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National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU; Chinese: 國立中山大學; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kok-li̍p-tiong-san-tāi-ha̍k) is a public research university located in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Recognized as one of six Designated National Research Universities, 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 (國立廣東大學, 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 (中山大學模式) based-on Dr. Sun Yat-sen's philosophy.

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.

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 (中山大學美麗之島) and popular Asian cultural terms "ACG". In addition, NSYSU will be transformed into an English-taught university by 2030.

Campus and facilities

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. 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.

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 (打狗山賓館) a.k.a. Takao Imperial Guesthouse (高雄泊御所), 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 (寿山館). 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 (寿山洞), 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 (高雄観光館). 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.

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)
• Management Studies Research Center
• Engineer Technology Research & Promotion Center
• Frontier Center for Ocean Science and Technology
• Center for the Humanities
• Academia Research Center of Underwater Vehicles(ARCUV)

Rankings

National Sun Yat-sen University has been ranked consistently among the top 7 or 8 universities nationally in QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and Academic Ranking of World Universities.

QS World University Rankings

According to QS World University Rankings (2025), NSYSU is the 8th-ranked university in Taiwan (439rd worldwide).

Times Higher Education

According to Times Higher Education (2024), NSYSU is the 8th-ranked public university in Taiwan (141th Asia; 610-800th worldwide).

Academic Ranking of World Universities

According to Academic Ranking of World Universities (2021), NSYSU ranks #7 among Taiwan's national universities (601-700th worldwide).

Distinctive Government Think Tanks

National Sun Yat-sen University known for its political and commercial relations, its faculty and staff serve as bureaucrats and NGO experts to maintain close contact with industry and government officials.

In 2021, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) affirmed in an official statement that NSYSU, as one of Taiwan's top universities, is also an important promoter of US-Taiwan relations.

The US, EU, and Japanese offices

Founded under the auspices of the United States government, European Commission, and Japanese government: the Sun Yat-sen American Center (est.1999), European Union Centre at NSYSU (est.2009), and Center for Japanese Studies at NSYSU (est.2010) are Southern Taiwan's only official office for political and academic exchanges.

Lee Teng-hui Center for Governmental Studies

Named in honor of former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui, the "Lee Teng-hui Center for Governmental Studies" established on February 1, 2017 (succeeding the "Dr. Teng-Hui Lee Political Economy Seminar," founded in 2002). The center serves as a regional think tank, with the purpose of providing prescient and integrated research or advice for governmental policies and social issues.

Center for Market Research and Public Opinion Polling

The Center for Market Research and Public Opinion Polling at NSYSU is the most important social science research center and public opinion survey unit in Southern Taiwan. The Center and National Chengchi University's Election Study Center are listed as Taiwan's two major university polling institutions.

Notable alumni

More see List in Chinese version

NSYSU graduates include the President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan, the Mayor of Kaohsiung Chen Chu, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives David H. Rowe, and a sizable number of CEOs from among the 500 largest companies in the world, such as John Lin, the Vice President of eBay, Yuei-An Liou, a space scientist and distinguished professor, and chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission Huang Tien-mu.

• Legislators
• Member of Legislative Yuan
• And others: Ng Hong-mun (Guangdong period), Lin Ruo (Guangdong period)
• Others
• Hwang Yau-tai (Guangdong period)
• Yang Huimin (Guangdong period)
• Yang Cho-cheng
• Lo Chih-chiang

Honorary doctorate

As of June 2021, a total of 24 people had received honorary doctoral degrees. For the full list, please refer to the announcement of the Academic Affairs Office of National Sun Yat-sen University.

2019 Information Security Incident

NSYSU experienced a serious information security incident in November 2019. It is suspected that overseas hackers from China used XSS to monitor the email boxes of nearly 100 faculty members of NSYSU's College of Social Sciences and the College of Marine Sciences.

Because the primary victims (politics, Cross-Strait relations, and public policy scholars) are associated with government think tanks, the invasion may have introduced a threat to national security.

Affiliated school

Guoguang Laboratory School, National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學附屬國光高級中學)

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)