, it connects National Sun Yat-sen University and Hamasen. Sizihwan Guesthouse of Chiang Kai-shek In 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy built a two-story building named Takao Sightseeing Hall . After the R.O.C. government took over Taiwan, it became one of Guesthouses of Chiang Kai-shek. President Chiang Kai-shek and his madame lived at the Guesthouse each time they traveled to southern Taiwan. In 1980, the building was transferred to National Sun Yat-sen University, and in 1999 it was given another name, Sizihwan Art Gallery. In 2004, the gallery was designated as a Kaohsiung City Historic Site.
Renwu Campus In 2022, NSYSU opened the Renwu campus, built on 24 hectares of land, with three areas of focus planned: AI medicine, intelligent health care, and ecological recreation. The campus will provide research space for the Institute of Precision Medicine, the Institute of Biotechnology and Medicine, the Institute of Medical Technology, and the Institute of Biomedical Research. In December 2020, this Campus completed 24 hectares of land preparation operations, including base elevation adjustment, drainage facilities for detention ponds, tree clearing and greening, etc. The medical teaching building is planned to be a 1-floor underground building and 6-floor above ground building, covering an area of 3,160 pings.
Lingya Campus
The Lingya Campus is located in the center of Kaohsiung City. This campus is primarily used by NSYSU's school of Medicine and is currently under construction.
Pratas Island
In 2012 NSYSU Dongsha Atoll Research Station (DARS) was established for biology, biogeochemistry, and oceanography research.Dongsha Atoll Research Station , National Sun Yat-sen University
Overseas research center
Baltic States NSYSU and University of Latvia have had a successful scientific cooperation for years. The joint team jointly established the Taiwan and Baltic States Physics Research Center (TBRCP), which aims to specialize in physics.
Sri Lanka The Taiwan and Sri Lanka Environmental Change Sciences and Technology Innovation Center (TS/ECSTIC) is located in Sri Lanka. The Western Long-term Observation Station is located at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in the capital; the Southern Long-term Observation Station is located at the University of Ruhuna in Matara.
Tuvalu In cooperation with the government of Tuvalu, NSYSU establishes the Taiwan and Tuvalu Center on Marine Science and Engineering (TTCMSE).
Academics
Colleges NSYSU has eight colleges: Engineering Liberal Arts Management Marine Sciences Medicine Science Social Sciences Si-Wan
National Key Fields Colleges NSYSU has two National Key Fields colleges established based on the special decree National Key Fields Industry-University Cooperation and Skilled Personnel Training: College of Semiconductor and Advanced Technology Research School of International Finance (Located in 85 Sky Tower)
Research Despite its small-to-medium size, National Sun Yat-sen University has always had outstanding research capabilities. The "Asia Pacific Ocean Research Center" at NSYSU is a world-class Kuroshio research center, it possesses the most advanced marine current power generation technology worldwide. The "Electronic Commerce and Internet Society Research Center" at NSYSU is the only social science research center in Taiwan that has been selected for the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme (FP7) SSH-NCP.
NSYSU manages one of Taiwan's three Marine research vessels, the Ocean Researcher 3. In 2019, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) built a new generation of research vessels for it.
As of 2024, NSYSU had 45 research centers, including the following most important key centers:
Higher Education Sprout Project Featured Research Center Intelligent Electronic Commerce Research Center Center of Crystal Research Center for Strategy and Human Capital Research Assessment Research Center 6G Communication and Sensing Research Center Center of Excellence for Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver (CEMAFLD)
Tier-1 Certified Research Center Sun Yat-sen Research Center for Social Science Multidisciplinary and Data Science Research Center (MDSRC)